Here they are: the winners of the first-ever World Changing Ideas Awards. We sifted through more than 1,000 truly impressive entries to find the ones our panel of judges thought were the best combination of creative problem solving and potential to change our world for the better. We have crowned 12 winners–along with 192 finalists–which you can read more about below (make sure you also read our predictions for the world changing ideas of next year).

Here is a sneak peak of the winners, to find the full list check out the source article below. 

EDIBLE SIX PACK RINGS
E6PR

The six-pack ring is a ubiquitous piece of waste that people likely encounter nearly every single day. Even for those conscientious citizens who cut them to avoid trapping wildlife, the plastic is still entering the waste stream, often ending up in the ocean, and from there into the stomach of wildlife. The rings started as a marketing scheme: The ad agency We Believers constructed them for craft brewers Salt Water Brewery as part of an ad campaign. But they hit upon a real need, and now the new rings–made from wheat and barley instead of petroleum—should start appearing on six-packs this summer. The new company spun off from the ad agency to make them is exploring deals with bigger beer companies and factories to mass-produce them and make them the new industry standard.

FAIR VALUE COMMUTING
Joint Venture Silicon Valley

In the car-loving Bay Area, where around 75% of employees commute solo to work, it will take more than a soft advocacy campaign to reduce traffic and introduce a fundamental shift toward ride-sharing and alternative forms of transportation. Bay Area Fair Value Commuting, an ambitious, overarching plan developed by the nonprofit Joint Venture Silicon Valley(JVSV), aims to do just that. The five-part strategy will involve cities, transit agencies, mobility service providers, and businesses; the plan incentivizes shared commuting by aggregating mobility services like Lyft and Car2Go in a single platform, incentivizing employees to make use of those services by fining single-occupancy vehicle commuters (who will be tracked on real-time commute dashboard), and supporting better public transportation and bike infrastructure. With the aim of reducing single-occupancy vehicle commuting in the Bay Area by 25%, the plan will combine policy–JVSV is also drafting a state bill to support the strategy–business, and technology to bring about real change in the region’s commuting habits.

Read the source article at fastcompany.com