True progress happens when environmental ambition meets action. Decarbonizing efficiently is possible for any business in any sector, but actually getting started can sometimes feel daunting.  

The trick? It’s to start small and build momentum. Here are five potential projects to help you get started.  

1. Measure your baseline energy consumption

You can’t manage something if you don’t measure it. That’s why the first step on any sustainability journey is to get data. Start with your utility bills to establish a clear starting point. Track usage over the period of a few months to spot any patterns.  

2. Create a culture around sustainability

    

It’s one thing to talk about sustainability. It’s another to embed it into the way your company operates. Get your staff involved in the journey and talk to them about why you want to reduce your environmental impact.  

Encourage a culture where people reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible. Provide education on the environmental impact of decisions like taking public transport to work. Run challenges to make sustainability feel fun.  

Remember, sustainability only works if the leadership team also lives and breathes its values. Encourage employees to make the most sustainable choices. Having your team use public transit instead of driving, for example, can help lower your Scope 3 emissions. Make it feel like a team effort.  

3. Switch to electric options

    

If you have a company car or a fleet, consider switching to electric vehicles. Doing so will help reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and align your business with global standards.  

Even switching one company vehicle, or providing incentives for employees to switch to electric vehicles, can help reduce your Scope 1 emissions (and your Scope 3 emissions, in some cases).  

4. Look for partners to help you out

    

Sustainability is a global effort, and it takes a team to do it well.  

If you’re a larger business that’s ready to go through bigger decarbonization projects, it might be time to look for a sustainability partner to help you build a strategy that matches your goals.  

If you’re a small business that provides services to large global corporations, reach out and ask about their Scope 3 programs. They might have initiatives that can help you decarbonize.  

5. Invest in carbon credits

    

To fully achieve net-zero emissions, many companies need to invest in carbon credits. These are tradeable assets that let companies mitigate their residual emissions by funding verified carbon projects.  

The carbon market sounds simple, but in reality, it’s quite complex. It’s important that you source your credits from independently vetted sources that adhere to the highest global quality standards.  

Start with the first step 

The most difficult part of any sustainability strategy is moving from a goal on paper to the first entry on a spreadsheet. Once you bridge the gap between ambition and your first measurable result, the momentum of success makes the next action easier.  

The post 5 projects to help kickstart your company’s sustainability journey  appeared first on Green Prophet.

When Green Prophet first wrote about the experimental Hydrophilis rebreather by Swiss inventor Oliver Isler, the internet reacted exactly the way the internet reacts to unusual design.

People compared the sleek underwater breathing device to a phallus. Others joked that divers wearing it would become “shark bait.” Some called it ridiculous. Others said it looked like science fiction. But underneath the mockery there was something else: curiosity. A lot of curiosity.

The original article on Hydrophilis, Isler’s radically streamlined underwater rebreather system, sparked strong reactions because the device doesn’t look like normal scuba gear. Instead of bulky tanks and hoses strapped awkwardly to the back, Hydrophilis wraps the diver into a smooth hydrodynamic shape designed to move through water more like a dolphin than a machine.

And while many commenters laughed, others were fascinated by the possibility of quieter, bubble-free diving with less drag and less physical effort. We reached out to Oliver Isler after the reaction online and asked him what he thought about the sudden attention.

We reached out to Oliver Isler after the reaction online and asked him what he thought about the sudden attention.

“Thank you for article, which explains very well the philosophy behind my prototype, designed to be as much as possible in symbiosis with its environment, moving easily with the least possible effort,” Isler tells Green Prophet.

“The greatest challenge was the miniaturization of everything that could be reduced in size, while still remaining comfortable from a breathing standpoint. I dive either on pure oxygen (0 – 6 m), with an autonomy of about 90 – 100 min., or on Nitrox 55 down to 20 m depth, with an autonomy of 45 – 50 minutes.

“I have completed 54 dives so far. My 2 mm freediving wetsuit is intended for warm water (above 18 degrees).”

