Changing The World One Leaf At A Time

Collin Cavote serves up a big idea in small packages.

Young entrepreneur Collin Cavote '15 sees nature as more than the world around us; he sees it as a solution to the most pressing problems of today. He's well on his way to help humans coexist with changing climates with his miniature biowall creation, Biome.

When Cavote began his search for a college, he was looking for his perfect fit: an institution that would trust him to create his own curriculum and would give him the tools to achieve his aspirations. He became a part of Drexel University's custom-designed major right after its inception, choosing biomimicry (finding inspiration in nature) as a major with unclassified foci in entrepreneurship and disasters.

As a Close School of Entrepreneurship student, Cavote began his own company called Biome. Similar to the large "biowall" housed in Drexel's Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, both share the premise of purifying air. The current version of Biome can be placed in the everyday home or office, as opposed to the building's 22-foot by 80-foot version. "People always say they want to change the world," Cavote notes. "I actually feel like I'm doing it, and the Close School has my back."

Resembling the shape of a picture frame, Biome's design is fascinating: water is poured into a reservoir along the top, and the water flows in a zig-zag drip system behind the 3D printed panel, watering the plants. The best part? You'll never forget to add more water because Biome will notify an app on your smartphone when it needs to be refilled.

Although Biome is a small system, Cavote has had big plans from the start: to patent the Biome device and then make it functional with any type of plants. He also hopes to create an outdoor system that could live on the entire side of a building.

Biome is just one step in Cavote's plan toward cleaner air. He recently started a nonprofit organization called The Carbon Project with the goal to create a network of college students who support climate management.

Cleaner air and a decorative talking point—not bad for a startup business from one of Drexel's students.

Learn more about Biome and also check out more about the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship.