Design
These sustainable tiles are made from old toilets, and they’re beautiful
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or, in this case, one man’s toilet is another man’s bathroom tile. Kohler, a prominent manufacturer of plumbing products, is launching into the business of recycled goods by producing bathroom tiles made of discarded clay from the toilet making Read More...
The fix is in: how repairing old stuff helps in the war against planned obsolescence
It can be frustrating to repair something when it costs the same amount to replace it. But that’s how planned obsolescence works. Companies create poor quality products, so you are forced to pay to replace it. This trend has taken over the modern consumer’s life. From clothing to Read More...
How termites, beetles, and frogs are inspiring self-cooling buildings
When we need the most innovative solutions for structural issues, designers often turn to nature and its creatures for inspiration. The latest example of biomimicry comes from Mick Pearce, a Zimbabwean architect, who recently designed and constructed a self-cooling building modeled on the mounds Read More...
Meet the new (green) power couple: Solar Panels + Arid Farms
Renewable energy and sustainable food production are both in high demand as we move into a future of changing climate and growing population. But how do we allocate space for solar energy production and farmland when they both demand similar geographic conditions? Agrivoltaics, the process of Read More...
The classic VW Beetle gets a green makeover
If you’re a lover of the environment and classic cars, there is good news for you! Volkswagen debuted a new electric version of their classic Beetle at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany. Featuring the same nostalgia-inducing look of the original Beetle, the new version, which Read More...
KitKat’s new wrapper quits single use plastic… and challenges your origami skills
Getting corporations to join the fight against single-use plastics often takes more than a desire to help the environment. It also takes economic and marketing incentives. Food and drink giant Nestlé seems to have found a strategy for reducing plastic use and increase sales: paper packaging that Read More...
High tech furniture makes smaller spaces more adaptable than ever
Would you consider placing a movable bed in front of your closet to save space? What if the bed could move itself automatically when you needed to access your shoes? Ori, a customizable furniture company, is joining others, such as Alphabet and Sidewalk Labs, and embracing how robotics will play a Read More...
This high-tech toilet will recycle rainwater and keep a city cool
After a toilet-design competition, the San Francisco Department of Public Works has awarded SmithGroup the number one place for their innovative toilet design that recycles rainwater into this fully-functioning public restroom. The design is not only environmentally friendly for its efficient Read More...
Bury this shirt once it’s worn out. It will become “worm food” in 12 weeks.
A tech-based clothing startup by the name of Vollebak has developed a T-shirt that can either be put in a compost bin or buried in the ground once it’s reached the end of its life. That’s because the shirt is made entirely from wood pulp and algae, which breaks down in soil or in a composter Read More...
Restoration groups use permaculture to rebuild in the wake of the Camp Fire
One year after the Camp Fire destroyed 90 percent of homes in the small Northern California town of Paradise, community members are rallying behind the regenerative nature of permaculture to rebuild their town. Permaculture is an agricultural technique which uses regenerative resources to create a Read More...