The original article on Hydrophilis, Isler’s radically streamlined underwater rebreather system, sparked strong reactions because the device doesn’t look like normal scuba gear. Instead of bulky tanks and hoses strapped awkwardly to the back, Hydrophilis wraps the diver into a smooth hydrodynamic shape designed to move through water more like a dolphin than a machine.

“The goal was never to make something provocative. The idea came from a dream I had more than fifteen years ago where I was swimming peacefully among whales and dolphins.”

That dream eventually became Hydrophilis, a chest-mounted closed-circuit rebreather system that attempts to rethink how humans move underwater. Instead of treating diving like hauling industrial equipment into the sea, Isler designed the system around hydrodynamics and low resistance.

“The ideal shape for minimum resistance is the NACA airfoil,” he explains, referring to the aerodynamic forms developed for aircraft engineering. “Everything was built around that principle.”

The Hydrophilis rebreather currently weighs about 10 kilograms and integrates ballast, breathing equipment, and streamlined body shaping into a single form. Unlike traditional scuba tanks worn on the back, the breathing system sits on the chest. Isler says this decision was partly made “to avoid Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE), a dangerous affliction whose risk is higher when inhaling from a back-mounted counterlung.”

The device is still experimental. There is no commercial model yet and no announced certification process. Isler says he has completed several dozen dives while continuing to refine buoyancy, visibility, and breathing performance underwater.

Some divers online questioned whether the design is practical. Others wondered whether the unusual shape could attract sharks.

“Suddenly I feel a little inadequate, wrote one commenter.”

But for many underwater enthusiasts, freedivers, futurists, and marine technology fans, Hydrophilis represents something refreshing: an attempt to rethink scuba from the ground up instead of endlessly refining the same tanks and hoses developed decades ago.

Traditional scuba equipment made humans capable underwater. Hydrophilis asks whether humans can become more natural in the water itself.

That difference may explain why people reacted so strongly.

“There is still work to do,” Isler says cautiously. “It’s impossible to say whether it will become a model for the future.”

Still, the project has already succeeded in doing one thing rare in the diving world: getting people to imagine a completely different relationship between the human body and the ocean.

And maybe that’s why even the critics couldn’t stop talking about it.

Green Prophet looks forward to following Hydrophilis as the technology develops and hopes to speak again with Oliver Isler in future interviews about underwater mobility, silent diving systems, and the future of human interaction with the sea.

Background from Green Prophet’s original Hydrophilis feature.

The post Hydrophilis Rebreather: After the Penis Jokes and Shark Bait Memes, Oliver Isler Says His Underwater Dream Is Serious appeared first on Green Prophet.

AI may unintentionally become the economic engine that finally modernizes America’s aging grid. California is experiencing a massive AI data center boom, ranking 3rd in the U.S. with 227 operating centers and 54 more in development as of April 2026, according to Stanford.

AI is triggering a new energy panic in America. Across the US states of California, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, and Georgia, residents are pushing back against the explosive growth of data centers powering artificial intelligence. People are worried about rising electricity bills, water use, backup diesel generators, massive transmission lines, and entire landscapes being transformed into server farms. They worry about the expansion and the business around it and believe that AI data centers will exploit the land, and give back little to the people in the communities.

The energy demand from AI is unlike anything the internet economy has seen before. Goldman Sachs estimates data center electricity demand could rise more than 160% by 2030. Utilities that spent years planning for flat electricity growth are suddenly scrambling to build power generation again. In places like Northern Virginia, now nicknamed “Data Center Alley,” local resistance has become fierce. Residents complain about noise, visual pollution, water consumption, and fears that ordinary households will subsidize the AI boom through higher utility costs.

But there’s another side to the story that should be getting attention instead of fear. Renewable energy projects like SunZia — the giant new wind and transmission project connecting New Mexico wind power to California — may show how the AI boom could also accelerate the renewable energy transition.

SunZia is enormous:

• 3.5 gigawatts of wind energy
• a 550-mile high-voltage transmission line
• enough electricity for roughly 3 million people
• one of the largest renewable infrastructure projects in North American history.

