30 People Who Came Up With Ingenious Ways To Save The Planet

It's up to us - all of us everyday people - to roll up our sleeves and get to work if we want to save the planet before it's too late. While some of us might think it's a lost cause or that no one person can make a real difference, it's simply not true. If every single one of us tries our best to recycle, reduce our carbon footprint, etc then we can salvage our planet for generations to come. And here is a list of 30 everyday individuals who have come up with ingenious ways of saving Mother Earth!

[post_page_title]#1 Two Minute Beach Clean[/post_page_title]

I absolutely love this idea. Whenever I'm at the beach, I always try to bring any cans or bottles with me that I find in the sand. It's my way of keeping the beach clean. So often, people at the beach use it like their own personal landfill and leave their garbage behind, despite all the signs telling people to take their trash with them.

[post_page_title]#2 This Shadow of a Pen[/post_page_title]

Talk about signs. This pen has been made out of recycled plastic. There has been a big push to reuse plastic and recycle it to make other things. It's something that makes perfect sense, why not reduce the amount of plastic waste by recycling it and creating other things? But the shadow that this pen casts looks exactly like a water bottle. As one person so aptly commented, "it's haunted by a water bottle." I like to think of it as a subtle sign that the right thing was done.

[post_page_title]#3 Pencil is Recycled Newspaper[/post_page_title]

This is similar to the one above, as it showcases new life being breathed into old items that otherwise would've ended up in a landfill. This is an absolutely brilliant idea too, as it helps to cut down on the need for trees to be chopped in order to create pencils. You can't argue with that logic. Whoever came up with the idea of substituting old newspapers in order to create pencils is an absolute genius.

[post_page_title]#4 Grass Instead of Paint[/post_page_title]

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about this picture of a parking lot in Hawaii. But if you look closer, you will notice something that is a subtle difference from most parking lots. The dividers to help separate the cars are actually little rows of grass rather than the usual painted lines. There are many paints out there that are toxic to both the environment and animals - people too for that matter.

[post_page_title]#5 Upcycling Mascara Wands[/post_page_title]

As this ad stated, "Please do NOT throw away your mascara wands. Instead, clean JUST THE WAND with Dawn liquid soap, place them in a ziploc bag and mail them to a Wildlife Refuge accepting donations. 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. Mail to: Appalachian Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 1211 Skyland NC 28776"

[post_page_title]#6 Poland's Glow in the Dark Bike Path[/post_page_title]

Not only does this help the environment, but it looks way cool too! I assume that it's non-toxic paint, but I can't be sure. But let's focus on the positive: it helps cut down on light pollution and doesn't use any energy except solar power. If only this would help spark more of a need for paths like this in other cities around the world!

[post_page_title]#7 Carlsberg Uses Glue Instead of Plastic[/post_page_title]

Carlsberg the beer maker is using glue to keep their packs of cans together, rather than plastic. This is fantastic news for the environment and a good industry practice all around. More companies that brew beer should take this on for their packs of cans.

[post_page_title]#8 Event Bracelets Can Be Planted[/post_page_title]

I remember when I was younger and more into going out to different events or night clubs, always ending up with a different wristband to show where I'd been. But a lot of those bracelets weren't recyclable, and they were just creating more waste for the environment. However, some genius decided to create event bracelets that actually have a purpose. The message on them says to plant with soil and water. How wonderful of a sustainable idea is that?

[post_page_title]#9 This Hidden Message[/post_page_title]

I can't believe that there are actually people who don't separate the plastic from the paper. Rant over. But I do like this little hidden message that this one business added to their products. The design and the thought that went into this was very good. It is just so cute. I love the take on the eco-warrior; I think it's very clever.

[post_page_title]#10 All Natural Ice Cream Cup[/post_page_title]

As a Puerto Rican, I'm well aware of the wonders of banana leaves. We use them in our cooking to seal up our version of tamales which are called "pasteles." They're a Christmas time favorite. But apparently, there are much nobler, eco-friendly uses for banana leaves as well. This, for example, is a brilliant idea. An ice cream cup made out of banana leaves. It is 100% compostable once you're done with your sweet treat.

