Did you know that there’s a giant island of plastic, nicknamed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating between Hawaii and California? This unsightly vortex of trash is about twice the size of Texas, and it’s growing bigger and more lawless every single day!
Cleaning up gargantuan problems like this may seem impossible, but don’t give up just yet. Even the smallest of changes can make an impact, and you don’t have to be an eco-activist or tree-hugger to do good things for the planet.
Just take it from these 50 people who are walking their talk like a true boss! From serving up ice cream in banana leaf cups, creating “plastic” utensils from avocado seeds, and making carry pouches for cigarette butts, these innovative, eco-friendly designs make every day seem like Earth Day.
1) “Turns out my pencil is made of recycled newspaper!”
Even in a digital world, we still use pens ad pencils. Pencils are typically made of wood, but this pencil is made from recycled newspaper, which will make all the tree huggers out there happy campers.
2) “An ice cream cup made of banana leaves”
In Thailand, this is a common way to serve coconut ice. After you’re done, the earth will recycle your garbage for you!
3) “I found a hidden message when I ripped the paper off this ramen pot”
What a cheeky surprise for the clever samurai who separates their paper from plastic! It would be even more fun if they had different messages for each flavor of ramen noddle.
4) “Got an event bracelet that can be planted”
The next time you go to a bar or club, you may be presented with this very special bracelet that you can gift back to mother nature. This one has been embedded with California wildflower seeds, which is bloomin’ brilliant!
5) “Carlsberg using glue to make six packs instead of plastic.”
Sure, aluminum cans are totally recyclable, but the plastic rings that come with six-packs can literally choke the life out of marine life. Instead of plastic rings, this company uses dots of very strong glue to keep the cans stuck together. Cheers to this very clever move!
6) Poland’s glow-in-the-dark dark bike lane is charged by the sun.
Solar power is the next “hottest” thing in sustainable energy, and a city in Poland is using the sun’s power in a very unique way.
They keep their bike lanes lit up through the night by lining it with phosphor, a synthetic material that can “hold a charge” for about 10 hours. How cool is that?
7) “An Easy Way to Recycle Old Mascara Wands”
Mascara is only good for a month or two before you have to toss it out, and if you multiply that by the millions of women around the world who use mascara, that’s a lot of not-so-magical wands that get trashed.
The plastic isn’t typically recyclable, but Wands for Wildlife uses them to literally clean up wildlife.
“These little wands are able to be upcycled to clean away oil, larvae, fly eggs, mites, infections, mud and other contaminants from wildlife. Works great for medical care and wound treatment.”
8) “Instead of using paint for this parking lot, this is how the “lines” are created.
This parking lot in the city of Kailua-Kona in Hawaii uses grass instead of paint to draw the lines. The only foreseeable problem here is when it’s time to mow the lines again!
9) “Pen made of recycled water bottles casts a shadow of a water bottle.”
Okay, you know what’s coming. Wait for it…
This pen is a shadow of its former self.
Bad joke aside, this is actually a brilliant design!
10) “The Cafe at my closest beach gives free drinks to people who collect a bucket of litter from the beach”
If you can spare two minutes of your life, this cafe wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse. Grab a bucket, fill it up with litter from the beach, and they’ll give you a hot drink on the house.
11) “Plastic” cutlery and straws made from avocado seeds
Single-use plastic utensils are terrible for the planet, but until now, they’ve pretty much been the only option for take-out food.
Thanks to Mexican company BioFase, our “plastic” utensils are now being made of food. They make biodegradable cutlery and straws that are made from avocado seeds. Now there’s something sustainable you can bite into!
12) “My university makes notepads out of the recycled paper and hands them out to the students”
You don’t have to go to this school to pull off this universally smart move. You can find scratch paper just about anywhere!
13) “Recycled cardboard used as an alternative to bubble wrap.”
There’s nothing in the world that can compare to the satisfaction of popping bubble wrap! But, since there’s no replacement for our beautiful green earth, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. I’ll miss you, bubble wrap.
14) “This makes me incredibly happy, and more inclined to shop here more often.”
I’m not sure I’d shop at a store more often just to use their environmentally friendly toilet. But, this is certainly something more companies should think about doing.
