Earlier this month, we asked you combine design thinking with sustainable thinking by repurposing an everyday object. We were blown away by the innovative and quite original submissions, which reused everything from rubber bands to Venetian blinds in a visually-compelling way. Here are our favorites, as well as the stories behind them, courtesy of the designers. Take a look at these examples of intelligent upcycling while our judges peruse the submissions.
The creator of the winning idea receives two tickets to Compostmodern, the design and sustainability conference taking place January 22 and 23 in San Francisco. We'll announce the winner tomorrow.

















Jeff Bridges at Comic Con.Photo by Gage Skidmore via 

Whitney Carpenter with a patient in one of her custom port shirtsAtrium Health 
People at a public library.Image via
Father and child making origami together.Image via
Woman takes a bath.Image via
Older man solving newspaper crossword on a street table.Image via asdf - Photo by Mathias Reding
Happy seniors ride bikes.Image via sdf - Photo by Syda Productions



Men practice mindfulness overlooking the cliffs and ocean.Image via
Man smiles at dusk.Image via sss - Photo by ridofranz