100% Natural Disposable Grass Straws | Fred Chen

Name of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)

Grass Straws
URL of a video introducing the work（under 5 minutes）

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQSP_dRVUo4
Detailed explanation of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)

As countries around the world continue to implement plastic ban, the procurement of "fully biodegradable" disposable straws has become a global trend. Many nations have prohibited the use of single-use plastic straws. However, since Taiwan's plastic restriction policy was introduced in 2019, the consumption of single-use plastic straws has not decreased, with an annual usage still reaching as high as 3 billion straws. Various eco-friendly alternatives have faced challenges in widespread adoption due to difficulties in cleaning and hygiene issues. These factors have made it difficult for these alternatives to replace the convenience of disposable straws.
The biggest difference between grass straws and other disposable straws is that grass fixed carbon during their growth process. Compared to the production of other disposable straws, grass straws have significantly lower carbon emissions. Grass cultivation utilizes fallow land, enhancing land productivity while providing stable income for farmers. The processing steps are simple, with no added chemicals, and after use, the straws can be returned directly to the soil, making their environmental impact nearly zero.
We had already replaced 8 million plus plastic straws all around the world and sold to 13 different regions and countries.
How does your work address the 3 P’s (for Planet, for People, for Profit) for Sustainability?

Plant:
Grass cultivation does not require pesticides or herbicides, which protects farmers while also aiding in ecological restoration. Monitoring has revealed the presence of protected wildlife in the cultivation areas, indicating that grass fields provide a suitable habitat for various species to thrive. During the manufacturing process, by using a water filtration and recycling system to wash away sand and soil from the grass, 97% of water waste is conserved and the parts of the grass removed during the cleaning and cutting process can be returned to the fields as compost, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.
People:
We collect marginal lands, abandoned farmlands, and rice paddies unsuitable for economically viable crops to cultivate grass, thereby increasing their economic value. This approach prevents agricultural land from being converted into construction sites, preserving farmland integrity. It also provides economic incentives for rural areas, encouraging young farmers to return to their hometowns. Grass cultivation requires no pesticides or herbicides, protecting farmers while also promoting ecological restoration. Monitoring has revealed the presence of protected wildlife in the cultivation areas, demonstrating that reed fields provide a viable habitat for various species. Since grass fixed carbon during their growth and can be composted and returned to nature after use, people can confidently use grass straws without sacrificing convenience in their daily lives.
Profit:
Wonder Greener seeking contracts with global chain brand restaurants, hotels and beverage shops. We participant related exhibition around the world to find interested distributors to collaborated with us and build up strategic alliance with us.
Keywords

#ecofriendly #noplastic #grassstraw
If you have a website for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL

https://wondergreener.com/en/
If you have a social media account for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondergreener/ 2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/91335929/admin/dashboard/ 3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wondergreener 4. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wondergreener7409 5. Line: https://lin.ee/sJvucxW
Special Prize Question 1: "Empowering nature to create a new loop”: How does your work strengthen or support nature’s ability to capture and convert waste into valuable resources? How does your work advance industry practices by introducing nature-positive alternatives?

A NBS (Nature-based Solution) for sequestrating CO2 is a critical methodology on global carbon-net-zero pathway, and currently proved the best practice as well. Growing Lepironia is a kind of “No-till farming”, which means we don’t plow on soil. Without tillage, the potential of soil carbon credits would be huge. We assess the carbon emission of every straw would confidently be “negative” with our low-carbon process of production. We have been applying to carbon foot-printing certificate.
Besides throwing back to the farms, the wastes of farming and manufacturing grass straws, and even used straws, can be efficiently recycled to make “Lepironia-algae Tableware” with innovative algae technology. We try to combine “yellow carbon” from soil and “blue carbon” from oceans to create totally bio-degradable and recyclable green materials. Wonder Greener has ambitions to develop more various innovative products and application, and to promote carbon removal and plastic reduction more aggressively and diversely.
Special Prize Question 2: “Regenerating ecosystems”: In what inspiring ways does your work contribute to the restoration and stabilization of natural ecosystems?

Herbicides are literally lethal to Lepironia grass, so there is no using any chemicals in our farming fields. Thus, the area of planting Lepironia can naturally be generating efficient revitalization of ecosystems. Wonder Greener tries the best to use wastelands or redundant farms. We cooperate with local farmers to revive local productivity. This is a seldom “Non-food Product” approach to maintain local agricultural families by creating marketability in rural area without supplanting edible resources. We generate co-benefits with local farmers and the sustainable linkage between economic consumption and agricultural values.
Grass cultivation does not require pesticides or herbicides, which protects farmers while also aiding in ecological restoration. Monitoring has revealed the presence of protected wildlife in the cultivation areas, indicating that grass fields provide a suitable habitat for various species to thrive. Monitoring has revealed the presence of protected wildlife in the cultivation areas, demonstrating that reed fields provide a viable habitat for various species.
Special Prize Question 3: “Education and storytelling”: How does your work make complex bioeconomy concepts accessible and engaging?

Wonder Greener have organized multiple educational seminars with our partner companies to widely promote the concept of environmental sustainability. We also actively collaborate with the sustainability departments of major universities in Taiwan, holding on-campus talks to promote our all-natural, sustainable eco-friendly straws. Through these efforts, we aim to show that caring for the environment doesn't have to mean sacrificing the convenience of modern life.