With increased news coverage of the California wildfires and the long-lasting Amazon rain forest fires, improving flame containment and retardant techniques has become a point of major emphasis. Fortunately, a team of Stanford material scientists have developed a product which can be applied at the start of wildfire season and “last long enough to offer protection until the first heavy rainfall” (O’Grady). Current fire retardants either lack the longevity or versatility needed to protect vegetation over an extended period of time. This new product covers both bases as it can survive in both wet and dry conditions and the gel technology allows the retardant to stick to plants for a much longer period of time. Additionally, the product is nontoxic, combining silica and cellulose to produce a sticky material that does inflict damage when humans or plants come in contact. In a time when the majority of popular technology contributes to global warming, this fire retardant aims to prevent one of the effects of global warming.
This innovation interests me as it fits most, if not all, of my technological standards. Although it does not clearly meet every criteria of Wendell Berry’s nine standards, this fire retardant should be an example for positive innovation in the 21st century. As discussed in class, innovation is seen as an innately positive term in modern times, however many innovations seem to prioritize economic growth over societal improvement. This product, although the cost is undisclosed, seems to genuinely want to do good in the world and address a human-created issue. Additionally, this innovation brings to light a plethora of environmental issues which could be addressed in the adjacent possible. If this process succeeds, it could drive curious minds to improve upon existing environmental solutions by combining technology from multiple industries. This innovation also fits into Johnsonian thinking in that it was created at a perfect time to address lingering issues and came about through a combination of multiple smaller ideas and technologies. Shifting innovation toward ideas that preserve mankind in addition to improving well-being should be a priority as carbon footprints increase and this fire retardant serves as a precedent for innovation of this kind.
I feel as though this product is only being brought to light as a result of the increased publicity associated with wildfires. Because of the massive amount of reporting on the Amazon rain forest incident (which has mysteriously been forgotten about despite ongoing issues), these innovators were likely given an opportunity to capitalize on their previously underfunded concept. This relates to human nature to only address an issue when it could bring negative light to an organization. For example, this happened on our own campus with the physics professor who was suspended likely due to the negative national publicity of his outburst against women in STEM fields. With an influx of “reality” shows filled with drama, mankind is bound to crave and expect promotion of these ideas in actual reality. This being said, if it takes publicity to bring about positive change, I am in full support of calling out the wrongdoings of the world in order to address them. I look forward to seeing if this product passes testing for wide scale use and if it can make a real impact on one of the most immediate environmental issues in the western hemisphere.