Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
And a filing cabinet turned garden bed?!
Dear Reader,
We hear a lot lately about our energy revolution, as the cost of clean energy plummets and the availability of it expands. More than 90% of all new electricity capacity worldwide now comes from renewable sources.
But there’s another, quieter revolution taking place — a materials transition, Bill McKibben calls it. J.A. Ginsburg, who writes a newsletter focused on building resilient futures, points to a growing global population, which means, he says, “more of everything.” But that’s a fact that’s ripe with opportunity. As Ginsburg writes, “The materials transition is a revolution hiding in plain sight. Products that look exactly as they have always looked can be different on a material level. A classic Herman Miller Aeron office chair manufactured in 2025 looks identical to the first Aeron that rolled off the production line in 1994. But nearly all of the new chair is made from old stuff.” Indeed, 91% of it is made from recycled materials.
He points also to BYD, the Chinese EV company, that’s considering using car upholstery made from mushrooms. This reimagining of how we do things is what Bluedot is all about!
Do you have any “reimagined” items in your home? Insulation made from textile waste, for instance? Shoes constructed of recycled plastic? Or what would you like to see? Let’s reimagine our world. Tell Dot about it.
Materially,
Dot
Upcycle an old metal filing cabinet into a sturdy, great-looking planter.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
