BiotechNZ backing cleantech benefits nationwide

Tamaki Makaurau - BiotechNZ is launching a nationwide campaign to help Kiwis get into cleantech, which helps reduce costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste or pollution.

The first BiotechNZ cleantech event will be held in Auckland on July 8. Attendees will hear about Kiwi companies creating clean technology to make a difference to New Zealand.

BiotechNZ is driven to grow New Zealand’s bioscience for a strong New Zealand bioeconomy and is a part of the NZTech Alliance.

Cleantech will help significant relief to shortages in energy, water, and other natural resources, while providing a path to address such greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, resource scarcity and air and water pollution.

Measures taken include reducing or eliminating pollution, waste, saving raw materials, natural resources, and energy.  Solar, wind, and hydroelectric dams are of clean tech as they are safer for the environment and don't produce fossil fuel waste by-products.

The Auckland July  8 event will hear how Sustainable Coastlines recently attracted a grant from Microsoft’s $US50 million, five-year commitment to put AI in the hands of those working to protect the planet in agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, and water.

Sustainable Coastlines was launched in New Zealand in 2009 to educate, motivate and empower individuals and communities to clean up and restore their coastal environments and waterways.

They are shifting to an AI model to determine where rubbish comes from and its migration patterns and other trends.

Their approach to New Zealand’s beaches is by using a tech-game, Pick Up Quick, where people can clean up the shores completely and virtually.

Sustainable Coastlines’ Pick Up Quick means people can head to a beach and score points by picking up rubbish.

The aim really here is to inform the users around what the issues are on our beaches. Kiwis would probably be surprised to learn New Zealand is the 10th highest consumers of urban waste per capita in the world.

Pick Up Quick was created in PlayStation 4 game Dreams and uses data from real litter clean-ups to inform each level of the game so players can compare the rubbish they collect with what was collected in real life.

It features the beaches of Okahaki Point on Kapiti Island and Tahunanui Beach near Nelson.