Climate-Conscious Design: 8 Visionaries and the Best Products for a Lighter Footprint

We’re introducing eight visionaries who are breaking ground in ecologically attuned design and a selection of new products to make your home easier on the environment. Read their stories below, and check out our favorite new-to-market products.

Anna Saint Pierre

Saint Pierre invented Granito, a terrazzo flooring product made of concrete and reclaimed granite from a stately building in Paris. She explains why we should recycle our old buildings—right where they stand.

See her thoughts on in situ recycling.

See our list of products that make the most of upcycled materials.

Ali Malkawi

As the director of HouseZero, Malkawi leads a Harvard University initiative that is researching the future of energy-efficient living. The unit's headquarters, a prewar bungalow in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is decked out in data-gathering sensors and software that continually adjusts the house’s windows, vents, and shades—all in pursuit of the optimal temperature, air quality, and energy efficiency.

Read more about his vision to help maximize natural ventilation.

See our product picks for monitoring and managing an energy-efficient home.

Tala Lighting

When the trio behind Tala Lighting launched their first LED collection in 2015, they were looking to present a design that consumers could get excited about. With each design iteration, they’ve concentrated on using high-quality, long-lasting materials and merging traditional materials with new technologies. They aim to promote "conservation through beauty"—the idea that consumers buy into sustainability through products that are inherently attractive, and not primarily because they’re sustainable.

See how they meld sustainable and beautiful LED design.

See our picks for the best energy-efficient and warm-glowing LED bulbs.

Local Office

A large percentage of the world's populations live along coastlines, and Meyer and Bolstad are on a mission to "build cities in participation with nature." Using research, science-driven design, and their own field experiments, the duo want to help communities understand their options and get a say in what happens to their neighborhoods.

See how they implementing solutions in Brooklyn and beyond.

See our favorite new-to-market tech for monitoring and saving water at home.

Yves Béhar

Béhar is the designer behind many popular consumer products—from Jawbone wearable devices to The Frame, a smart TV developed in collaboration with Samsung. Now, he turns his attention to the future of smart homes with a vision for embedded intelligence.

See why he thinks it's time for smart devices to start working together.