Despite all the cynicism, there are many people out there who are making a conscious effort to improve our world socially and environmentally. Designers, artists and organisations are looking to the future, fusing together science and aesthetics to create wonderful products and artworks, which are both pleasing to the eye and ecologically sound. Here are a few that have caught my eye, and if you have found some yourself, do share it with all of us.

We Are What We Do

The premise behind this organisation is that little actions can have a huge, positive impact on the world. For instance, the simple act of switching off your bedroom lights when you’re not there may appear insignificant at first, but if everyone did so regularly, the effect would be massive in regards to saving energy. This is what the company calls, ‘Actions’; small acts we can perform that will help better social and environmental issues.

The We Are What We Do website is certainly worth visiting. In their Do Our Simple Actions section, there’s a list of activities like, ‘hug someone’, ‘decline plastic bags whenever possible’ and ‘try watching less TV’, which you can add to your cyber ‘to-do list’. Once you’ve honoured your chosen simple action, you can check it off and know that you’ve done something socially or environmentally good.

The organisation is also responsible for the re-usable shopper, I’m NOT a plastic bag, co-designed by Anya Hindmarch:

We Are What We Do also sells a range of books that contain little ideas on what simple actions you can do. Teach Your Granny to Text has simple actions compiled and suggested by children. And their best-selling book, Change The World For a Fiver is filled with kind acts you can do to make yourself and others feel better.

Treasured Trash Project

Turning trash into materials to create art, functional products, and interactive pieces is the concept behind the Treasured Trash Project. The team of designers from all over the world first exhibited their works in 2006 at DesignTide in Tokyo. Due to their ecological stamp on design, these artists have breathed new life into seemingly ‘dead’ resources, i.e. rubbish, to produce a sustainable cycle through waste products. Below are some of the artworks and products that were displayed.

Heath Nash

South African-based designer, Heath Nash likes to make things with his hands. He created the Milkhandle Saucer – UFO (pictured above) by stringing together –yep, you guessed it – milk bottle handles. This piece was exhibited under the larger heading, Other People’s Rubbish. Nash also made this hat rack out of wire called, It’s Beautiful Here:

Stuart Haygarth

English-born, Berlin-based artist, Stuart Haygarth took on the project of turning refuse into resources. He designs pieces using rubbish he has found, thus creating one-off, unique works like Tide Chandelier (pictured above), which was made out of mostly plastic debris washed up on the coastline in Kent. The sphere-like shape of the object is meant to symbolise the moon, since lunar activity affects the ocean’s tide.

The Ray by Quiksilver

Arguably the first eco-timepiece ever made, The Ray is made out of recyclable materials like wood sourced from sustainable managed forests, stainless steel, and requires no batteries to operate. Furthermore, the product is shipped by sea, not by air, thereby reducing its carbon footprint. To add to its ‘greenery’, so to speak, this limited edition watch (only a 1000 available) is also handmade, rather than manufactured by watchbots. Side note: it is also very difficult to read the time on it.

Folded Bamboo + Paper Houses

Folded Bamboo + Paper Houses is the brainchild of Earth Award nominees, Ming Tang and Dihua Yang. The purpose of this project is to bring disaster relief in the form of shelter for victims of natural disasters – an idea born from the catastrophic earthquake in China in 2008. These sustainable structures can be easily and instantaneously constructed, with a flexibility that can accommodate a range of different environments. Rather than build temporary homes that take a long time to construct, Folded Bamboo + Paper Houses, inspired by origami, is environmentally friendly, uses local resources, and is cheap and fast to make.

Greenhouse Nightclub, NYC

Situated in New York City, the Greenhouse Nightclub, designed by Bluarch Architecture, is full of eco-friendliness. The two-level space is made out of recyclable or recycled materials, and also hosts a bar that serves a various number of organic drinks, like organic Vodka. It’s powered by wind, uses LED bulbs for lights, and has waterless urinals, which might shock some.