Single-use plastic bottles are one of the main contributors to ocean pollution. Most of them end up at landfill sites, for even though recycling plastic bottles is possible, it is also energy consuming. However, a lot of people still buy bottled water, notwithstanding its environmental impact, because there is an undeniable convenience to this disposable product. It is easily available, one don’t need to worry about cleaning the bottle or carrying a bulky container along after it is empty. Designers offer various alternatives to single-use  water bottles that brilliantly solve all of these problems.

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What do such materials as resin, paper and concrete have in common? All of them are utilized to create dazzling and intricate jewelry that can speak more about the wearer than the conventional pieces made of precious metals and stones. The innovative designers and jewelry brands invite us into a brand new world where the very notion of preciousness is reinvented.

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Have you got cardboard boxes around the house? You would be amazed at what you can do with this material, which is as cheap and readily available as it is sustainable and biodegradable. The sturdy nature of the cardboard makes it suitable for constructing a range of different objects, from children’s toys to furniture pieces.

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Maggie’s Centres are a charitable initiative comprising a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom, which provide support, information and practical advice to people coping with cancer and their loved ones. Founded by and named after the late garden designer Maggie Keswick Jencks, who passed away from cancer in 1995, the centres continue her legacy and embody her life-asserting belief in the infusive power of architecture in times of distress. The buildings that house the centres are designed by internationally acclaimed architects and as well as practices known for their passion for architecture.

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Educating children in developing countries is not only about gaining knowledge and skills. It helps reduce poverty and offers a safe environment with supervision and support. In such countries, schools can even be a place for children to receive life-saving vaccines, fresh water and nutrient supplementation.  Hundreds of architects from all over the world participated in a design competition for a project of a secondary school in Benga Parish in Malawi, the project aiming to provide a better education to the youngest citizens of the country by giving them the opportunity to access a decent secondary school infrastructure.

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Recycling is not the only way to give disposable items a new life. Repurposing can be an even more satisfying process which can be done at home. Your Grandma probably remembers pouring her milk from a bottle that she would later use as a vase and drinking it from a glass that once contained jam. “Why not use the same principle for single-use PET bottles, the world’s most popular packaging that has a devastating effect on the environment?” – is the question asked by product designers featured in our article. Of course, you will not clean the planet by repurposing just one bottle, but it can surely be a first step towards environmentally friendly lifestyle.

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Ever get the feeling that someone, somewhere is watching your every move? The rise of modern technologies of surveillance is often overlooked, however, many people believe it can pose a threat to our personal liberties. Contemporary designers opposed to this invasive technologies develop devices and accessories to prevent the society from ending up as a dystopian militarized environment.

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We normally think of paper as something frail and flimsy. However, architects all over the globe have been experimenting with it, to prove its versatility as an environmentally friendly material. Paper is readily available, consistently low-cost, recyclable and biodegradable. Besides, paper can also be surprisingly strong to be utilized as a construction material, proving that the strength of the building has nothing to do with the strength of the material it was built from.

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Should jewelry be a synonym of luxury burdened with negative connotations of over-exploiting natural resources? Contemporary jewelry designers find new unconventional ways to create their items via repurposing and recycling the most unexpected materials. The resulting recycled jewelry pieces promote circular economies, help save endangered species and bring wearers closer to nature – and even give food for thought about our own mortality and vulnerability.

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