Architect Chris Precht talks to Dezeen about the ‘horrible’ environmental impact of creating NFTs. Precht said he created three digital artworks with the aim to sell them using blockchain technology. “Just to [mint] one token through the blockchain equals out the same amount of electricity I usually use in one month… I wanted to create 300 tokens because I had three art pieces and I wanted to make each one in an edition of 100. So for this one drop, I would have used the amount of electricity I usually use in two decades.” Story here

Earth Optimism 2021 has been showcasing conservation innovations to help wildlife and nature. The projects include the Hookpod, a device to prevent seabirds and turtles becoming caught in fishing nets, flatpack cardboard shelters to provide a temporary home for animals whose habitats have been destroyed by fire (shown) and video games and augmented reality that use real wildlife data to encourage people to protect endangered animals. The guardian has details here

Oliver Wainright in the Guardian reports on “The dirty secret of so-called 'fossil-fuel free' buildings”. Joe Giddings of the Architects Climate Action Network is quoted in the piece, pointing out that “It’s strange to see something described as ‘fossil-fuel free’ when it is made of concrete, steel and glass…The climate emergency is not a game and we can’t just spin our way through it. We need to think about where our materials come from, how they’re made and interrogate the whole supply chain – from construction to demolition and reuse.” Read the piece here

Fascinating piece from ArchDaily on “The Incredible Architecture of Bees”, including species that can build 20-storey ‘skyscrapers’ and others that use architecture to protect themselves from predators. Read it here

The first commercial scale plant to recycle all types of plastic using high pressure steam has begun construction in the UK, reports Bloomberg Green. Located in the north-east, the plant will ultimately process 80,000 metric tons a year of plastic waste after it starts operating by the end of 2022. Story here

The link has been copied!