Thirty years from now, will we still be shipping our natural resources to landfills, or will we have built a more efficient business ecosystem? Without the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to say for certain. But, we’ve found (at least) four solid signals that the next decade will bring us sustainable innovations that will significantly change our world.

1. Styrofoam is out. Dow Chemical has stated that they are working on an alternate material, and fellow OG25 entrepreneur Eben Bayer’s company,Ecovative Design, is successfully marketing EcoCradle sustainable packaging materials and Greensulate which perform like their petroleum based predecessors, but are completely biodegradable.

2. Designers are dumpster diving to build cleaner electronics. OEMs are working with retailers on electronics take-back programs to make it easier for customers. And companies like Dell designing for end-of-life functionality, making it easier to dismantle used equipment safely.

3. Rare-earth oxides may not be so rare. The University of Leeds has found a way to reclaim these valued resources from waste materials during titanium dioxide purification. These rare materials are mined in China because they are heavily concentrated there. The demand for these materials has skyrocketed since they are indispensable raw materials for wind turbines, energy efficient lighting, hybrid and electric cars, and electronics and defense equipment.

4. Carbon fuels more than a frenzy. Turns out engineers have figured out how to make diesel fuel from CO2 and sunlight, as reported by World Biofuels Markets. And, according to Plastics Today, green chemistry company Novomer has figured out how to produce plastics from CO2, using half the energy as traditional plastics manufacturing.

Whether or not these specific innovations pan out, they are huge signals that the ‘paradigm shift’ has taken place. Kudos to these creative thinkers and innovators. Here’s hoping that history honors you as well.