And it’s arriving at exactly the right moment. The question is how does it scale without becoming an out of date boondoggle like the Ivanpah solar energy project? We interviewed Moshe Luz, one of the executives and founders of the company who has ideas up for grabs.

California already produces huge amounts of daytime solar energy, but AI workloads continue around the clock. Solar fades in the evening just as electricity demand rises. So the innovation doesn’t need to come in adding more solar panels, it’s the need for better battery storage and nighttime renewables. Wind, wave, and geothermal might help.

SunZia’s New Mexico wind profile helps solve that problem because wind often strengthens later in the day and overnight. Instead of relying entirely on natural gas plants after sunset, California can increasingly balance its grid using distant wind resources combined with battery storage.

The project is already beginning to send electricity into California while final testing continues. SunZia is not alone.

Across the American West, a quiet clean-energy arms race is emerging around AI infrastructure.

In California’s Kern County, the Edwards & Sanborn project combines nearly 900 megawatts of solar with one of the world’s largest battery systems. In Nevada, the Gemini Solar project near Las Vegas pairs utility-scale solar with giant batteries designed to stabilize evening demand.

Texas has become perhaps the most radical experiment of all. Massive wind farms, sprawling solar installations, and grid-scale batteries are now increasingly handling short demand spikes that were once served by gas “peaker” plants. Texas leads America in wind energy, boasting over 30,000 MW of capacity from over 150 wind farms as of 2020, often supplying over 20% of the state’s electricity.

Meanwhile, Google and Microsoft are investing in enhanced geothermal energy projects in Nevada and Utah. Unlike solar and wind, geothermal can run 24 hours a day, making it attractive for AI-driven electricity demand that never sleeps.

The bigger shift underway is that AI may unintentionally become the economic engine that finally modernizes America’s aging grid.

For decades, utilities hesitated to build large transmission systems because electricity demand grew slowly. Now AI companies, cloud providers, and electrification trends are forcing states to rethink energy infrastructure entirely.

Ironically, the same technology many fear could overheat the planet may also become one of the biggest drivers of renewable energy investment in modern history.

There are tradeoffs.

Projects like SunZia still face lawsuits from Indigenous groups who argue transmission corridors damage sacred landscapes and fragile ecosystems. It’s difficult to get ecological assessments across state lines. Renewable energy itself is now colliding with difficult questions about land use, mining prime materials, water, and who benefits from “green growth.”

The post AI data centers are triggering panic, instead of cleantech opportunities appeared first on Green Prophet.

Seramic Materials is part of a new wave of companies rethinking what ceramics are made from and what they can do. Instead of digging raw materials out of the earth, they are using what industry throws away.

Based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Seramic Materials was founded in 2019 by Dr. Nicolas Calvet and Dr. Jean-François Hoffmann, researchers working at the intersection of renewable energy and materials science. The company grew out of the Masdar Institute ecosystem and is supported by clean tech programs like The Catalyst, with early backing of around $150,000 and more than $2 million invested in research and development over time.

At its core, Seramic takes industrial waste such as steel slag, incinerator ash, and other mineral byproducts and transforms them into ceramic materials. These materials are then used to create building products like tiles and pavers, as well as advanced technical ceramics. Instead of extracting new clay or minerals, the company treats waste as a resource, reducing landfill use and cutting carbon emissions by at least 20 to 30 percent compared to traditional ceramics.

This is where the circular economy becomes real. Ceramics have always been made from earth. Seramic simply expands that idea by using what has already been taken from the earth and discarded. The result is a loop rather than a line. Waste becomes material, material becomes product, and eventually returns without adding new burden.

One of the company’s most important projects is ReThink Seramic Flora, a high temperature ceramic designed for thermal energy storage. It can store heat at temperatures up to 1250°C, making it useful for solar power systems and industrial heat recovery. This connects ceramics directly to the energy transition, allowing renewable energy to be stored and used when needed.

The company is also working with partners like Bee’ah in the UAE to scale waste conversion systems and address growing volumes of industrial ash.

Where this is going is clear. Ceramics are no longer just tiles or bricks. They are becoming part of energy infrastructure, waste management systems, and low carbon manufacturing. Companies like Seramic are turning one of the oldest materials on earth into something that fits a future built on circular thinking.

