€1 Million Prize for Plastics-to-Protein Research Awarded to Steve Techtmann, Ting Lu

Good News Notes: “Plastic waste and access to nutritious food top the list of humanity’s challenges. Yet humans are nothing if not innovative, especially in the face of adversity. Michigan Technological University’s Steve Techtmann, associate professor of biological sciences, aims to convert plastic waste and inedible biomass into edible protein — a biological sleight of hand…

Samsung starts official smartphone upcycling program

Good News Notes: “Samsung on Wednesday kicked off something genuinely innovative in the smartphone market: an official consumer upcycling program. Samsung’s “Galaxy Upcycling at Home” initiative was announced at CES 2021, and today it enters a “beta” release. The program allows users to transform old phones into smart home devices that work through Samsung’s SmartThings…

11 Most Innovative Sustainable Packaging Ideas

Good News Notes: “Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging that’s recyclable, reusable, and made from rapidly renewable resources or materials. This practice reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint of consumer product waste. There’s been a bounty out on packaging ever since Keep America Beautiful released its notorious 1971 “Crying Indian” PSA. The…