13 Tech Startups Building Products and Services to Save the Planet

lPanet Earth—the only home we‘ve ever known, as the great Carl Sagan would say—is facing serious threats from a myriad of increasingly harmful human practices. As such, every earthbound life form can be considered endangered, even humans. Sustainable practices and maintaining environmentally conscious habits should therefore be a goal pursued by each and every one of us.

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13. Off-Grid Electric 12. Leeo 11. Choose Energy 10. Persistent Efficiency 9. Holganix 8. Puralytics 7. Freight Farms 6. Lagoon 5. Elevate 4. Topolytics 3. The Eco Laundry Company 2. Enviropure 1. Apana Source(s):

Source: Neil Turner / Flickr Creative Commons.

But it’s not all doom-and-gloom. A plethora of startups are developing solutions for making human life and associated activities less detrimental to the Earth and environment.

The following are 13 tech startups building products and solutions to save the planet.

13. Off-Grid Electric

This startup’s mission is to provide clean energy to communities living off-the-grid—usually in remote, underdeveloped regions of the world. It employs solar power to generate electricity, thereby minimizing the usage of kerosene oil and resulting emissions in those areas.

12. Leeo

Leeo is an iOS/Android app that relays information collected by smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors to mobile devices. An instant notification is sent when the alarms go off, enabling vigilant users to minimize the impact of CO or smoke/fire. Leeo also provides temperature and humidity information and can notify users when they are not at the preferred level.

11. Choose Energy

As its name implies, Choose Energy helps consumers choose the most suitable energy provider. It provides renewable energy options, electricity, and gas plans that are tailored to the user’s requirements.

10. Persistent Efficiency

Persistent Efficiency’s goal is to provide sustainable, accurate, and cost-effective energy monitoring solutions. Its software/hardware platform accurately provides energy consumption metrics for helping customers manage their energy consumption for efficiency.

9. Holganix

This company has developed a solution for naturally balancing soil ecosystems without the use of chemicals. By adding a combination of microbial food sources and beneficial microorganisms to soil, Holganix is able to promote sustainable plant care practices sans harmful chemicals and soil pollution.

8. Puralytics

Puralytics develops water purification technologies, specifically—water purification through the light-induced activation of nanotechnology photocatalysts. With its solution, water is 100% purified without any addition of chemicals or harmful processes.

7. Freight Farms

Freight Farms brings sustainable farming to customers’ doorsteps—thereby reducing the environmental impact of traditional farming. It uses shipping containers as “farms” where complete control over food supplies can be ensured for any kind of produce year-round. An app provides real-time data and reporting of all parameters essential for plant growth.

6. Lagoon

This platform allows users to track and manage their water usage and consumption habits. Consisting of a mobile app and meters/sensors for measuring water levels, Lagoon collects and uploads data to the cloud for analysis. Notifications, alerts, and water usage information can then be accessed via the app.

5. Elevate

Elevate is focused on providing practical residential, commercial, and humanitarian real estate through the development of elevated, portable, aesthetically-pleasing and eco-friendly structures. By using underutilized space to minimize the footprint of humans living on the ground, the solution allows for greater usability when compared to traditional structures.

4. Topolytics

Topolytics manages the environmental footprint of companies by collecting and managing their environmental data. By using the service, organizations can identify and analyze waste production/emissions and the resources depleted. This in turn lowers costs, reduces business risks, and ensures better management of the firm’s environmental impact.

3. The Eco Laundry Company

The Eco Laundry Company provides environmentally-friendly laundry services. For example, it uses non-toxic, organic wet cleaning solutions for dry cleaning. Fresh water and specially-formulated detergents are used in a computer-controlled cleaning process that regulates temperature, pH, moisture content, and agitation for exceptional cleaning without damaging garments—or the environment.

2. Enviropure

Enviropure uses alternative technologies to tackle organic waste disposal. Self-contained food waster elimination systems are manufactured and sold by the company. Food waste is turned into water using the enviropure systems, that can then be safely disposed into municipal waste water systems.

1. Apana

Apana is an analytics service that both identifies problems leading to water waste and presents strategies for remediation (e.g., replacing a leaky pipe). The platform provides real-time notifications for potential water saving activities—including switching filters and cleaning drains—that ultimately result in greater overall cost savings.

Though past technological innovations may have negatively impacted the environment, firms like the aforementioned 13 startups are turning the tides, setting their sights beyond profit margins in developing products and services for the greater good of the Earth.