Alejandro Franco founded the organisation Woodpecker to create sustainable and affordable housing in Colombia. Made from low-cost materials including coffee husks and recycled plastic, the structures not only provide shelter but also minimise waste. As part of the solution to the country’s housin...

Oranges are more than a fruit; they can be used as crockery too. Luca Giacolini is one of the designers behind Feel the Peel, a juice bar which goes beyond producing fresh beverages to also 3D-print disposable cups from orange rinds. Developed by Italian design firm CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, the...

Smooth-coated otters are bumping into people in Goa more frequently. This is because communities in the Indian city are continually expanding into the native animal’s territory. “At some point, we will drive this species out of these areas,” Katrina Fernandez says. The ecologist and co-founder of...

Trolls aren’t just the stuff of fairytales. Copenhagen-based artist Thomas Dambo has sculpted over 80 of these enormous creatures using reclaimed wood. He hides them in forests all over the world from Puerto Rico to South Korea to encourage exploration. “Humans have gradually become more detached...

The best solutions often come from where you least expect them. Philip Ehrhorn is removing plastic from waterways in the Netherlands with the Bubble Barrier. The device works by blowing air through a pressurised tube which runs along a canal bed. Without disrupting aquatic life or water traffic, ...

Elaine Yan Ling Ng is walking on eggshells to disrupt the textiles industry. Using traditional East Asian methods of dyeing and weaving, she employs the help of local artisans to transform eggshells into floor tiles. Over 250 000 tonnes of non-biodegradable eggshells end up in landfills every yea...

As the daughter of a farmer, Tessa Clarke understands what it takes to grow nutritious produce that is then readily discarded before it can be consumed. She developed an app, OLIO, that instead connects users with people nearby who can share their excess food before it goes to waste. So far, OLIO...

Ever wonder what happened to cassette tapes when they went out of fashion? Like most plastic products, they’ve ended up in landfills. The tapes are hazardous waste that take centuries to biodegrade, while the metal they’re coated in seeps into the ground. Luckily, cassettes haven’t gone out of st...

How far would you go to save the Earth? For Sam Bencheghib, it’s running 4 800 kilometres across the city of New York to Los Angeles to raise awareness about marine pollution. This is just one of the many feats he has orchestrated. Sam grew up on the island of Bali where, despite the images of pr...

While individuals can make every effort to reduce their food waste, we can’t ignore the tonnes of excess food discarded by restaurants. To help chefs run more sustainable kitchens, Ignacio Ramirez and the team at Winnow have developed an innovative AI system which, when attached to food waste bin...

Snow leopards have always been an elusive species. Now, they’re retreating further up the mountains of the Tibetan plateau to escape rising temperatures. Ecologist Justine Alexander works with local communities to study and document the animals. “Through our research, we were able to help this sp...

The Keibul Lamjao National Park in India is a floating grassland. But that’s not the only thing that makes it unique. It’s also home to the sangai, an endemic species of deer. Once believed to be almost extinct, the deer is today threatened by climate change and flooding. The local community is w...

Most plastic products are single-use or have a limited lifespan, ending up in landfills or the ocean. But in the Netherlands, plastic is getting an unexpected second life. Ramon Knoester is the architect behind a 140 square metre floating park made entirely out of plastic. Watch how he converts t...

Bamboo grows in abundance in Uganda, something that bicycle maker Noordin Kasoma is using to his advantage. He harvests the renewable resource to create an affordable and sustainable means of transportation that doesn’t rely on harmful materials and chemicals. Kasoma’s goal is to help reduce the ...

The poaching crisis in Kenya is not only endangering vulnerable animals. Rangers face some of the most harrowing scenes every day, dealing with the aftermath of poaching incidents and risking their lives to prevent them. Raabia Hawa was a local media personality, but turned her focus to conservat...

Water is privatised in Chile, resulting in high prices that leave thousands of people unable to afford it. But the country’s coastal communities have plentiful access to sunlight and sea water. Henry Glogau is harnessing these natural resources to provide people their basic needs. He has created ...

Haiti has long born the brunt of natural disasters. Now, climate change and rising sea levels place the country at further risk of flooding. While the region’s mangrove forests are a vital buffer to wind and waves, poverty-stricken residents cut them down to create charcoal for cooking. To conser...

For over four decades, Kayapó people have been fighting to safeguard their right to the Amazon. “Logging and gold mining not only deprives indigenous people of their way of life, but threatens the entire ecosystem,” Barbara Zimmerman says. The conservationist is the founder of the Kayapo Project,...

Islands are hotbeds of biodiversity. But of all the extinctions that have taken place, 75% occurred on islands. “The greatest cause is human impact, and invasive species are a major piece of this,” says Wesley Jolley, a project manager at Island Conservation. Since 1994, the organisation has coll...

There’s no time to waste when it comes to ocean pollution. It’s estimated that 100 000 marine mammals and turtles are killed annually by plastic waste. And the cheap flip-flops we wear to the beach exacerbate this problem. They wash up on the shore, littering the sand with materials that can take...

Horses need herds. Throughout the ages, they’ve galloped around the globe in groups of up to 20 strong. But today, these close-knit families are barely intact. The number of wild horses roaming free in the United States of America has decreased by 98% in the last century. With their habitat decre...

Everything has a limit, even the ocean. With an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic streaming into the sea every year, this rich ecosystem is reaching its end. Born out of the conservation efforts of four Californian surfers in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation is now one of the largest non-pr...

The Earth’s surface is 71% water but less than 20% of the ocean floor has been mapped, leaving most of the seabed a mystery. The length and depth of what we’re missing is inconceivable. Marine geologist Robin Beaman is working to change that. Using 3D-mapping technology and underwater robots, Bea...

Our rainforests are in crisis. To reverse the harmful effects of global heating and restore vitality to the planet and its people, we need to start listening. Health In Harmony, a global team of doctors, nurses, scientists, and agriculturalists, partners with rainforest experts - local communitie...