No, this is not an exhaust pipe for your bike (that’d be silly). It’s Bloom, the pedal-powered, environmentally friendly attachment that produces seed-filled bubbles meant to transform concrete jungles into lush forests. Using nothing but the wind, a seed pellet, and a little vegetable based soapy water, the Bloom disperses bubbles into the cracks and crevices of our congested cityscape. Then nature takes over and the seedlings mature into vegetation, which is promptly exterminated by the department of public works. Just kidding. This is actually a pretty ingenious idea when you see how it works, and is one of many from Design 21′s “Power to the Pedal” design competition.
Remember that incredible Svalbard Global Seed Vault we told you about? It protects the Earth’s plants for when aliens blow up our civilization so that they too can enjoy the natural decadence of fried plantains (that are generously fertilised by our decaying corpses). 60 Minutes got a peek inside the vault, and it’s pretty neat stuff. Here’s a 3-minute clip exploring the ice fortress:
