[imagesource: N.Thing]

If someone had told me a couple of years ago that the world of shipping, through both direct and indirect action, would be a key contributor in the fight against climate change, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Now, new technologies have arisen designed to revolutionise the industry with more eco-friendly ways to transport goods from origin to destination, and when the shipping containers used to house those goods are put out to pasture, they’re being repurposed into structures, like homes and other buildings, that leave little to no carbon footprint.

Perhaps the most fascinating and potentially life-saving new use for the humble shipping container is The Cube.

According to CNET, traditional farming techniques can be problematic in many areas, with some farmers destroying the environment by eradicating species and their habitats.

Furthermore, the climate change crisis makes farming precarious with droughts and other environmental changes that could affect crops.

In other words, we have a couple of problems to solve, and N.Thing, a company looking into new ways to produce food, believes that The Cube is the solution.

“The human populations are growing quite fast,” explains Seungsoo Han, COO at N.thing, “and we need to come up with some kind of very efficient solution that can actually support that fast-growing population. Also at the same time, we shouldn’t actually damage the environment that that population lives in.”

The Cube is a modular smart farm, housed in modified shipping containers and designed to be built in urban spaces in pretty much any configuration imaginable.

They can be stacked vertically or horizontally, with the potential for hundreds fitted together to make a giant farming system.

They’re calling it “the farm of the future”.

Take a look inside one:

One more for good measure, this time with a more leisurely tour of The Cube:

The Cube is operated by a system known as Cube OS.

It takes data from sensors in each farm, measuring humidity, PH levels in the water, temperature, and carbon dioxide – everything needed to grow a healthy plant.

Each of these can be modified to ensure optimal results.

N.Thing has already partnered with a large shopping chain in Korea. They’ve also installed a massive farm in the United Arab Emirates, where temperatures can reach extreme highs.

And they aren’t stopping there.

The fact that shipping containers can be recycled in this way makes them sustainable goods, which means that after they transport cargo, they go on, not only to be recycled but recycled in a way that has long term positive effects on the environment.

Shipping is also one of the safest ways to transport your goods from point A to point B, provided you’re placing your trust in the right company.

Berry & Donaldson, one of South Africa’s largest private-owned logistics companies, has been helping our importers and exporters navigate the labyrinth that is international freighting for over half a century.

You can rest assured that whatever your shipping needs, their containers will keep your inventory safe and sound until it reaches its destination.

[source:cnet]