The post Meet Seramic Materials from Abu Dhabi appeared first on Green Prophet.

Solar and wind were once framed as intermittent, unreliable, and dependent on fossil fuels to fill the gaps. That argument is fading fast.

A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency based in Abu Dhabi makes something clear that many in the industry already suspected. When solar and wind are paired with battery storage, they can deliver reliable, round the clock electricity at costs that compete with, and often beat, fossil fuels.

In the best solar and wind regions, these hybrid systems are already delivering what used to be considered impossible. Continuous power. Stable pricing. Lower costs. The numbers tell the story. Solar paired with storage is now delivering electricity at roughly 54 to 82 dollars per megawatt hour in high quality regions. That is already below or competitive with new coal plants in China and significantly cheaper than new gas plants globally.

Costs have not just dropped. They have collapsed. Since 2010, solar installation costs have fallen by about 87 percent. Wind is down by more than half. Battery storage has dropped by over 90 percent. That last number matters most because storage is what turns intermittent energy into firm power.

This changes everything, especially for artificial intelligence.

AI systems and data centers are among the most energy hungry infrastructures ever built. They do not tolerate downtime. They do not accept fluctuations. They need constant, predictable electricity. Until recently, that meant fossil fuels or nuclear.

Hybrid renewable systems are being designed specifically to meet these demands. Solar generates during the day. Wind often peaks at night. Batteries fill in the gaps, shifting energy into the hours when it is needed most. The result is a system that can run continuously, without burning fuel.

In places like the United Arab Emirates, large scale solar plus battery installations are delivering gigawatt level power at around 70 dollars per megawatt hour. Wind plus storage is also becoming competitive, with costs expected to drop further over the next decade.

Projects that combine solar, wind, and storage can now be built in one to two years once permits are secured. That is faster than most new gas plants. Faster than nuclear by an order of magnitude. Speed matters when demand is rising as quickly as it is now.

Every new model, every data center, every layer of digital infrastructure increases the pressure on energy systems. AI companies are now quietly becoming energy companies, signing long term deals and building their own power strategies. They are not looking for green energy as a branding exercise. They are looking for reliability and price stability.

There is also a geopolitical layer. Fossil fuel markets remain exposed to disruption, whether through conflict, shipping chokepoints, or price volatility. Renewable systems, once built, draw on local resources. Sun and wind are not shipped through straits or pipelines. They do not spike in price because of a crisis.

When solar, wind, and batteries are combined, they do more than reduce emissions. They stabilize economies. They reduce exposure to global shocks. They give countries and companies more control over their energy future.

The next phase is optimization, and this is where AI comes back into the picture.

AI is not just a consumer of energy. It is becoming the system that manages it. Energy companies are increasingly using AI powered energy management platforms, predictive analytics software, and grid optimization SaaS tools to balance supply and demand in real time. These software as a service platforms allow utilities and developers to forecast solar output, predict wind patterns, and decide when to store or release energy from batteries.

AI driven demand response systems are already helping large users, including data centers, adjust consumption dynamically. Smart grid software, cloud based energy platforms, and machine learning models are optimizing when electricity is used, where it is sent, and how it is priced. These tools reduce waste, improve efficiency, and increase the value of every kilowatt generated.

For AI companies themselves, this creates a feedback loop. The same artificial intelligence systems that require massive amounts of energy are now being used to make renewable energy systems more efficient and more reliable. Energy optimization software, battery management systems, and renewable forecasting tools are becoming essential infrastructure.

Solar and wind with storage provide the physical layer. AI provides the intelligence layer. Together, they create an energy system that is not only cleaner, but smarter.

As costs continue to fall, with projections suggesting another 30 percent drop by 2030 and up to 40 percent by 2035, the combination of renewable generation, battery storage, and AI optimization will become the default model rather than the alternative.

