It’s “Go Diaper-Free Week,” Climate Solutions, Pura: a Diaper-Related Climate Fighting Co., Climate Champ–Nkosilathi Nyathi from Zimbabwe

IT’S “GO DIAPER-FREE WEEK!”

Guess what this week is? It’s Go Diaper-Free Week. Ahyup. April 24-30th. It was started by Andrea Olson to help parents all over the world use Elimination Communication to free themselves and their children from diaper dependency. 

Why does Go Diaper-Free Week matter to us? Couple of reasons. First, as Olson wrote, it’s about understanding “how we deal with our children’s waste, as a culture. Do we bury it (eternally mummified in plastic and gel goo), teach them to ignore their instincts, train our kids to poo and pee on themselves and pretend it isn’t there, give them the huge responsibility to train themselves out of something we’ve trained them into? Do we dishonor the Earth by stuffing Her with poo-filled Pampers?”

And from a climate standpoint, Approximately 25 billion diapers are discarded globally every year.. The dirtiest thing is not the diaper itself, it’s that they can take up to 500 years to decompose, all the while releasing methane–that ozone killing gas.

Go Diaper-Free Week is your opportunity to examine these techniques and learn as much as you can about gently guiding your children into a diaper free existence. Got infants? Surf on over to godiaperfree.com and check out her tips. There’s a store, a book, a blog and a podcast, too.

DEEPER DIVE: Grist, Nappicycle, DaysofTheWeek, GoDiaperFree.com

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Of all the things you can imagine a road being made from, I bet you never thought about a road being made from used diapers. Well it’s Go Diaper-Free Week and our SECOND story is about a company transforming diapers into roads. The concept for NappiCycle was born in 2009 by Welsh native Rob Poyer. But, it didn’t start “walking” until 2014 when it first opened for business. Poyer’s objective with NappiCycle is to eliminate ‘nappies’ from going to landfills in Wales.

So, in a public-private collaboration launched this year, NappiCycle and the Welsh government joined forces to address this major environmental and climate issue. The road project, as it is called, is using m​ore than 100,000 disposable diapers to resurface a 1.5-mile stretch of highway in Llanarth, Wales. 

Like me, you may be wondering how are they collecting the nappies? Well, the company now offers curbside collection in all 22 localities in Wales. I’ll forgo the nitty gritty of how the diapers are transformed into asphalt, but the main steps are that after a rinse cycle, the part of the diaper that is cellulose fiber is shredded into pellets and then mixed with asphalt.

The cellulose fiber can also be used to produce building insulation. As part of NappiCycle’s commitment to a zero-waste process, the diaper’s plastic elements are separated and reused as a post-consumer good. 

Why does NappiCycle matter to us? Single-use diapers are a massive problem. Approximately 3 billion ‘nappies’ are thrown out in the UK and 20 billion in the U.S. The dirtiest thing is not the diaper itself, it’s that they can take up to 500 years to decompose, all the while releasing methane–a GHG that’s 20 times more potent than CO2

DEEPER DIVE: Grist, Nappicycle,DaysofTheWeek

PURA:  A DIAPER-RELATED CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION 

This diaper-related climate solution comes to you from Cheshire, England. Guy Fennell and his wife Abi became new parents and were looking for plastic-free options for their baby-care kit. They were astounded at how much plastic was in things like baby wipes.

They found that 90% of the wipes in the UK contain plastic and they can last more than 100 years in landfills. That was unacceptable to the Fennells. Fennell, who formerly ran a wholesale and distribution company, took the step to change this at his home in the U.K. in June 2020, during the coronavirus lockdown. That’s when Pura was launched.

The product, made from plant fibers, viscose, pulp, and tencel. They contain no plastic, totally biodegradable and 100% compostable. The company is partnering with NappiCycle on additional wipe and nappy recycling initiatives. They’ve also been working with British MP Fleur Anderson on a bill that would #BanPlasticInWetWipes.

Why does Pura matter to us? Pura is hoping to bring about a ban on plastic in baby wipes in the UK.   Approximately 3 billion ‘nappies’ are thrown out in the UK. And the thing is, the dirtiest thing is not the diaper itself, it’s that they can take up to 500 years to decompose, all the while releasing methane–a super greenhouse gas.

DEEPER DIVE: MyPura, Medium, NappiCycle 

CLIMATE CHAMPION, ZIMBABWE’S NKOSILATHI NYATHI 

And speaking of youngsters (dealing with a crappy world) taking on the world, meet youth Climate Champ Nkosilathi Nyathi from Zimbabwe. In 2014, at the ripe old age of 11, en ya tee began to notice the effects of climate change in his part of the world. What he saw and discussed with friends led to a leadership role of the Ozone Defenders Club, an environmental club at his primary school.

In 2016, at age 13, he created the first bio gas plant in his community, transforming waste into sustainable energy. The station is now used to power the cafeteria at his old primary school. Since 2015, he has been engaged with UNICEF and GreenLine Africa, advocating for climate action and serving as a voice for young people in Zimbabwe and Africa.

He traveled to COP25 Climate Summit in Spain in 2019, where he joined children and young people from around the world in calling on global leaders to urgently address climate and biodiversity challenges. In February 2020, he participated in the sixth session of the African Regional Summit on Sustainable Development in Victoria Falls, where he gave the opening speech to government dignitaries including Zimbabwe’s president. Nyathi was appointed as a UNICEF Youth Advocate in November 2020.

Why does Nkosilathi Nyathi matter to us? Part of his platform is that youth should be included at the decision-making level with world leaders. He is proof that youth belong at the table.

DEEPER DIVE: TED, Instagram, GreenLine-Africa