[post_page_title]#11 This Grocery Store's Cure For Old Bananas[/post_page_title]

Bananas are those fruit that goes off pretty quickly. It's like one day they're nice and green with a hint of yellow, and the next day they're a fruit fly magnet. In order to cut down on waste, this grocery store came up with a genius idea to re-home those close to gone off bananas that probably wouldn't get eaten.

[post_page_title]#12 Stone Notebook[/post_page_title]

As a writer, I do have certain guilt with this next one. I admit, I love my stationery and am always buying paper notebooks. But in my defense, I always, always use every bit of the page when I write. Plus, I always try to look for notebooks made out of recycled paper.

[post_page_title]#13 Rechargeable Batteries[/post_page_title]

I can't tell you how great I think it is that we finally have a product like this. There are so many batteries out there that get used up then chucked into the trash because people aren't bothered to properly recycle them. Well, now we don't even have to worry about properly recycling/disposing of batteries since now they are rechargeable with a micro USB. That means you'll really only ever need to buy them once and you've got them for life.

[post_page_title]#14 This Refill Station[/post_page_title]

This was spotted on a university campus in Canada, and we think it's one of the best ideas out there. There is no other way to say it other than it is a great idea to cut down on single-use plastic consumption.

[post_page_title]#15 This Cup's Label[/post_page_title]

Sometimes, it's almost like it needs to be spelled out for people how exactly they need to deal with their trash. We've seen more of an action on certain companies to label what is recyclable in a way that urges people to recycle. But this cup is completely different. I love that while it looks like a plastic cup, it's actually compostable and can easily go in the bin where it won't take thousands of years to break down.

[post_page_title]#16 The Pencil Tip with Seeds[/post_page_title]

While it's a small gesture, it's actually quite nice. Trees give us a lot in this world. Not only do they provide us with paper and pencils so that we can write, create art, communicate, etc. but they also provide us with an even bigger gift: oxygen. Trees help keep our air clean and fresh so that we don't end up suffocating on our own carbon dioxide emissions. So when we cut them down, it really is important that we replant more and give back.

[post_page_title]#17 Rain Water Toilets[/post_page_title]

There are some people who've adopted the saying, "If it's yellow let it mellow; if it's brown flush it down" as a means of being careful about conserving water. I personally can't being the germaphobe that I am. But I do 100% support the Grand Plaza's thoughts on saving water.

[post_page_title]#18 Alternative to Bubblewrap[/post_page_title]

As a child, I used to love bubble wrap. It was so fun to snap and pop. Any time my mom ordered something fragile I used to get excited because I knew that I could look forward to a good hour of popping fun. Now as an adult who is environmentally conscious, I feel guilty for using bubble wrap. In fact, when we moved house my partner and I, I used our clothes and towels to wrap up the fragile items rather than go out and buy bubble wrap.

[post_page_title]#19 Recycled Paper Notepads[/post_page_title]

Can I just say, I hope this catches on and more universities start doing this? I mean, we've all been there at college where we go to the computer lab and then end up seeing stacks of abandoned printed papers that were discarded. While recycling them is great, there are also the students that use normal computer paper in order to write notes on. That is why I think this is such a great idea. This university has made notebooks for students out of recycled paper.

[post_page_title]#20 These Single-Use Cutlery[/post_page_title]

As the description with the picture says, "Recently, Mexican company BioFase released single-use cutlery and straws that biodegrade in 240 days. The company collects avocado seeds from companies that process avocados to make guacamole or oil." So basically, these items, while they may be single-use, are actually biodegradable since they are made out of avocado seeds. For single-use, this is pretty good.

