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- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahAs global populations continue to grow, our appetite for meat is likely to cause severe resource shortages in the not-so-distant future. To address the problem, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/un-report-says-we-should-be-eating-more-bugs/">a recent UN report</a> suggested that people should be eating more insects, because they're much less harmful to the environment that traditional meat. But for that to become a reality, we'll need a way to grow and harvest insects - and that's where designer Mansour Ourasanah comes in. Ourasanah has created the <a href="http://nominateforindexaward.dk/Presentation/read/id=MTc0NA==">Lepsis</a>, an attractive insect breeder that could be used to grow grasshoppers in an urban home. This clever design was recently nominated for the world's largest design prize - the <a href="http://nominateforindexaward.dk/Presentation/read/id=MTc0NA==">2013 Index: Award</a>.1
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahOurasanah collaborated with KitchenAid to develop the Lepsis, a small, decorative unit that can rest on a kitchen counter.2
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahThe unit addresses the question of how to produce large amounts of protein without devoting more land space to the cultivation of insects.3
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahAccording to Ourasanah, 80 percent of the world population already eats insects, and introducing edible bugs to rapidly-expanding urban populations could significantly reduce the impact of meat production on the environment.4
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahThe Lepsis is a vessel that can be used to grow insects for food. The product consists of four individual units that are each designed to breed, grow, harvest and kill grasshoppers, and they combine to form a decorative kitchen product.5
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour Ourasanah"In order to move toward a sustainable future, we must do away with our culinary hangups and redefine the paradigm of food," explains Ourasanah.6
- Lepsis insect vessel by Mansour OurasanahEven though growing and eating insects is pretty repulsive to many people in the developed world, an attractive product like the Lepsis could help people to warm to the idea.7