Kristin Toussaint

Taco Bell was always good for vegetarians—now it’s adding plant-based meat

Taco Bell’s bean burritos have appealed to vegetarians and vegans for decades, but the chain now is seeing the value in adding plant-based meat to its menu.

Taco Bell was always good for vegetarians—now it’s adding plant-based meat

How these New Orleans nuns helped turn their convent into a beautiful, flood-preventing urban wetland

The 25-acre Mirabeau Water Garden will be one of the country’s largest urban wetlands, managing stormwater and easing the workload of the city’s current drainage system—all thanks to the Sisters of St. Joseph.

How these New Orleans nuns helped turn their convent into a beautiful, flood-preventing urban wetland

Seattle’s new NHL team will give fans free public transit to get to games

Why fight traffic and risk missing all the good fights?

Seattle’s new NHL team will give fans free public transit to get to games

A simple way to make flying less bad for the environment: just fly the planes at different altitudes

There’s just a narrow band of altitude that creates most of the contrails, the white residue left behind by planes that contributes to global warming.

A simple way to make flying less bad for the environment: just fly the planes at different altitudes

50 million Americans have helped crowdfund someone’s medical bills

The numbers illustrate a huge flaw in our healthcare system: 8 million Americans started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the medical expenses of themselves or someone in their household, and 12 million Americans started a campaign for someone else.

50 million Americans have helped crowdfund someone’s medical bills

Check out the Australian shopping center that’s touted as the most sustainable in the world

Malls are struggling, but this one at least has a rooftop farm, renewable energy generation, and wastewater recycling—and should be a model for how buildings can be designed for a sustainable future.

Check out the Australian shopping center that’s touted as the most sustainable in the world

These bacteria-sniffing dogs are protecting your orange juice from a global citrus pandemic

Trained to sniff out the pathogen that causes citrus greening, these USDA-trained canines are helping track down the destructive disease to help farmers stop the bacteria before it destroys their farms.

These bacteria-sniffing dogs are protecting your orange juice from a global citrus pandemic

Scientists analyzed 1,700 cities and determined how to design safe streets

Science proves the obvious: When fewer people drive, fewer people are killed by cars.

Scientists analyzed 1,700 cities and determined how to design safe streets

Even business-to-business companies benefit from having a purpose

Defining what your company stands for—even if it doesn’t sell directly to consumers—can help attract talent and grow your business.

Even business-to-business companies benefit from having a purpose

This graph will show you the carbon footprint of your protein

Even the most sustainable meat is worse for the environment than plant-based protein.

This graph will show you the carbon footprint of your protein

Boston University is building the city’s largest carbon-neutral, fossil fuel-free building

The 305-foot-tall Center for Computing and Data Sciences is going to be heated and cooled with geothermal energy, and serve as a marker for the city’s goal to hit carbon neutrality.

Boston University is building the city’s largest carbon-neutral, fossil fuel-free building

This new sugar substitute is made from food waste

Old apples and pears create a calorie-free sweetener without some of the environmental issues of our current sugar substitutes.

This new sugar substitute is made from food waste

This portable personal cleaning device mimics a cat’s tongue

Lick is a new solution for people who are unable to shower.

This portable personal cleaning device mimics a cat’s tongue

In this new Dutch neighborhood, there will be 1 shared car for every 3 households

Welcome to Merwede, a new proposed neighborhood in Utrecht being designed specifically to enhance Dutch biking culture.

In this new Dutch neighborhood, there will be 1 shared car for every 3 households

This suit warns firefighters when they’re getting dangerously hot

In the adrenaline rush of a burning building, firefighters can lose track of the temperature and their own safety. So when temperatures hit 140 degrees Fahrenheit, this new fire gear starts beeping.

This suit warns firefighters when they’re getting dangerously hot

This new organization wants to help cities create a broader idea of what resilience means

A new organization called Resilient Cities Catalyst has risen from the ashes of 100 Resilient Cities.

This new organization wants to help cities create a broader idea of what resilience means

Food delivery workers in L.A. spend more to make a delivery than anywhere else

How much it costs a gig worker to drive the food to you is drastically different depending on where you live, and it affects their already low pay.

Food delivery workers in L.A. spend more to make a delivery than anywhere else

Building with timber instead of steel could help pull millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere

Should the cities of the future be made of wood?

Building with timber instead of steel could help pull millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere

Step inside an apartment from the climate change-ravaged future

This working apartment in Singapore shows how much things will stay the same once the climate changes—and also how much we’ll have to adapt.

Step inside an apartment from the climate change-ravaged future

Meet the 2020 TED Fellows, from snake scientists to geothermal energy entrepreneurs

The annual fellowship collects some of the world’s most interesting thinkers across a range of global topics.

Meet the 2020 TED Fellows, from snake scientists to geothermal energy entrepreneurs

Impact

Taco Bell was always good for vegetarians—now it’s adding plant-based meat

Why patients have begun to lead the way in the fight against rare diseases

How to prepare your home, your workplace, and yourself for a pandemic

Creativity

Presented By lenovo

How we did it: Creating a virtual avalanche

Hipsters beware: CDC warns that facial hair can be hazardous during coronavirus outbreak

This stunning animated short was made with 600 flapjacks in honor of National Pancake Day

Co.Design

Fast Company is hiring an architecture and urban design journalist

It’s stupidly easy to get people to drink less soda

Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest design fair, is postponed due to coronavirus

Work Life

6 ways to become more resilient immediately

Should I bail on my startup and accept a CEO gig?

‘Where I got it wrong’: The Wing’s Audrey Gelman confronts the realities of rapid growth