Back to the future

Nick Little for Vox Rethinking old ideas about what we eat, where we live and work, and how we power our communities. This edition of The Highlight is a thought experiment: What if some of the solutions to our most urgent challenges, from climate change to public health crises, could be found by reimagining old concepts and outmoded technology? The future is closer than we think — we just need to rethink what we already know, whether that’s the meat we consume, the office spaces we haven’t returned to, or the batteries powering the electric vehicle revolution. Ben Denzer for Vox Our buildings are making us sick Here’s how to fix them — and what’s getting in the way. By Keren Landman Phil Robibero for Vox Inside the fantastical, pragmatic quest to make “hybrid” meat Hybrid cars gave way to electric vehicles. Could “hybrid meat” do the same for beef and pork? By Kenny Torrella Ben Denzer for Vox Under the hood of the electric vehicle revolution In the EV era, old automakers are learning new tricks. By Rebecca Heilweil Nick Little for Vox The end of a battery’s life matters as much as its beginning Americans are terrible at recycling. Electric cars are a chance to change that. By Rebecca Leber Phil Robibero for Vox The wasted potential of garbage dumps Toxic landfills are emblems of environmental injustice across the US. Clean energy can remake them. By Neel Dhanesha Ben Denzer for Vox The future of the office is a lab What’s going to happen to the office space we no longer need? By Rani Molla CREDITSEditors: Samantha Oltman, Adam Clark Estes, Libby Nelson, Izzie Ramirez, Brian Resnick, Bryan WalshCopy editors: Kim Eggleston, Elizabeth Crane, Caitlin PenzeyMoog, Tanya PaiArt direction: Dion Lee, Bita HonarvarAudience: Gabriela Fernandez, Shira Tarlo, Agnes Mazur, Mary PerkinsProduction/project editors: Susannah Locke, Nathan Hall