15) “My pencil has seeds on the tip, so when it’s too small to use it you can plant it and a tree will grow out of it”
Filling the tip of pencils with seeds instead of an eraser is a fabulous way to feed the planet! Just don’t fall into your old chewy habits, or you may end up with a fern growing inside of you.
16) “This cup is made from plant starch, not plastic”
We really need to stop using single-use items like straws and plastic cups, but the demand for things that we don’t have to wash is still pretty high. Until we change our disposable mindset, cups like these that are made from starch instead of plastic are a step in the right direction.
17) “Refill Station at Simon Fraser University, Canada.”
I wish this was in grocery stores everywhere. Think about how many bottles of toiletries, hand soap, and detergent that gets thrown out every year! It’s such a huge waste.
18) “This notebook is made of stone”
Yabba dabba doo! This looks like something right out of The Flintstones. It’s definitely an upgrade from the stone tablets of yesteryear.
19) “You can charge this battery with a micro USB”
Rechargeable batteries have been around for a long time, but you have to pop them into a bulky plastic thingy to give them some juice. Now you can just plug your USB right into the battery and charge it on the go.
20) “My grocery store started selling overripe bananas for cheap with a recipe for banana bread on the bag”
This is pure genius! The store gets more sales, and it helps cut down on produce waste that’s so rampant with grocery stores.
21) Street vendors use disposable bowls made of leaves
This disposable bowl is made from three pressed leaves that are fastened together with a bamboo pen. It’s used by street vendors in India.
22) Throw confetti, grow stuff!
This “Throw & Grow Confetti” from Niko Niko is a guerrilla gardener/party-goers dream. The paper-shaped flowers contain the seeds of real flowers. After the celebrations are over, just watch and watch the happiness grow!
23) “My shoes came with a “handle” rather than being packed in a one time use bag”
Of course, the best solution is to just carry the shoe box to your car. But, if you’re already bogged down with purchases, a reduction in waste is better than none at all. That’s when things like this little plastic handle come in handy.
24) “I bought a pack of cigarettes and they came with a postage paid recycling pouch.”
There are two types of disgusting litter bugs: the kind that flick used cigarette butts onto the ground, and the ones who are too lazy to toss their doggy poop bag into the trash. At least we now have a way to take care of the first problem.
25) “My local coffee shop gives free compost made from their used coffee grounds.”
You don’t have to wait for your local coffee shop to put up a sign like this one. Be proactive and ask them what they do with their used coffee grounds. Tell them your rose bushes love to drink up this stuff!
26) “The bowling alley in my neighborhood tore up old lanes and used them to renovate the washrooms.”
What a great way to keep the whole bowling alley theme going. Just don’t start congratulating yourself out loud if you get a strike.
27) “You bike to keep the outlet going, to recharge your devices.”
Hey, this is straight out of an episode of Black Mirror! The future is almost here. Cardio credits are just around the corner.
28) “They had a bike at my school to blend a smoothie that they were handing out at lunch.”
If you don’t need to recharge your devices, you could bike your way to a healthy smoothie for lunch. I just hope this school isn’t breaking any child labor laws!
At the end of the day, this bakery puts their unsold pastries into a paper bag and leaves it outside for passerbys. It helps reduce waste and feed the hungry at the same time.
30) “This super market had tiny paper bags instead of plastic containers to reduce waste”
It looks like we’ve come full circle. We used to use plastic bags to save the rainforest, and now we’re using paper bags to save our oceans. The best option is to bring your own bag, but if you had to choose between ugly plastic and these cute little paper bags, I think I can guess which one would win.
31) “Resealable cans of water”
I always tote around a reusable stainless steel water bottle with me. But, for those times when I run out of water, I’d choose a can of water over a plastic bottle any day.
32) “My new dentist has their forms laminated to reduce paper waste by simply plugging in and wiping off.”
Some doctor’s offices have tablets where you can enter in your own data electronically, but it’s an expensive upgrade. For those who are bootstrapping it, this is a great way to reduce paper waste.
33) “This Sketchbook made from real recycled circuit boards”
This almost seems like a tech downgrade for the poor computer circuit board. But, it’s still a great way to give old circuit boards new life.
