TerraCycle produces various funky recycled bags through partnerships with major consumer goods manufacturers. It's easy to get carried away with all the things that aren't happening in the environmental space – the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies, faster adoption of renewables, binding reduction targets – there's plenty to gripe about. But this myopic view of the field distorts the true picture, which is packed with inventive ideas. All across the globe, people are coming up with inspired solutions and sharing them with others, from simple at-home fixes to intricate lab-grown systems. They don't get as much coverage as political debates and climate science scandals, but taken together, they form a compelling picture of a vastly different – and hopeful – future.