Joseph Maclellan

Dutch design studio Studio Nienke Hoogvliet has created a sustainable urn out of a bioplastic formed from wastewater. The urn mitigates and slows the release of ashes into the soil, protecting it from toxins. 

More than 500 million straws are used in the U.S. daily, and all these will sit in a landfill for at least 200 years. To combat this waste, the founders of Loliware have invented the Lolistraw, a biodegradable and edible straw made out of algae.

Shipping containers may be the latest fad in small-space living. But the most ingenious use of them yet may have just arrived: as eco-conscious, solar-powered swimming pools.

IKEA will collaborate with NASA and a Swedish university to release tiny furniture in 2019. They're inspired by space travel and life on Mars to give them ideas to create the best products that will help out the increase in urban population.

Discovering where our clothing comes from isn't always pretty. But not all clothing companies exploit workers or harm the environment. In fact, more brands are making sustainable fashion a priority, helping both us and the planet.

Inspired by a documentary, longtime foodie Berlin Kelly thought about how drinking wine could make the world a better place, prompting her to create Proud Pour, a company that pair wines with solutions to local environmental problems.