34) “This office is made up of old shipping containers”
This is where old shipping containers go to retire. They’re either turned into underground bunkers for preppers, or they become swanky offices like this one.
35) “This steel gate made up of pliers.”
Whoa, I didn’t even know these were pliers when I first saw this picture! I thought it was just being made to look like tree branches, or the little stick-figure birds that artists paint on canvas.
@girlfromoz:
“Hey I wanna break through this gate but I need a pair of… oh, never mind.”
36) “This coffee cup is made from recycled coffee grounds”
Wait, how does something like this even work? Do you just add water? If you get a double espresso, is it really a triple?
Most eggs come in either either Styrofoam or cardboard cartons. But, this sustainable egg carton made from hay looks like someone just picked up the nest and brought it right to the store.
38) “This Japanese toilet refills through a sink in the top so you can rinse your hands and re-use the water.”
This isn’t as icky as it sounds. The water that goes into the toilet is clean, so it’s totally safe to use on your hands. Just make sure you don’t get the two bowls mixed up.
39) “The water taps at this cafe drip onto plants to not waste water”
This is a wonderful idea in theory! But they should put a different plant under the drip. Dracaena plants are drought-tolerant and they hate soggy soil.
40) “A new question is up on our cigarette voting bin on Villiers Street. Check it out and place your vote!”
Who’s the best? You decide! Just pick up cigarette butts off the street and cast your vote. Genius!
41) “The beach I’m at has a list of commonly found garbage and how long it takes for it to decompose.”
I sort of like this idea, but I think put into practice this falls a little bit flat. Won’t this museum of trash take even longer to decompose when its encased in glass?
42) “This sink counter at a brewery is made with recycled beer bottles”
What better place to have a countertop made of recycled beer bottles than a brewery! Mosaic artwork like this is a great way to inspire others to go green.
43) “This bag of old/stained face towels have been re-used as “rags” at this hotel.”
Instead of disposing of stained towels, this hotel runs them through the wash and then repackages them as rags. They can be used to clean up things like coffee spills, makeup, oil, or mud.
44) “My school fights littering by installing basketball hoops above trash cans”
I don’t know any boy who could resist trying to make the perfect shot with this fun game! Hopefully they pick all their crumpled-up misses off the floor.
45) “The paper tag attached to my new pan can be planted to grow herbs”
It looks like biodegradable seed paper is becoming more popular by the day. The marketing here is quite clever. Buy a pan, get a free herb garden!
46) “The golf balls at the mini golf on this pier are biodegradable and fall into the sea at the 18th hole”
Your golf ball is fish food. And no, that’s not what your golfing buddy says to you when he thinks you’re a really bad putter. This golf ball really is fish food!
47) “My tour guide’s tool for picking up littered bottles along the trail.”
This is one dedicated tour guide! She has a lid for just about every type of plastic bottle she may come across on the trail.
48) “So my friend invented these amazing reusable silicone straws.”
If you don’t want metal straws accidentally busting up your teeth, these silicon straws are the next best option. They can be customized to fit any cup, and plus, who doesn’t want to slurp up their ice tea out of a rainbow straw?
49) “Want to help injured turtles? Send bra clasps to turtle rescues!”
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue uses old bra clasps to help weld cracked turtle shells back together again. The unconventional method can be compared to a doctor casting a broken bone. Too bad bra clasps weren’t around when poor Humpty Dumpty fell off his wall!
50) “My hotel wants you to take the nice soap home!”
There’s no need to “steal” the toiletries from this hotel. Guests can take home their used bars of soap in this doggy baggy. It’s just another clean way to help save the planet!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Did you know that there’s a giant island of plastic, nicknamed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating between Hawaii and California? This unsightly vortex of trash is about twice the size of Texas, and it’s growing bigger and more lawless every single day!
Cleaning up gargantuan problems like this may seem impossible, but don’t give up just yet. Even the smallest of changes can make an impact, and you don’t have to be an eco-activist or tree-hugger to do good things for the planet.
Just take it from these 50 people who are walking their talk like a true boss! From serving up ice cream in banana leaf cups, creating “plastic” utensils from avocado seeds, and making carry pouches for cigarette butts, these innovative, eco-friendly designs make every day seem like Earth Day.