[post_page_title]#21 Paper Bags Instead of Plastic[/post_page_title]

We've all been to multiple grocery stores where all the produce is packaged into unnecessary plastic packaging. Even items like bananas or oranges - which come with their own protective skin - end up getting placed inside these plastic bags that then aren't properly disposed of and end up floating in the ocean. Enter this brilliant and better system. Paper bags.

[post_page_title]#22 This Bakery's Kind Gesture[/post_page_title]

Do you ever wonder what happens to food items that aren't sold at the end of the day? Most of the time, they end up getting thrown out, which then generates so much unnecessary waste. However, this one bakery had a rather charming idea of how to be more environmentally friendly, but also creating a sense of community. Every day, they leave out their pastries and bread that were not bought so that people can take them free of charge. This is great because rather than throwing the food away, they're sharing.

[post_page_title]#23 This Crafty Japanese Toilet Conserves Water[/post_page_title]

The Japanese are always giving us some crazy, out-there inventions. I mean, we've all heard of some of them like shoes with umbrellas on them, eyedrop funnels, butter graters - some of these are just a bit out there. However, this Japanese toilet is one for the environmental books. It's practical without being kooky. It conserves water by building in the sink to the top of the toilet, meaning that you're flushing the toilet with recycled with the water from the sink.

[post_page_title]#24 Man Power Charge[/post_page_title]

This one is pretty cool. I would love this, where can I get one? Basically, it's a bike that charges your devices through sheer manpower. How cool is that? What I really like about this, is that it isn't just great for the environment, but it also provides a free work out. As I said, I would love this. Besides the way my phone constantly needs charging, I'd be ripped!

[post_page_title]#25 Renovated Bathrooms[/post_page_title]

Renovations cost a lot. Plus, they create a lot of waste. They can also get quite pricy, especially if you are looking to incorporate wood. One bowling alley did something that is innovative, great for the environment, and also pretty cool-looking. They used the wood from old bowling lanes to redo the bathrooms. And the results are pretty awesome. I would want this in my house.

[post_page_title]#26 This Coffee Shop's Compost[/post_page_title]

One local coffee shop has come up with a pretty neat and sustainable idea. They give out free bags of compost which is made from their coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are by nature compostable - and if you've ever had a garden they are great for making your plants grow pretty. Coffee grounds in other places would otherwise get chucked into the trash, and while they're biodegradable, they'd still be creating waste when they could go to a better use.

[post_page_title]#27 This Surprise in a Cigarette Pack[/post_page_title]

Cigarettes are such a bad habit. Not only are they bad for your health, but they're bad for the planet too - in more ways than one. Not only are they producing smoke, but more importantly, the butts are not biodegradable as much as we'd like to pretend they are. Often times they get improperly disposed of and end up in our oceans or rivers, or just overall polluting our planet. This one surprise that came in a cigarette pack is actually pretty cool. It's a recycle pack where smokers can place their used butts and then return them for proper disposal.

[post_page_title]#28 This Clever Shoe Packaging[/post_page_title]

More often then not, when we go shopping we end up with items that are placed into one-time-use plastic bags. While paper bags are a little better, it still makes you feel a little guilty. This shoebox is cleverly designed to circumvent the need for more plastic bags. It incorporates a handle at the end of the box, thus turning your shoebox into its own bag. Very smart right?

[post_page_title]#29 Sustainable Confetti[/post_page_title]

The day after New Year's Eve you can feel a little less guilty about harming the environment with this. It's basically a seedling pack, so if you ever need to celebrate something like a birthday, New Years, baby showers, weddings, etc. you can still do so in an environmentally sustainable way. This definitely something that I could get behind for my next outdoor celebrations. Not only is it environmentally-friendly because it's not plastic, but it also has a fun surprise: wildflowers. And who doesn't like flowers?

[post_page_title]#30 These Biodegradable Bowls[/post_page_title]

Can you imagine how much better the world would be if we just all together cut out single-use plastic? And we need more of a push for items like these leaf bowls. They are made entirely out of leaves that are pressed and dried together, then pinned in place with bamboo.