Going to the grocery store was a mundane chore before the pandemic. But now, it’s nothing short of an adventure. The truly adventurous added spice to their trek long before reaching for the basil and coriander. With fewer long commutes, bicycles became the ideal transportation for those aiming to keep it local. With craftiness and sustainability in mind, zero-emission bicycle conversion kits have become a popular DIY activity. Whether the goal is higher speeds, more storage for groceries, or both, companies are providing customers with kits to transform their everyday bikes into e-bikes and cargo bikes.

Those venturing outside the neighborhood are also going DIY. Ditching COVID-risky conventional lodging options while maximizing their time outdoors. The #Vanlife craze has soared, boasting over 12 million Instagram posts under the hashtag and a whopping 7.3 billion views on TikTok. There is no better way to join in than by repurposing an old school bus or van and turning it into your own adventure-mobile. You can even use waste vegetable oil to power your refurbished ride.

Ever considered how to use old windows? Well, there is a whole Pinterest board dedicated to turning old windows into coffee tables. The advantage to using an old window is the glass, which you’ll often find with stained or painted panes. That way, you can fill your new table with coffee table books or maybe a few crystals. It’s the perfect display table, and it is shockingly easy to build: All you need is an old window, backing and some table legs.

Did you enjoy regular “wine o’clocks” during quarantine? If so, turning your empty wine bottles into pendant lights might be just the DIY project you’ve been looking for. Decorating a room with fairy lights is nice and all, but using colored wine bottles is a needed upgrade to the old trend. Plus, lighting is notoriously expensive, so doing it yourself is not only a cost-saver but also a fun activity that makes the most of the castoffs from a night in with friends.

We hear you. Other ideas include turning old sweaters into comfy slippers; transforming antique sewing cabinets into desks, spinning wheels or even washbasins; using pallets for storage (or even sandboxes); and repurposing old dressers into planters (we see you and your victory garden).

A tiny island nation, Singapore doesn’t have land for traditional agriculture and relies on imports for 90% of its food. With the pandemic underscoring the need for food security, the city-state’s government is turning to its citizens to innovate ways to improve urban farming technology, even providing free vegetable seed packets to households to promote home gardening. So far, Singaporeans have spared no creativity, placing urban farms on car park rooftops, starting greenhouses in former schoolyards and even retrofitting vertical farms into office buildings. Urban greening initiatives like vertical farming also combat the urban heat island effect, with green spaces in cities dropping ambient temperatures by up to 4 C (39 F).

Travel restrictions are beginning to ease, but the scars of the pandemic mean it’s unclear when global tourism will return to pre-COVID levels. That’s why several countries are trying to revitalize tourism and further their economic recovery by focusing on domestic tourism. Malaysia has allocated more than $100 million toward travel vouchers and tax relief for domestic travelers, while Italy is paying low- and middle-income families up to 500 euros ($610) for domestic travel accommodation. The tourism industry has often faced allegations of not being sustainable and not benefiting locals. This reset offers a chance for improvement.

Say what you will about North Korea, the world’s most secretive country, but the authoritarian state’s desire for few international friends has prompted it to become an unlikely model of self-sufficiency. Under the official state philosophy of juche, which roughly translates to “self-reliance,” the independent national economy flexes its own auto and film industries. But even the People’s Republic needs a little help sometimes, with a history of economic hardships mandating aid and investment from outsiders. Most recently? Despite the state’s claims of having zero COVID-19 cases, human rights advocates expressed concern over a “humanitarian disaster” as it accepted nearly 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses.

This self-taught gardening guru transformed the empty swimming pool in his backyard into a green oasis in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. Now, Ron Finley is spreading home gardening to his produce-deprived urban neighborhood and beyond, highlighting how gardening can change lives and turn around struggling communities. His mission took on a new urgency amid the pandemic as food supplies fluctuated and it became risky to leave home for produce. Finley describes the self-sufficiency of gardening fresh produce as an act of defiance against systems of inequality set in place. “If you ain’t a gardener, you ain’t gangsta, ” he says. “This is no damn hobby, this is life and death.”

Beginning her upcycling career dumpster diving in Boston, designer and Instagram star Nicole McLaughlin has since taken the idea of reuse to the extreme and even bizarre. From shoes made from volleyballs and suitcases made from shoes to vegetable peeler high heels and a bagel bra (the bragel), McLaughlin’s designs bring a lighthearted sustainable creativity to the dark relationship between fashion and the environment. She has earned collaborations with high-end brands like Hermès and Prada in the process.

Did you ever think that you would need to learn how to make recycled paper? After discovering that every piece of plastic ever made still exists, Danish creator Gittemary Johansen transformed from DIY fashion designer to DIY environmentalist, becoming a warrior and champion of the zero-waste movement. From shopping and recipes to toiletries, Johansen shows how you can be eco-friendly in every facet of your life, sharing tips and educating others on how to live waste-free on her YouTube and Instagram.

The evidence is clear. Countries that are more interdependent are less likely to go to war. Researchers studied more than 290,000 pairs of country-country relations between 1950 and 2000, and they found a clear correlation between increased bilateral trade and reduced risk of military conflict. Indeed, regions and continents that are less integrated — such as South Asia and Africa — in terms of trade and connectivity are constantly on the precipice of war. By contrast, think about the biggest global rivalry of our time: between the U.S. and China. They’re constantly trading allegations, squabbling over everything from human rights to espionage. But China is still the biggest destination for U.S. exports outside North America. And the U.S. imports more from China than from any other nation. That deep economic interdependence has helped keep tensions between them from tipping over into a military conflict. 

Community interdependency is critical to human survival — they don’t say “it takes a village” for nothing. While we all have sought avenues to help us adapt to this new, self-sufficient normal, loneliness is on the rise — along with a mental health crisis. Marginalized communities already face additional health risks from the pandemic, as well as greater challenges finding a sense of belonging. Any semblance of community, however small, has become a rare commodity.

A vibrant domestic industry is usually beneficial for a country, but if the trade is in illicit drugs? Not so much. The opioid epidemic has already plagued the United States, topping 100,000 deaths in 2021. But the U.S. has tightened its border with Mexico in recent years, and security increased during the pandemic. With access to the U.S. market more restricted, Mexico’s drug kingpins are targeting new customers, their fellow Mexicans, with narcotics like the highly dangerous fentanyl and sparking a fresh opioid crisis.

Easy commutes and meetings in pajamas with no boss looking over your shoulder. The so-called pandemic perks were less sexy than your well-worn sweatpants but so too is the fact that your laptop (and the piles of work it contains) is forever at your fingertips, destroying any work-life balance. It’s not just you; there’s a new pandemic . . . of worker burnout. The only working demographic in America that isn’t suffering from burnout at a rate north of 50% are baby boomers (they’re at 31%), according to a recent Indeed survey — a situation made worse by the inability to disconnect fully or take proper vacations. And sadly, recovery is going to take longer than many realize. DIY, it turns out, can also be exhausting.