Clean, affordable, durable and environmentally friendly floors: This is EarthEnable

Many people sleep on dirt floors because they can’t afford anything else. This causes all kinds of health hazards. EarthEnable wants to change this.

EarthEnable

You probably have a bed at home and even if you don’t; chances are you have a clean concrete, wooden, or some other kind of floor made of clean materials. But billions of people don’t have any of that. They have to live and sleep on dirt floors, which is dangerous for their health. EarthEnable has created an alternative that can help many people.

Cheap and sustainable

In Rwanda, 80% of the people live on dirt floors. Dirt floors are unclean and cause parasitic infections, respiratory disease, and diarrhea. Diarrhea is the leading cause of childhood death in Rwanda. More than 1.8 million people are killed by diarrhea each year in Rwanda. Changing or upgrading their floor isn’t an option due to the costs. Concrete costs 300 dollars for a tiny home which is more than a year of savings for a lot of families.

But replacing a dirt floor with a clean floor can do wonders for your health. It reduces the chances of diarrhea by 49% and parasitic infections by 78%.

Luckily, this upgrade is now more readily available thanks to the affordable and sustainable solution by EarthEnable. Their solution is 75% cheaper than cement, which makes it an accessible option for even the poorest communities. Not only is it cheaper, it’s also more sustainable than cement. And as cement makes up 5% of global carbon emissions, this difference has an impact.

The floors are made from natural materials, compressed, and then sealed with an oil-based varnish. They utilise natural materials and green construction techniques which cuts the potential carbon footprint by 90%.

Gayati Datar, the co-founder and CEO of EarthEnable accepts the prize they won at the postcode lottery’s Green Challenge 2017. Source: None

Green challenge

Gayati Datar, the co-founder and CEO of EarthEnable explains that their goal is to enable everyone in the world to live on a healthy and affordable floor.

The natural floors are beautiful, durable, and washable which means a healthy home environment for millions of people.

At the same time, it provides local employment. The company is committed to creating long-term solutions in Rwanda, which is why they teach local masons to install the earthen floor. This way they can go on and utilise their new skill for other jobs.

In 2017, EarthEnable was honored with the prestigious Green Challenge award for its revolutionary approach to flooring. Recognized by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery, this accolade celebrated EarthEnable’s commitment to creating clean, affordable, durable, and environmentally friendly earthen floors. Their victory in the Green Challenge, equipped with a €500,000 prize, has not only catapulted their mission to provide sustainable flooring solutions to the forefront of global sustainability efforts but also underscored the potential for eco-friendly innovations to transform lives and protect the planet.