The post 24 7 renewable energy: how solar, wind, batteries and AI SaaS replace fossil fuels appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Prophet readers know we write a lot about hair. We have covered the halal and the haram sides of hair removal for Muslims. We have written about sugar waxing, Persian sugaring, threading, and the beauty secrets that came out of the Middle East long before salons started calling them trends. Our articles on sugar wax broke the internet a few times.

We have also written about people who would rather grow it all out. For them there is Januhairy, where body hair becomes a statement rather than a problem. We have written about Persian women with mustaches, once considered beautiful in Tehran. We have even looked at natural ways to lighten darkened knees for women whose prayer practice leaves a mark on the body.

Hair is never just hair. It is religion, culture, modesty, rebellion, fashion, hygiene, sexuality, and sometimes just one more thing we are tired of managing.

(If you have come looking for a hair transplant, you’ve come to the wrong place, but we did see tens of people in the airport of Istanbul with new plugs in their scalp – so that’s probably the place).

Today we are talking about lasers.

Once a woman or man reaches an age where laser hair removal is appropriate, it may be one of the more ecological choices for people who already remove hair regularly. That part matters. If you love your hair, keep it. If you remove it for religious, cultural, personal, or practical reasons, then it is worth asking how much waste your routine creates.

Razors, plastic cartridges, shaving cream bottles, wax strips, applicators, salon paper, depilatory creams, packaging, and water use all add up. Waxing every month or shaving every few days is not just a beauty routine. It is a supply chain.

I have spoken with women and men who have used laser treatment to remove hair on different parts of the body. Most say the same thing. After years of waxing or shaving, five, six, or seven laser sessions made the whole business easier. Not always perfect. Not always permanent forever. But enough to remove much of the hassle.

For many Muslims, hair removal is recommended within a forty day rhythm, depending on practice and interpretation. For traditional Jewish women, preparation before the mikveh can include careful grooming and cleansing before immersion after menstruation. How much hair is removed is personal, but the body, water, and ritual all come into the conversation.

Laser treatment enters that space in a practical way.

There are different kinds of machines, and this is where things get real. Not all laser treatments are equal. Some of the newer machines have better cooling systems, skin sensors, and settings for different skin tones. Someone in my family uses a more expensive machine and is told to stay out of the sun for about three days after treatment. That is manageable.

Other clinics are far more restrictive. We tried one while on holiday in Canada and were told to stay out of the sun for two weeks. Two weeks in summer is not a small ask. That is not sustainable unless you are planning your life around your legs.

The common machine types include Alexandrite, Diode, and Nd:YAG lasers, along with IPL, which stands for intense pulsed light and is not technically a laser. Alexandrite lasers are often used for lighter skin with darker hair.

Diode lasers are common and can work across a broader range of skin tones.

Nd:YAG lasers go deeper and are often considered safer for darker skin tones when used by experienced professionals.

IPL is usually cheaper and more available, including in some home devices, but it is less targeted and may require more sessions. People can buy them online and teenagers use them often, but the efficiency is almost not worth it.

This is why you should ask questions before booking. Ask what machine they use. Ask whether it is a true laser or IPL. Ask if the operator has experience with your skin tone. Ask how many days you need to avoid sun before and after treatment. Ask what cooling system they use. Ask if maintenance sessions are likely later. And how many? Laser treatments aren’t recommended for teenagers before they hit peak puberty. Chances are the overdrive hormones will not have any effect on rampant hair growth.

The American Academy of Dermatology warns that laser hair removal can cause burns, scars, or permanent changes in skin color when done badly, especially in inexperienced hands. Cleveland Clinic says tanned skin can make the procedure less effective and increase side effects. Mayo Clinic also advises avoiding sun exposure and tanning beds before treatment, using sunscreen, avoiding sunless tanning products, and stopping waxing or plucking before sessions.

That may sound like a lot, but it is better to know before you pay. The machine matters. The person using it matters more.

When in doubt ask a friend of yours with smooth arms if they have ever been hairy. If yes, ask them about laser treatments.

From an ecological perspective, the logic is simple. Fewer treatments over time can mean less reliance on disposable products, less plastic, less packaging, less chemical runoff, and less repetition. It is not perfect. It is still a treatment. It still uses energy. It still costs money. But compared to a lifetime of razors, wax strips, creams, and salon waste, laser hair removal starts to look like a reduction model rather than a consumption model.

