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 synthetically fertilized. But two Italian artists are rethinking the way
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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
from coconut wood.
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 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.
dishes made from wheat bran, lids made from banana leaves, and utensils made
3. Plastic Eating Caterpillars
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4. Biodegradable Coolers
Hate that squeaky, nails­on­a­chalkboard
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 cruelty­free 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 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 bike­friendly cities
—and with solar­powered 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
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 algae­filled 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 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 solar­powered
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
Greta Thunberg isn’t the only
teenager whose environmental
activism is helping lead the way for
climate justice action. Fionn Ferreira,
an 18­year­old 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 UK­
based 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
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 energy­efficient
than we thought possible.

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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