Architects transform old wine silos into apartments to minimize resources
Breathing new life into old things is one of the best ways we humans can reduce the number of resources extracted from the environment. A new development in Amsterdam did just that by creatively repurposing former industrial wine silos into residential buildings. Beyond reusing the obsolete silos, Read More...
Have an old campaign sign? Donate it to a beekeeper!
During election season, it’s completely normal to see front yards covered with campaign signs. But now that the election season is over, what should be done with all these political signs? Rather than toss it in the trash, a beekeeper in Florida is asking people to donate them to help keep her Read More...
This designer from India is turning cigarette butts into beautiful vases
Cigarette stubs are the most commonly littered items in the world. In fact, 4.5 trillion of them discarded every year. To draw attention to this little-known fact, Indian designer Sachi Tungare collected five kilograms (11 lbs) of cigarette butts by hand to create a collection of multi-colored Read More...
This Japanese mending technique turns old clothes into art you can wear
These days, the way you dress can be a stark environment statement. In response to the ubiquity of fast fashion and a growing consciousness about the ‘true cost’ of the garment industry, people are beginning to come up with fashionable, innovative ways to rebel against today’s consumerist Read More...
Got junk? Here are 25 brilliant ways to repurpose your old stuff
They say all good things come to an end, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to everyday items such as light bulbs and bottle caps. But instead of throwing your worn-out items away, you can give them a second life with a few basic tools and a little imagination. In fact, just about any 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...
These engineers are making bricks out of your poop
The waste from your own body that you flush down the toilet goes through an extensive journey long after you’ve left the bathroom. From the toilet it descends through a series of pipes before it winds up at a waste water treatment center where it’s extracted from the water and decontaminated, Read More...
Norwegian studio designs chair using old fish nets from local fisheries
At the Optimist Daily, we’re all about repurposing waste into something entirely new. However, while it’s awesome to make a product out of materials that would otherwise end up in the trash, that isn’t a guarantee that the product will be entirely useful or aesthetically pleasing. That’s Read More...