It is also not for everyone. Light hair, red hair, grey hair, hormonal conditions, darker skin tones treated with the wrong machine, pregnancy, medications, and recent sun exposure can all complicate results. A good clinic will tell you that. A bad clinic will sell you a package before asking enough questions. We actually had a clinic near Toronto turn us away because it was summer and the lasers might do damage if we came into contact with the sun.

So maybe the question is not whether you remove hair or leave it alone. That is personal. It can be cultural. It can be religious. It can be nobody’s business. The better question is how you do it.

Good luck and enjoy your summer. We love you.

The post A summer of sugar wax or time for laser treatments? The environmental answer appeared first on Green Prophet.

There’s something quietly beautiful about what Rebloom Studio is doing, and it starts with waste. At wholesale flower markets, mountains of unsold blooms are tossed out at the end of each cycle. Perfect flowers, just not sold in time. Most of them are burned or dumped. Rebloom takes that moment and turns it into something else.

We know paper as something made from tree pulp, but in Asia, paper is made from rice waste, and in schools everywhere, kids are making paper with old paper –– and are adding flowers, leaves and other organic material to the mix. In Japan, they made newspapers with seeds embedded in the upcycled paper so when composted the waste turns into flowers.

How about flowers themselves turning into paper and clay?

Rebloom’s Petal Vase is made from discarded flowers, pulped down and mixed with Korean paper fibers and a natural binder. What you get is not a polished, perfect object, but something closer to the mushy, memory of a flower which is textured, uneven, a little unpredictable. Each vase carries the trace of whatever went into it: different tones, flecks of color, the ghost of the flower that was.

Related: make mushroom paper 

I’ve made a lot of paper with my kids and I’ve made frames to share with my loved ones so that they can make paper too. These flower vases turn what’s pulpy into a kind of moldable clay.

There’s a glass cylinder inside, removable, which holds the water and stems. That’s practical. It keeps the outer shell dry so the material doesn’t break down during use. The outside stays raw, untreated, almost fragile-looking, even though it holds its shape.

And when you’re done with it, really done, it can go back to the earth. No plastic, no long afterlife in a landfill.

Read related: how to make moss grafftti

What if the things we throw away — flowers in this case — are not waste but a missed material opportunity? Like these orange peels that are upcycled into candles?

There’s a design shift happening right now where imperfections are not hidden but exposed. For home decor, that could mean something. Instead of mass-produced sameness, objects tied to seasonality, to place, even to failure. A bad sales day at a flower market becomes a new product line.

For the floral industry, there’s a second life emerging. Unsold inventory doesn’t have to be a total loss. It can be aggregated, processed, turned into something with value.

The post Make paper mache with flowers to create stunning vase appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a studio in the DC Maryland Virginia area, ceramic artist Alison Kysia is working with clay in a way that feels both grounded and personal. She makes pottery and abstract Islamic sculptures, and one of her recent works focuses on the 99 Names of God in Islam, a concept borrowed from Judaism where there are 72 names for God. Christians have about 30 names for God.

Kysia, who shares her work as @786arts, identifies openly as a Muslim woman artist. Her practice includes handmade pottery, sculptural pieces, and socially engaged art projects that connect people through making.

A recent piece, Al Musawwir III: The Artist, is named after one of the 99 Names of God, often translated as The Shaper. The work includes 99 individual ceramic tiles. Each tile is painted by hand with teal bursts that look like small worlds or organic forms spreading outward. Together they sit in a single black frame, measuring about 17.5 by 21.5 inches.

Her idea is simple and strong. Each pottery tile holds its own pattern, but the full set builds something larger. It is repetitive but not uniform. You can stand close and look at one tile, or step back and take in the whole.

Kysia shared that the reaction from buyers has been emotional. One collector told her that the idea of living with a piece connected to the 99 Names gave them chills and felt deeply moving. She also recently sold a sculpture for a four figure price, a personal milestone.

Her work also carries a message about identity. She speaks directly about the way Muslims are treated and represented, and sees her art as a way to show something else. Not an argument, just presence through material and form.

Clay does a lot of quiet work here. It comes from the earth, it holds marks, it records touch. In Kysia’s hands it becomes a way to think about faith without needing to explain it too much.

She then went on to do the same with crafting seed pods. “My latest ceramic series explores the 99 names of God in Islam through 99 unique sculptures inspired by seed pods. Never forget the seeds planted by our ancestors that we can use now as sustenance and inspiration in a noisy and unjust world.

“What seeds are you planting that can nourish future generations in their times of trial and injustice? There are so many wonderful possibilities of what that can look like.”

::786Art

The post Muslim potter shapes the 99 names of God into clay appeared first on Green Prophet.

Pottery lovers are asking a surprisingly practical question: can clay jugs clean and filter water safely? The short answer is yes, but only under specific conditions. And if you’re a ceramics enthusiast, homesteader, or DIY natural living fan, the details matter.

Clay (earthenware/terracotta) has been used for water storage and filtration for thousands of years. From ancient Egypt to rural India, porous earthenware vessels like the one above made by Palestinian craftsmen helped cool and sometimes purify drinking water. But not all clay jugs are created equal, and not every handmade pot will filter water in a meaningful or safe way.

How clay jugs filter water naturally

Unglazed, low-fired clay is porous. That means tiny holes in the ceramic body allow water to slowly pass through or interact with air. This porosity can trap some sediment and particles, allow slow evaporation that cools water, and in specialized cases support filtration when combined with materials like charcoal or silver.

Modern ceramic water filters are usually made from a mix of clay and combustible materials such as sawdust. When fired, the sawdust burns away, leaving micro-pores that can physically block some bacteria.

A basic clay jug from your local pottery studio? It won’t do that on its own.

Can handmade pottery actually purify water?

Here’s where pottery fans need to be careful.

Most decorative or functional clay jugs are not designed to remove bacteria or viruses. They may also contain glazes or underglazes that are not food-safe if poorly made, and they will not reliably filter contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, PFAS, or industrial chemicals. So while your handmade jug can store water beautifully, and it may even keep it cool, it is not a reliable water purification system.

You can make a clay cooling jug using terracotta clay, fire it to about 1050 degrees C, and keep it unglazed. Rest jug on glazed plate to collect condensation.

How to turn clay into a real water filter

If you’re a ceramic artist or experimental potter, there’s a growing niche in the United States around DIY ceramic water filters. These are especially popular among homesteaders, off-grid communities, survivalists, and eco-conscious makers. To make a functional ceramic water filter, you need a clay body mixed with organic burnout material such as fine sawdust, or paper clay, controlled firing to create uniform porosity, and often a colloidal silver treatment to inhibit bacterial growth.

This is closer to engineering than craft pottery, and it requires testing. A handmade clay jug should not be used to make unsafe water drinkable unless it has been designed and tested as a water filter.

Best use of clay jugs for water at home

Even without true filtration, clay jugs still have real value. They can keep water naturally cool through evaporation, reduce the need for plastic bottles, and make water storage feel more human and beautiful.

Some people also say water stored in clay tastes better. That may be because clay jugs avoid the plastic taste that can come from bottled water or cheap storage containers. Some say that clay turns water from the tap, which is dead water to “living water”.

For actual water filtration, make sure you pair your clay jug with a certified filter system.

There’s a quiet revival happening. American potters are blending ancient water storage techniques with modern sustainability goals. Searches such as “DIY ceramic water filter USA,” “natural clay water purifier pottery,” “off grid ceramic water filter,” and “handmade clay jug drinking water safe” are part of this new maker movement. Others just buy a stainless Berkey filter or a reverse osmosis machine to make sure they are drinking the cleanest water.

So, can clay jugs filter water?

Yes, clay jugs can help with water by cooling it, storing it naturally, and in specially engineered cases filtering it. But your average handmade pottery jug will not make unsafe water safe to drink. If you are serious about using clay for water filtration, think like both an artist and a scientist. Test your materials. Understand porosity. And never assume that beautiful handmade pottery is the same thing as a certified water filter.

