Insurance that does good
January insurance renewals are part of life, but there is an alternative to battling price hikes. Lemonade is a peer-to-peer insurance provider that donates unclaimed money to charities chosen by its members. So while it protects your stuff just like any other provider, it reverses the traditional insurance model by treating the premiums you pay as if it’s your money, not theirs. Lemonade takes a flat fee and gives back what’s left to causes you care about. Win-win.
Happy nappy bag
As any new parent knows, the ‘nappy bag’ (or ‘diaper bag’ if you’re from across the pond) is an essential part of new-baby kit, because there’s a lot of stuff that needs to come with you every time you leave the house. But baby bags are often ugly, expensive and overly-complicated (think countless unhelpful inner pockets and compartments). Little Ulysses bags are different. They’re spacious and lightweight canvas totes, with a main zip close and a single inner zip pocket for valuables. Available in four cool designs, they help make parenting that little bit easier (and chicer).
Foldable future
Want to use a city bike share scheme but can’t face lugging a helmet with you all day? Recyclable protective headwear Eco Helmet is made of a paper honeycomb, and as well as being fully waterproof it’s foldable – meaning it’s small enough to pop in your bag. Designed by Isis Shiffer, a graduate of the Pratt Institute of Design in New York, it won last year’s James Dyson Award for design, and could be sold at bike-share stations around the world for £4.
Super street light
These aren’t just any solar-powered street lights. They are also connected energy hubs that provides light, EV charging, wifi and 4G – they even charge electric vehicles. Called Totem, they were created by smart energy design company Totem Power to enhance the built environment and support our increasingly connected lifestyles. Next up: street lamps that also wash your dishes.