SPACE 1: CARBONROOM

ATOM C

 

Carbon, the elemental backbone of life. The element carbon has a crucial role in the natural world.

Many species rely on it, and it’s part of many natural cycles. But carbon has a dark side to it.

Carbon emissions and pollution is a problem we keep running into. When carbon collides with oxygen it can form a new molecule, like carbon dioxide (CO2). Naturally, carbon dioxide is supposed to be in the atmosphere, it is one of many greenhouse gases. These gases can absorb

warmth and keep it in the atmosphere, making it possible to live on this planet. But when you have too much of this, too much warmth gets absorbed. Creating the atmosphere to warm up more then it is supposed to do. This has been causing problems for decades now.

 

FOOD WASTE

 

One of the industries that is most harmful is the food industry. Billions of liters of water are being

used to produce fresh products and thousands of cargo ships and planes are transporting this everyday. These products reach their end destinations with expiring dates designed more to drive sales than to ensure safety.

The result of marketing strategies like this is massive food waste. Modern western society has a pretty distorted view on freshness. Mold is dangerous, smells are weird, dirt is disgusting. But, when wrapped in fancy words like ‘fermentation’ or ‘aged’ we trust it. The way we rely on little

numbers on packagings, and the fear of eating expired food makes us all responsible for food waste.

Places like grocery stores and markets have to throw away fresh food everyday. A small thing you can do to decrease your personal food waste is by going to markets on Saturday. At the end of the day they give away their fresh products for extremely cheap, and sometimes for free. These

products are perfectly fine. Markets have to get rid of everything at the end of the week, for the new batch to be sold.

 

In the next room we introduce you to new ways of cooking.