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Building a more sustainable future one Kubik at a time 🏗️

Welcome back to Pique Behind The Curtain! This week, we’re highlighting an episode from Reinventing Tomorrow to check out Kubik – a company turning recycled plastic waste into homes and community centers. Based in Ethiopia, Kubik is making building practices more sustainable, fighting for affordable housing, creating dignified jobs, AND cutting back on plastic waste... all at once. Keep reading to hear more! 🚧

January 30, 2025

— Written by Lyle Jarvis

The world produces 430 million tons đź¤Ż of plastic every year, and that plastic accounts for 85% of our marine waste. Kubik is here to change that. Kubik turns hard-to-recycle plastic waste into interlocking blocks to build homes, communities and cities.

Tackling Pollution Brick by Brick 🧱

Traditional building practices are hugely carbon intensive. In fact, the UN reports 37% of our global emissions comes from the building and construction sector, largely from producing things like cement, steel, and aluminum, all of which rely heavily on fossil fuels. Kubik blocks aren’t just lowering plastic waste, but also cutting the carbon footprint of actually building stuff – meaning they fight climate change at both ends of the equation. In other words, Kubik is turning trash into treasure. Cool, right?

Building Blocks for Healthier Lives đźŚŽď¸Ź 

Aside from being an innovative and circular solution to plastic pollution, Kubik’s price point makes it a cost-effective path for affordable housing. Their buildings are designed for rapid construction, making them ideal for communities in need of quick, durable, and sustainable housing solutions.

Another key pillar of Kubik’s mission is empowering women in local communities. Women are an integral part of the waste-picking labor force that gleans usable plastics from waste centers. Kubik’s supply chain is designed to buy these usable plastics directly from the pickers themselves, which helps to boost their income.

Watch the full episode below to hear more about the impactful work Kubik’s doing.

Presented by Change Forces, investing to create a sustainable climate and improve the livelihoods of all people: https://www.linkedin.com/company/change-forces/.

🌍 Calling All Filmmakers: Want to screen your film during Climate Week? 🎬

The Climate Film Festival (CFF) is back for its second year, and film submissions are now open! Join us in NYC from September 19–22, 2025, for a celebration of bold, boundary-pushing storytelling—from indie docs and experimental shorts to creative narratives, animations, and music videos.

📽️ Early bird deadline: Feb. 17
🎥 Regular deadline: Mar. 18
🎬 Final deadline: May 16

đź‘€ Some Good News Stories You Might Have Missed This Week 🗞️📺:

  1. Bloomberg Promises Climate Funds for UN: Michael Bloomberg stepped in to fund the U.S.’s contributions to UN climate goals, picking up the slack from President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord

  2. Heat Pumps Continue Picking Up Steam: Heat pumps, a climate friendly alternative to traditional heating/ cooling systems, are widening their lead over gas furnaces.

  3. Reps Urge to Preserve Parts of the IRA: Several republicans have asked their colleagues to consider the benefits of the Biden admin’s token climate law, and the impact it’s had on clean energy jobs in their districts.

What do you want to see more of? Drop a reply and let us know! We’d love to feature your idea in our next newsletter 💬