The Ocean Cleanup will begin extracting plastic from the Pacific in 2018
A major initiative aiming to rid a rubbish-riddled area of the Pacific Ocean from its discarded plastic will begin work within the next 12 months. More
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10 sustainable designs that offer alternatives to everyday products
As the state of the environment becomes an ever-pressing issue, designers are developing eco-friendly alternatives to all sorts of products. To celebrate Earth Day, we've rounded up 10 examples, including a kitchen made from recycled bottles and a pollution-absorbing bikini. More
Mountain landscapes inform peaked roof of NBBJ's Nanjing exhibition centre
Skylights top eight angular peaks on the roof of this exhibition centre in the Chinese city of Nanjing by architecture firm NBBJ, funnelling natural light down into the interior. More
Šimon Kern makes chair from recycled fallen leaves
Slovakian designer Šimon Kern's Beleaf chair is made from a mixture of recycled leaves and bio-resin. More
A Smarter City competition calls for innovative designs for London's green spaces
Dezeen promotion: designers are invited to come up with innovative solutions to revamp public spaces in the City of London, in the first of three competitions as part of the A Smarter City initiative. More
Edouard François creates plant-covered housing block to disperse seeds across Paris
Plants grow up the exterior of this green apartment tower in Paris, France, which was designed by local firm Maison Edouard François to spread seeds across the city. More
Christien Meindertsma designs biodegradable chair using flax and bioplastic
Christien Meindertsma's Flax chair has won two Dutch Design Awards for its innovative use of flax fibre combined with bioplastic. More
Tamara Orjola makes furniture and textiles using pine needles
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Tamara Orjola's Forest Wool stools and carpets are made from processed pine needles left over from the timber industry. More
TetraPOT is a greener alternative to concrete coastal defences
Taiwanese designer Sheng-Hung Lee and Malaysian designer Wan Kee Lee have created a concept for a new kind of sea defence that also functions as a set of giant plant pots. More
Austeja Platukyte's packaging is made from biodegradable algae-based plastic
Graduate shows 2016: Vilnius Academy of Arts graduate Austeja Platukyte has designed a range of packaging using a material made from algae, which could replace non-biodegradable forms of plastic (+ slideshow). More
Today we like: sustainable design
To celebrate Earth Day, we've put together some of the best examples of green and eco-friendly projects on Dezeen – from a vertical garden covering the side of a five-storey Parisian block, to a bikini designed to absorb pollution from the sea. See more sustainable design »
Dave Hakkens updates open-source Precious Plastic recycling machines
Dutch designer Dave Hakkens has updated his series of Precious Plastic machines, which anyone can build and use to make products by recycling the material (+ movie). More
Ari Jónsson uses algae to create biodegradable water bottles
DesignMarch 2016: product design student Ari Jónsson has combined red algae powder with water to create a biodegradable bottle. More
Daan Roosegaarde uses green lasers to showcase the "beauty" of wind turbines
Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde has turned a group of wind turbines into a light installation by connecting the structures with moving laser beams (+ movie). More
Floating Seabin cleans the ocean by sucking rubbish from the water
An Australian duo have created a floating rubbish bin that can be installed in marinas to filter litter from the water (+ movie). More
Layer's concept wearable tracks personal carbon consumption
London Design Festival 2015: the studio launched by London designer Benjamin Hubert has partnered with environmental consultancy Carbon Trust to produce a concept wearable that could track individual carbon footprints (+ movie). More
Penda's bamboo pavilion could be expanded to create homes for 200,000 people
Architecture studio Penda has created a rope-bound bamboo pavilion as a mock up of a modular housing system developed to provide sustainable housing schemes for populations of up to 200,000 (+ slideshow). More
Ash Sakula Architects designs three mews houses for a rural eco development
Wooden shingles clad the end wall and pitched roofs of this terrace in the English county of Hampshire, designed as a prototype for affordable, sustainable construction in the area (+ slideshow). More
Henry&Co's Chayr features a seat made from hay and grass
Italian studio Henry&Co has used a material created by binding hay and grass to form the seat of this untreated beech wood stool. More
Tom Cridland proposes alternative to throwaway fashion with The 30 Year Sweatshirt
UK menswear designer Tom Cridland has launched a unisex sweater that comes with a 30-year guarantee, to promote sustainable fashion. More