Startup transforms 32m discarded chopsticks into sleek household items
Have you ever wondered what happens to the chopsticks we carelessly throw away after using them only once? Well, unsurprisingly, the vast majority of them end up in landfills, further contributing to the unsurmountable pile of waste burdening waste management capacities. In a bid to instead give Read More...
Korean student creates colorful stools out of used face masks
One of the most unfortunate side-effects of the coronavirus pandemic is the massive amount of waste coming from disposable face masks. According to one estimate, the world goes through 129 billion single-use face masks each month during the pandemic. In an attempt to turn this ecological disaster Read More...
This bike wheel filters and purifies outdoor air while you cycle
Wouldn’t it be great if you could help improve the air quality in your city just by cycling on its streets? Soon you might actually be able to do that thanks to a brilliant invention called Rolloe. Created by Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) 2020 award winner Kristen Tapping, Rolloe is an Read More...
Boston to become home to one of the world’s greenest office buildings
As it becomes increasingly crucial to integrate sustainability into our built environment, it’s a pleasure to see a growing number of urban development projects doing exactly that. One of the latest of such projects is set to rise in Boston’s Financial District. Called the Winthrop Center, the Read More...
IKEA’s new tiny home aims to make the housing industry more eco-friendly
In the US, the housing industry is responsible for five percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, electricity excluded. One way that the sector could reduce its environmental impact is by encouraging people to adopt smaller, more sustainable homes — a movement that has gained Read More...
8 Design tips to cultivate more joy in your home
Heading into a new year can prompt some ambitious resolutions, but after a year like 2020, many of us may not be aiming to run a marathon or learn a new language. Instead, we might be simply seeking ways to bring more joy into our day to day lives. As we continue to spend more time at home, here Read More...
Kick off the new year with these dancing robots
We’ve trained robots to clean our homes, build cars, and even cook, but in honor of the New Year, the Boston Dynamics team decided to take a more celebratory approach to robot programming. The team’s latest video features a crew of robots busting out their best dance moves in a choreographed Read More...
Only in Japan: These transparent public toilets turn opaque when in use
Japan is quite famous for its elaborate toilets, which can exhibit features such as bidet washing, drying, seat warming, and even deodorization. Now Japan is adding to its reputation for unique toilets after installing public toilet cubicles around Tokyo that are transparent. What? Transparent Read More...
Smart urban design is the best defense we have against future pandemics
Throughout history, disease outbreaks have forced new innovations in urban design: Fighting cholera epidemics in the 1800s, for example, necessitated the building of new plumbing and sewer systems and the devising of new zoning laws to prevent overcrowding. As the new coronavirus lays bare the need Read More...
Nivea is testing a refill station in Germany that aims to reduce plastic waste
One of the most effective ways to close the tap on plastic pollution is to reduce the material’s production in the first place. Reusable packaging plays a key role here since it allows for a product to be consumed over and over again without the need for unnecessary single-use plastic. To Read More...