CityTree is a Breath of Fresh IoT Air
by Startacus Admin
Can you tell the difference between an Ash tree and an Oak? A Birch and an Aspen? Perhaps, or perhaps not; however, the thing everyone knows about trees is that they absorb CO2 and produce oxygen which, among other things, makes them vital to life on Earth. Life in an urban environment, however, does not feature trees particularly heavily - there’s not much wood in a concrete jungle. So how do we go about improving the quality of air for urbanites?
Germany’s Green City Solutions has come up with a simple and elegant answer: CityTree.
Almost modern art, CityTree is a sculpture containing specific plants that clean up the air, offsetting 240 tonnes of CO2 per year and providing approximately 17°C of cooling. Each CityTree has the same effect as 275 normal trees, taking up only 99% of the space.
Doubling as billboards and/or benches adds even more to a CityTree’s usefulness, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. CityTree is perhaps the world’s first IoT tree. Businesses using the billboard aspect of the trees can add LED lighting and logos, and use the built-in NFC, iBeacon, and WiFi to transmit information to and from passers-by.
But the tree’s tech nature isn’t just good for business - it allows CityTree to be self-sustaining. Solar panels and rainwater retention systems allow the tree’s sensors to measure environmental data and regulate its water and nutrition, reducing the required maintenance massively. Pretty smart city, we hope you agree. 
Earlier this year, Green City Solutions finished a round of funding with a 7-figure sum (their goal was $1.7m), and it’s not hard to imagine that governments, councils, and all sorts of funds around the world will happily fork out when the benefits of CityTrees are demonstrated in those cities already trying them out: Dresden, Hannover, Paris, Modena, Skopje, Hong Kong, and Oslo.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Moneybox smashes its investment target with over 15,000 people investing £6.25million in 72 hours in its Crowdcube campaign.
Applications from startups with positive social impact at their core sought by for Crowdcube and Virgin StartUp for Collective Impact, their investment-readiness accelerator.
Business owners are currently facing similar challenges in all sectors. These basic tips aim to help address those issues.
Kickstart Innovation, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms, has announced applications are now open for the 2022 program.
The lowdown on Kuberno and its innovative tech solution to help companies navigate through governance and compliance requirements.
Virtually Visiting is an online platform enabling users to experience their dream destination from the comfort of their own home via immersive 360 video tours.
Next gen mobility beyond the big cities - RideTandem is a startup aiming to turn local transport providers into smart shuttles for work, education and more.
.png)
If you like haggling, you'll like this - London-based startup Nibble has created an AI-powered eCommerce chatbot to enable customers to negotiate a personalised price.
A tidal wave of resignations and increased interest in angel investment; Oliver Woolley, CEO of Envestors shares some insights on why these trends are connected.
Deeptech startup SLAMcore secures major investment to boost the performance and reach of their pioneering spatial mapping technology.
Published on: 18th April 2017
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Global Innovation Platform Kickstart Launches New Application Round For Startups 9th May 2022 Kickstart Innovation, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms, has announced applications are now open for the 2022 program.
- SLAMcore Raises $16 Million To Deliver Low-Cost, Spatial Understanding To Real-Life Robots 3rd May 2022 Deeptech startup SLAMcore secures major investment to boost the performance and reach of their pioneering spatial mapping technology.
- Ulster Bank Brings Pitching Competition to International Disability Summit 3rd May 2022 Ulster Bank seeking entrepreneurs to enter the elevator pitch competition at the Harkin International Disability Employment Summit.
- Oneday secures major investment to support aspiring entrepreneurs 27th Apr 2022 Oneday, the platform that helps entrepreneurs turn their passion into business secures £2.5M seed funding to accelerate product innovation and scale up growth.
