EcoLEGOcal!

Natural disasters: they happen almost everyday. An earthquake here, a tsunami there, but has anyone of the MTB-community actually ever been in one? Does any of us know what it is to leave your destroyed house behind you and go live in a tent? A problem about emergency services is the unnecessary waste that is associated with the process of helping those who are in need. The huge amounts of tents, water, food and medications require and equally big amount of boxes, paper, bottles and other types of packaging. The LEGO-inspired brick could form a handy solution in avoiding the creation of waste. Although it only provides a temporary shelter, the LEGO-brick is not just a brick. It’s also a source of food and water: the two typical dots of the brick are actually compartments in which you can find and store food and water. Once a person has nurished himself, the bricks can be filled up with soil to form actual and usable bricks to make temporary shelters! And here’s the best thing: once a region has recovered, the temporary LEGO-houses can be deconstructed and transported to and re-used in another disaster region! So instead of leaving the ‘recovered’ zone full of ‘supportive’ waste, now emergency services can not only just help where needed, but also in a more ecological responsible way!

Katrien Cailliau