A well-made clay jug might not save your life, but it can make your water taste like something older, quieter, and a little more human.

The post Can Clay Jugs Really Filter Water? A Potter’s Guide to Natural Water Filtration at Home appeared first on Green Prophet.

Abortion pills, often confused with Plan B (the morning-after pill), and historically referred to as RU486 (mifepristone), are part of a broader category of reproductive health medications that women have been using for decades. But they are not the same thing.

Plan B is emergency contraception used shortly after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy from occurring. Abortion pills, by contrast—typically a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol—are used to terminate an early pregnancy after it has already begun. These medications have become the most common method of abortion in the United States.

Related: scientist shows how her brain changes on birth control

While there are documented health effects if misused, these pills—both emergency contraception and medication abortion—have significantly increased sexual freedom and reproductive autonomy for women. And these effects catch on in the Middle East, where abortion is illegal for for the most part. Most women in the Middle East, and increasingly now in parts of America, if you can believe it, do not have reliable access to abortion pills or even Plan B.

Years ago, I worked with writer Loolwa Khazoom researching a piece for Vogue or Harper’s on an abortion boat, a Dutch-flagged ship that operated off the coast of countries like Spain when abortion was illegal. Women would be taken into international waters where Dutch physician Rebecca Gomberts could legally perform abortions on her floating clinic. She said, “I figured we would sail from country to country and help X number of women per day.”

It was a workaround that was creative, controversial, and telling.

Today, the workaround is digital and under threat.

I am not arguing here whether abortion should or should not be offered on moral or religious grounds. That is a private decision. But the fact that the United States is now moving to restrict the mailing of abortion pills like mifepristone means that some states that have outlawed abortion may end up with women’s lives on their hands.

A recent federal appeals court ruling has moved to block the mailing of abortion pills and require in-person dispensing, challenging long-standing FDA guidance that allowed telehealth prescriptions and pharmacy access. Medication abortion—often prescribed online and delivered by mail—accounts for the majority of abortions in the U.S., and about one in four had been accessed via telehealth.

Related: Turkish woman first to receive womb transplant 

US states where abortion is illegal

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• West Virginia

Like I said, there are a variety of reasons why women seek abortions.

In the Middle East, except in countries like Turkey and Israel, premarital sex is not socially accepted. Of course people have sex secretly and then deal with the consequences according to local customs and doctors who often work quietly behind the scenes. In Egypt, for instance, social pressures have led to practices like hymen reconstruction surgeries. These realities exist regardless of the law. Read here about the creative ways Muslims stay virgins in Arab countries.

In Turkey, many parts of the country are conservative and if you are renting a hotel with a man you do need to say you are married and use his last name. Honor killings still happen. In a shocking case, an 18-year woman Oya Budak was murdered by her fiance after he discovered she was pregnant by her rapist. She was raped by someone familiar to her and did not disclose this fact prior to them making an arranged married.

Women in conservative societies can face severe consequences for pregnancy outside marriage, including violence. The stakes are high. I know a doctor whose patient was killed after not receiving an abortion in time.

Restricting access to abortion pills does not eliminate abortion—it pushes it underground or across borders.

In the U.S., people are already finding ways around restrictions. Some travel across state lines to access care. Others rely on telehealth providers in states with legal protections, or order abortion pills online from international services operating in legal gray zones. Some use misoprostol-only regimens, which are widely recognized as safe and effective. Information networks, encrypted consultations, and nonprofit support systems have become part of the new infrastructure of access.

Restricting access to abortion pills will not stop abortions. It will only make them harder, riskier, and more unequal.

While I do believe marrying young and having children young might be a stable path for some (something I wasn’t taught), I will leave my kids with that decision to make.

If your are connected to the Palestinian cause, where abortions are not legal, maybe you can use some online warrior energy and help women EVERYWHERE get access to abortion pills. Here are the countries in the Middle East with access to abortion pills:

Middle East abortion access (updated)

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