All year round, the Imagine5 team scours the world for the smartest green solutions and most exciting new developments. Here’s what grabbed our attention over the last twelve months.
1. If McDonald’s and Burger King switched to a mix of beef and soy for their burgers, they’d save the equivalent of the annual emissions of Portugal.
And the funny thing is, in blind taste tests, people preferred the more sustainable burger!
2. Nature is getting paid for its contribution to music.
Royalties from streaming of tracks that feature nature sounds are supporting biodiversity projects in the forests of Colombia.
3. The UK has closed its last coal power plant.
That means it’s the first time in 142 years that Britain hasn’t been at least partially powered by coal.
4. You can clean your house with a lemon, some vinegar and some baking soda.
Household cleaning products can be polluting and, most likely, come in plastic packages. Luckily, there are natural alternatives that are accessible and effective.
Growing cocoa contributes to deforestation. But it doesn’t have to. Illustration: Hvass & Hannibal
5. Fair trade chocolate is better for the planet (as well as for people).
When cocoa farmers are getting a fair price for their crop, they face less pressure to clear forest to grow more. Deforestation is a big part of chocolate’s environmental impact.
6. As a kid, Viggo Mortensen loved escaping to the woods.
The first time it happened, he was still in diapers, and crawled right out the door. His family found him under a tree. Read more about the Oscar-winning actor and director’s love of nature in our interview.
Real fish, grown in a lab. Photo: Juliana Tan
7. Lab-cultured fish is taking off.
Fish cuts grown from cells in laboratories could play a big role in helping fish populations in the ocean recover. We tried some – it tastes pretty great.
8. A lot of people who buy vinyl records don’t actually play them.
Almost half, according to one survey from the UK. Although manufacturing vinyl has an environmental impact, it can still end up being greener than streaming in terms of impact per play… but only if you play it.
9. People around you are more worried about climate change than you think.
Studies show we underestimate other people’s support for climate action. Which is why we need to talk about it more!
10. You can turn banana peels into bacon.
Low-waste cooking guru Max La Manna showed us how here.
Grant Marshall of Massive Attack performing in England this summer – powered by clean electricity. Photo: André Pattenden
11. Outdoor concerts burn up gallons and gallons of diesel… but they don’t have to!
As proved by Massive Attack’s groundbreaking outdoor show in England this summer – powered by clean electricity.
12. Australia’s peacock spiders sport some impressive ‘abdominal art’.
We couldn’t believe they were real. Check them out.
VR has a role to play in helping people understand the gravity of the climate crisis. Photo: Lacopo Pasqui / Connected Archives
13. Virtual reality is helping people look the climate crisis in the eye.
Filmmakers and experience designers are using VR to trigger empathy with those at the frontline of climate disruption.
14. In California, clothing makers will be held responsible for recycling consumers’ used items.
A landmark new law puts the onus on manufacturers to make sure used items can be recycled or repaired.
15. There’s a solution to ocean plastic – right there in the ocean.
Californian startup Sway has used seaweed to create a biopolymer that can serve as a more sustainable substitute for plastic packaging.
16. You can plant a garden pretty much anywhere.
Guerrilla gardening can boost biodiversity, provide fresh food and clean polluted air. Oh, and it’s fun. We produced a whole toolkit on how to do it.
17. Electric bikes are crazy efficient.
If you take into account the carbon footprint of the food you get your calories from, electric bikes create less pollution per kilometer than leg power!
18. Cutting down on meat has way more impact than eating locally.
Is it more sustainable to eat meat farmed locally than vegetables shipped from far away? The short answer: no. What you eat matters more than where it came from.
Lærke Bagger, punk knitting guru. Photo: Petra Kleis
19. Knitting is punk.
As Danish knitting guru Lærke Bagger is proving with her throw-out-the-rulebook attitude, which also makes it easier to create clothes sustainably.
20. You can make ski gear using ingredients from algae – instead of oil.
By innovating with bio-based materials, Utah-based WNDR Alpine wants to get pollutants out of the production of skis.
21. Films that acknowledge climate change make more money than those that don’t.
It’s just one of the reasons we’re going to be seeing more movies and TV shows telling stories about environmental issues.
22. A plane creates as much pollution in one minute as a train creates in one hour.
As we learned when we travelled by train from Copenhagen to Amsterdam.
23. A young inventor is using magnets to fight microplastics.
Fionn Ferreira was inspired to get involved after seeing how much plastic littered Ireland’s coastline.
Can gaming get greener? Photo: Tonje Thilesen
24. The gaming industry has the carbon footprint of a small country.
Games makers are working to reduce their impact, and to use games as a way to tell stories about the climate.
Interested in more hopeful stories and inspiration on how to live a planet-friendly life? Sign up for our newsletter and get a 20% discount on our latest magazine too.
Discover our magazine
Viggo Mortensen on escaping to the woods, Sophia Roe on conscious comfort food, and an eco psychologist on caring for yourself and the planet. All in the latest edition of the Imagine5 magazine! Packed with over 180 pages of planet-positive inspiration.
€25 plus shipping
Get your copyBIG IDEAS
CULTURE VS CLIMATE
