Why send more plastic to the landfills when you can pave new roads with it instead? That’s exactly what UK­based company MacRebur is doing. Their renewable asphalt—a mix of industrial and consumer plastic waste—replaces the oil­based sealing material that holds asphalt together in roads. The above is just one out of 15 innovations ideas that could be implemented to save this planet.

1. 15 MIND-BLOWING INVENTIONS
THAT COULD SAVE THE PLANET
By: Lauren Pezzullo / July 11, 2020
1. Organic Burial Pods
Cemeteries are a grave
business—and not just
because of what lies six feet
under.
Each year,
4 million acres of hardwood forest are cut down to construct wood
for caskets, and cemetery lawns are then continually watered and
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2. synthetically fertilized. But two Italian artists are rethinking the way
we do our burials—and it’s actually quite beautiful. The Capsule
Mundi is a biodegradable burial pod that allows your body to
become the ‘seed’ of a new tree when you die. Not only does your
death create new life, but the tree serves as a living memorial to
your life as well— it’s a much more beautiful tribute than a concrete
slab.
2.
Plastic­Free, Edible Flight Meal Trays
Even when we’re high up in the
sky, we humans still find a way
to generate unnecessary
waste. In fact, passenger
flights accumulate 5.7 million
tons of garbage per year,
between one­time­use plastics,
food waste, and more. That’s why the eco­friendly flight meal trays
from design studio PriestmanGoode are such a blessing for the
aviation industry—and our collective carbon footprint. The trays are
biodegradable, plastic­free, commercially compostable, and even
feature edible packaging, such as reusable dishes made from wheat
bran, lids made from banana leaves, and utensils made from
coconut wood.
3. Plastic­Eating Caterpillars
Cambridge University
researchers discovered that
moth larvae can chew through
plastic. It’s a breakthrough
discovery because plastic
waste makes up around 40% of
the world’s ocean surfaces. It also endangers marine life—including
fish, sea birds, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and seals—who are
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3. fish, sea birds, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and seals—who are
injured or killed after accidentally consuming or becoming trapped in
plastic. Although they’re tiny, these little superheroes are equipped
with bio­degrading powers that could be key in helping reduce
plastic waste—an ecological must for saving our oceans.
4. Biodegradable Coolers
Hate that squeaky, nails­on­a­
chalkboard sound styrofoam
makes? Well, turns out the
much­hated material is just as
bad for the environment as it is
for our ears. Styrofoam is really
just Dow Chemical’s trademarked name for extruded polystyrene – a
foam that contributes to greenhouse gases, doesn’t degrade for
hundreds of years, and can potentially kill turtles, fish, and other
creatures, who mistake it for food. Thankfully, you can continue to
keep your drinks cold while also being good to the environment.
Igloo has created a biodegradable cooler made from paraffin wax
and recycled paper called RECOOL. Because it’s water resistant, it
can be reused many times, and once it’s no longer usable, it can be
composted, recycled, or used for dry storage.
5.
Partially Biodegradable Vegan
Leather
Why buy traditional leather
when you can choose cruelty­
free leather that lasts just as
long? Two business owners
from Mexico launched
Desserto, the first vegan
leather made from nopal (prickly pear) cactus. The sustainable
alternative to traditional leather is free of the toxic chemicals and
phthalates that pollute our oceans after entering waterways. Plus,
the cactus­leaf­turned­leather is flexible, breathable, and will last for
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4. the cactus­leaf­turned­leather is flexible, breathable, and will last for
ten years or more, making it just as durable as traditional leather—
and much better for the environment.
6.
Solar­Powered Glow­in­the­Dark
Bicycle Path
Poland is no stranger to bike­
friendly cities—and with solar­
powered glow­in­the­dark bike
lanes, their cities could become
even safer for cyclists at night.
Created by a Pruszków
research institute, these
luminous cycling strips are made from blue luminophores, a
synthetic material that emits light after being charged by the sun.
The solar­powered strips beam light for ten hours at a time—which
means they glow all night without needing an additional power
supply.
7. Drainage Pipe Nets
Kwinana, Australia
has introduced a
simple yet genius way
of combatting water
pollution. Nets placed
around storm water
drainage pipes act as
traps for trash and plastic, catching it before it makes its way to the
city’s waterways. Once full, the nets are driven to a waste
management facility, where they’re separated into recyclable and
non­recyclable materials. Within the first three months, the nets
caught a whopping 815 pounds of garbage. Because polluted
waterways are dangerous for humans and wildlife, and have long­
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5. waterways are dangerous for humans and wildlife, and have long­
lasting effects on the environment, we hope more cities will get on
board with this simple yet powerful solution to pollution!
