Econut

2021 - Ongoing

Econut proposes an eco-balancing food and movement to suggest eating invasive species in order to reduce our current food industry's negative impact on biodiversity. From designed objects to imagined lifestyles, it inquiries how we may shift our food habits to better work with ecosystem’s resilience and opens up a novel perspective into humanity in its comprehensive context. 

Project Details

In 2025, an ecological snack, Econut, became popular among the citizens. These treats are made out of invasive species, which negatively impact biodiversity and are the third leading cause of species extinctions.

In New York City, a disruptive and invasive species known as the snakehead fish was identified in Meadow and Willow Lakes in Queens. Despite their physically unappealing appearance, they can be transformed into excellent meals. Consequently, the AI-powered Econut store is designed to closely monitor the status and activities of the invasive snakehead fish in these lakes. Based on the data and calculations provided by the eco-centered AI, the store catches the recommended number of snakehead fishes that should be removed from these lakes daily in order to balance the ecosystem in the lakes.

With support from AI and robots, the edible parts of the fish are processed into donut-shaped snacks. Each snack is filled with fresh fish jelly and wrapped in crispy fried fish skin. Each donut has a unique name and number on its package, suggesting your individual contributions and impacts on the local ecosystem balance.

Moreover, Econuts have various flavor selections. For example, vegan consumers can choose the WWC flavor, which is made out of water chestnuts, an aquatic tuber vegetable infesting the Hudson River, and topped with waterthyme powder, a freshwater grass loaded with essential vitamins and minerals.

The econuts can be sold at a store or even a vending machines. The number of each flavor are limited and the menu is adjusted daily based on the status of the local ecosystem. Thus, some special favors might gone fast. Econuts expands its market to other cities around the world, and the menus are authentic to local ecosystems.

Ecologarian

The donut shop was so popular and it led to a new lifestyle choice and food movement, called ecologarian, eating for eco-balancing. Restaurants also started providing ecologarian menu for their customers. Our vision is, eventually with all the efforts of ecologarians, we’ll be able to co-thrive with local ecosystems.

CREDITS:

Mentor: Fiona Raby, University Professor of Design and Social Inquiry at The New School in New York
Support: NEW INC & Science Sandbox
Consulting Biologist: Cooper Galvin, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Hawaii at Manoa
Graphic Designer: Yangyifan Dong
Video voice over: Spik.ai