It your kids, Marty

 

What I Did on My Holidays: Back to the Future, Recycling, and the Lake District

“It’s your kids, Marty. Something’s gotta be done about your kids!”

For many families, summer holidays are already fading into memory. The six weeks of balancing childcare, work, and family time are over, and September routines have returned. For us The summer holiday Was a week in Cumbria, bringing the family together in the Lake District.

There was plenty of walking, but the real joy was simply time together - including two evenings huddled around the rented TV eating takeaway pizza and binge-watching the Back to the Future trilogy.

And nothing quite brings home the importance of the environment, sustainability, and the future like spending a week in the Lakes with your children.

And there he was, Doc Brown powering a time-travelling DeLorean’s by converting everyday rubbish into energy. Yet What was once science fiction is now edging closer to reality.

Today, food waste is already being transformed into renewable energy. Through anaerobic digestion, bacteria break down organic waste in oxygen-free tanks, producing biogas and biomethane. These can power homes, heat buildings - and fuel vehicles, all while preventing methane from leaking into the atmosphere from landfill, Lowering greenhouse gas emissions and reducing waste.

Countries are taking this seriously:

In Sweden yesterday’s leftovers fuel tomorrow’s commute. Food waste is collected, processed, and converted into bio-CNG, powering public buses in cities like Linköping. Cleaner air, quieter streets, and a circular loop where waste literally keeps the wheels turning.

In Japan – Inspired by Back to the Future, clothes recycler JEPLAN is pushing for a circular economy in fashion. Instead of downcycling textiles irretrievably into one-off products, they regenerate cotton fibres into new garments, and they even built a replica DeLorean powered by recycled T-shirts.

These examples show what’s possible when science, technology, and imagination come together. You might even call it innovation something very central to my career to date, Harnessing emerging technology and engineering it vital application to protect the environment.

Where we’re going, we probably will still need roads - but some old clothes and leftover food will help. Together with the supply chain and infrastructure to build systems to turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s resource.

For me, this is more than a holiday reflection. It’s a reminder of why I work in science, engineering, and sustainability: because the future hasn't been written yet, it’s whatever we make it.



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