8. ‘Living’ Chandelier
Move over glass chandeliers. One UK
engineer and biotechnologist has
created the blueprint for environmental
elegance with a lighting design that is
both beautiful and eco­friendly. The
living chandelier is made with algae­
filled leaves, which purify the air by
absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing
oxygen. While this chandelier is still in
a prototype phase, the designer is working hard to apply the
concept of photosynthesis to larger buildings, giving them the
opportunity to shrink their carbon footprints, too.
9.
Sneakers & Sportswear Made From
Plastic Ocean Waste
The future of footwear is here,
and it has a name—the Adidas
Futurecraft Loop. In 2015, the
sportswear giant partnered with
the environmental organization
Parley for the Oceans to turn
marine pollution into footwear with these 100% recyclable shoes.
Once worn out, you can return your sneakers to Adidas, who will
reuse their materials to manufacture new one. Their goal is to make
11 million pairs of shoes with recycled ocean plastic—and
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6. considering that the clothing industry is the second­largest polluter
in the world, this is a giant step toward sustainable fashion.
10. Solar­Powered RV
RV company Dethleffs has
found a way to make your next
road trip cheaper and safer for
the environment. Their solar­
powered RV harnesses the
power of the sun for energy,
which means no fuel or charging station is necessary to get you
where you need to go. The 3,000 watts of energy last for 100 miles,
at which point you both get to stop and soak up some sun before
setting out for more adventure.
11. Vertical Forest
One Italian architect
and urban planner is
paving paradise for a
parking lot. He’s the
designer of global
vertical forests —
buildings covered with pollution­absorbing trees and plants. His
latest project is based in the Egyptian desert, and it’s the first
vertical forest on the African continent. The trees, plants, and
shrubs on the building’s terraces absorb harmful carbon dioxide and
produce more oxygen, while also creating habitats for birds and
insects.
12.
A Concept for Removing Ocean
Plastics
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7. Plastics
Greta Thunberg isn’t the
only teenager whose
environmental activism is
helping lead the way for
climate justice action.
Fionn Ferreira, an 18­
year­old from Ireland,
won the 2019 Google Science Fair grand prize for his project, which
aims to remove microplastics from our oceans. His innovative
method uses ferrofluid – a magnetic liquid that attracts plastic
particles by removing them from water. After close to one thousand
tests, his method successfully removed nearly 88% of the
microplastics from the water samples. Fionn plans to apply his
design towards larger bodies of water in the future, in order to help
remove microplastics in our oceans worldwide.
13.
Plastic­Made Roads That Last 10x as
Long as Asphalt
Why send more plastic to
the landfills when you
can pave new roads with
it instead? That’s exactly
what UK­based company
MacRebur is doing. Their
renewable asphalt—a mix
of industrial and consumer plastic waste—replaces the oil­based
sealing material that holds asphalt together in roads. The result? A
newly improved asphalt that’s 60% stronger, more durable, and—
most importantly—eco­friendly.
14. Fully Transparent Solar Cell
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8. 14. Fully Transparent Solar Cell
Researchers at Michigan
State University have
designed a technology
called a transparent
luminescent solar
concentrator, which could
revolutionize the future of
green energy. Transparent
materials are inherently incapable of producing energy, since light
passes through them, rather than being absorbed. And that’s why
traditional solar panels are black and roof­mounted, in order to
accommodate the bulky weight. However, the MSU researchers
have created see­through solar materials that can be applied to any
window or sheet of glass. This enormous source of previously
untapped energy holds the power to drastically reduce fossil fuel
dependence for new construction, making solar cities and
transportation a very real possibility in the near future.
15. 3D­Printed Hemp Houses
Hemp is a naturally
beneficial material for
manufacturing rope,
clothing, textiles, paper, and
insulation—but that’s not all
it’s good for. An Australian
biotech company has shared its plans for a line of 3D­printed homes
made from the cannabis plant material. The plans include floors,
walls, and roofs made from hemp biomass, in addition to
transparent solar materials that will allow sunlight to pass through
windows, while also converting it to energy. As more builders and
architects incorporate sustainable materials like hemp, we move
toward a homebuilding industry—and future—that’s more energy­
efficient than we thought possible.
Looking for more ways to live a low­impact lifestyle? Check out our
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9. Looking for more ways to live a low­impact lifestyle? Check out our
blog for tips on
how to make packing for your next trip environmentally friendly, no
matter where you travel!
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