Design
Designer creates sustainable algae-based alternative for plastic packaging
Packaging is fundamental when it comes to protecting our products, ensuring our high standards of quality, and avoiding food waste. But, as we all know by now, it also comes at a great cost to the environment as most food packaging is only used once. If we want to be able to have packaging that can Read More...
Start-up transforms consumer trash into beautifully designed furniture
Sustainability and aesthetics are two things that don’t usually go hand in hand. That’s not the case for Pentatonic – a start-up that uses innovative thinking to invent new materials using the world’s most abundant and dangerous resource – human trash – without compromising an inch of Read More...
How lab-grown spider silk could replace everyday materials like polyester
Spider silk is one of nature’s most amazing materials. It’s stronger than steel and more elastic than a rubber band and has dozens of potential applications from construction to medicine. For years, scientists have been trying to tap into the power of spider silk, but have struggled to produce Read More...
This home was made almost entirely out of repurposed items
Using recycled and repurposed materials to build new things is a fantastic way to take some pressure off the environment as it decreases landfill waste, reduces the need for raw materials, and saves the energy that comes with having to dismantle and re-manufacture products. But on top of that, Read More...
Cities are turning alleys into green spaces to help people reconnect with nature
From Montreal to Portland, cities across North America are starting to rethink all that cement that’s used to pave the streets. Alleys and alley sides, in particular, are being effectively imagined as people-friendly pathways, parks, and lushly planted urban habitats that stand in stark contrast Read More...
A German auto supplier has come up with airbags that inflate on the outside
You know those ugly balloons that pop out of surprising places when a car gets into a crash? What are they called again? Airbags? Well, a German auto supplier has developed airbags that, in the event of a serious collision, would inflate not on the interior of your vehicle, but on the exterior to Read More...
This elegant home was made using waste cork from the wine industry
The wine industry produces more wasted corks than you could possibly imagine. Interestingly enough, cork can actually be an effective material to build with. Just look at this beautiful building in Berlin, which has a facade and roof clad with waste cork. The rectangular-shaped panels of cork Read More...
Smart fabric can change temperature according to the world around it
Imagine having an item of clothing that cools you in summer and warms you in winter. A sweater that, based on its surrounding environment, regulates its own temperature in response to your personal comfort. Soon that could become reality as scientists at the University of Maryland have created a Read More...
A stylish French shoe brand now offers sneakers that are entirely vegan
Veja, a chic French sneaker brand, has a reputation for its newfangled use of sustainable and organic materials in the production of its shoes. Wanting to take it a step further, the company has been working on developing a truly eco-friendly vegan shoe for the last five years, one that is fully Read More...
This teenager built himself a fully functional robotic arm using Legos
To be resourceful is to be able to use the tools and resources at hand to overcome difficult problems. David Aguilar, a 19 year-old bioengineering of Barcelona, is the embodiment of a resourceful person. Born without a right forearm due to a rare genetic condition, Aguilar built himself a fully Read More...