Maker: Stephan Augustin Challenge: People in poor and sunny regions lack access to fresh water, and often have no other choice but to use dirty water for daily use. For coastal dwelling communities, seawater is no solution since most desalination units are cumbersome, need constant technical maintenance, and are very expensive. According to WHO, “By 2025, half of the world’s population […]
Maker: Stephan Augustin Challenge: Over one billion people suffer from hunger worldwide, and one of the causes of this problem is a lack of cooling and preservation of food and crops—especially for those who live off the grid. On the other side, in modern industrialized countries, storage or cellar rooms have been replaced by energy wasting refrigerators where much food is stored that doesn’t even require hard cooling, […]
Maker: The Empowerment Plan Challenge: “Veronika Scott was inspired to start The Empowerment Plan when a class at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit challenged her to create a product to fill an actual need in her community. Veronika took to the issue of homelessness and began spending time at a nearby warming center where […]
Maker: Architect Ibrahim Elhayawan and team from Various Architects. Commissioned by Norwegian National Railways and ROM Eiendom AS. Challenge: Encouraging more people in the city of Lillestrøm to use bicycles for their daily commute and general transportation, instead of emission producing cars and other motor vehicles. Solution: A Bicycle Hotel that offers a safe and economical place for bike storage, conveniently […]
Maker: Method Challenge: “It’s estimated that several million tons of plastic makes its way into our oceans every year, polluting the environment and hurting our marine populations. and the problem isn’t going away anytime soon as more plastic washes up on beaches everyday.” Solution: “With the help of local beach clean-up groups and volunteers, Method has collected […]
Maker: Info Design Lab Challenge: Fresh water is one of our most valuable and critical resources. We need to make sure there is enough for everyone on our planet, and we need to put solutions to work now if we want to avoid a water crisis. When it comes to improving our global consumption habits, most people don’t realize that […]
Maker: Jets Challenge: Increasing volumes of sewage worldwide that requires sanitation, coupled with traditional gravity water toilets which demand far too much of our precious energy and fresh water resources to function. Solution: The Jets Pearl vacuum toilet uses 90% less water than the conventional toilet—which comes out to less than 1 litre (1/4 gallon) of water per flush. This toilet, […]
Maker: Fairphone Challenge: The average smartphone contains materials that are obtained through unsustainable and hazardous mining practices. Including dangerous working conditions, the utilization of child labor, and the degradation and pollution of the environment. Solution: A phone made from conflict-free minerals and recycled materials that is modular, open, and easy to repair; and improves the supply chain […]
Maker: PlayLab, Inc. Challenge: The water in New York City’s East River is too dirty and contaminated for the city’s 8 million plus people to swim in. Solution: A floating, plus-shaped community pool with a layered filtration system to remove bacteria and contaminants without the use of chemicals or additives. Results: This is a solution that helps ensure the […]
Maker: Felyx Challenge: Finding a sustainable and affordable solution for people who get to the city by car, as well as a car alternative for city dwellers looking for a complementary mode of transportation. Solution: A citywide electronic scooter sharing system. System users locate and pick up scooters via an app, pay for only the minutes they use, then park the scooter wherever […]