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Sunday, March 14, 2021

Plant this disposable face mask when you’re done, and it’ll sprout flower

 

The ten commandments of whodunits

In 1929 Ronald Knox codified the ten rules that all detective fiction should follow.



Nick Cornwell was one of few people who got to witness the collaboration between his mother Jane and father David, who wrote as le Carré

Nick Cornwell

Plant this disposable face mask when you’re done, and it’ll sprout flower

Fast Company – “Disposable masks are necessary during COVID-19. But we’re burning through them at an astounding rate. Every minute we throw away 3 million masks, which adds up to 129 billion per month. To make matters worse, most of these masks are made of plastic fibers, which are more prone to break down into microplastics than plastic bags or water bottles. But what if we could just bury a mask when we’re done wearing it and know it wouldn’t wreck the planet? That’s the plan for a new initiative by designer Marianne de Groot of the Dutch design firm Pons Ontwerp. Called Marie Bee Bloom, it’s a biodegradable mask that’s made from layers of rice paper (or paper created with a mixture of rice, water, and sometimes other natural starches). Not only can you bury it in the ground once you’re done wearing it, but the mask will also grow flowers: Inside the rice paper there are flower seeds that can sprout under the right conditions…”