Even Video Games are Targeting Environmental Issues

“In a desperate, near future setting where controlling the planet’s depleting fossil resources determines the ultimate fate of civilization. A global war for oil is being waged between two superpowers, the Western Coalition (US/EU) and the Red Star Alliance (Russia/China).”

Jane McGonigal was a speaker at South by Southwest this year. She’s a game designer and future forecaster who “takes play seriously.” Her day to day work is as senior researcher at the Institute for the Future (what a great name). Jane spends a majority of her time writing and speaking about the power of digital games, virtual environments and other immersive experiences. She believes that they can change our current reality and also shape our future. Her specialty is focusing on designing collaborative games that mesh the real world with virtual environments. Originally titled “World Without Oil”, Frontlines: Fuel of War is a collaborative online game simulating global oil shortage. It’s the first mainstream video game to capitalize on the worst case scenario of a global oil shortage. According to Craig Anderson, the game “could in fact lead to changes in attitudes, beliefs, and ultimately, changes in behavior.” Craig is a well established professor who teaches psychology at Iowa State University. He is a leading expert in the study of how video games effect people.

What is the Green Retail Experience?

This weekend and into early this week I browsed the International Home & Housewares Association show here in Chicago. The show consisted of a smattering of home appliances and products- new, old, and green. To my delight, the headlining topics of nearly all panel discussions and talks were focussed on the future of sustainability in product design. Two talks really stuck with me: “Green Today, Here Tomorrow: the emotional currency of sustainability”, and “Making it Happen: exhibitors panel discussion on sustainable materials”. The result was a cathartic dialogue I’d like to open up to you: what is the green retail experience?

My thoughts arose from questions presented from the buyers in the home appliance industry regarding the friction between novelty and sustainability. We have created through supply and demand, the experience of walking into a store and expecting to see new seasonal products. We anticipate seasonal colors, products, and innovation. This experience has resulted in a lot of new products developed in haste and without much regard for environmental responsibility. The question is, how can retailers maintain the “new” experience while being a sustainability leader.

Designer, professor, and sustainable materials panelist Hans Maier Aichen of Design Ideas suggests to define the evolution of a product through details. “We need to do less and do better”. As designers, we have a heavy responsibility. Today our industry is overflowing with an excess of products (this i witnessed at the show while passing manufacturers exhibiting, for example, every single microwave they produce- i saw walls of rice makers, toasters, coffee makers, microwaves all noticeably different but functionally similar), this excess has created cut-throat competition, and has resulted in unsustainable low prices.  As we move into the generation of green retail with responsible products, how do we lead by designing and formulating the green retail experience?

And the Winner is…

This year at South by Southwest in Austin it was Story of Stuff. Needless to say, we think the folks at storyofstuff.com did a great job and their site is an excellent tool for education. Ecolect would like to thank all of the fans out there who voted for us and send our congratulations to the team at Story of Stuff. Hey, it was fun and we got to connect with eco-minded thinkers at the conference who are having a huge impact, educating and supporting others every step of the way.

BASF Adds a “Story” Section to Their Website

In the spirit of open communications with the public about their green projects, BASF has launched a section on their site devoted to promoting their green initiatives that have successfully had positive impacts on the environment. One material they’ve released recently is called Ecoflex, a plastic they say is completely biodegradable and compostable. Targeted as a replacement material in the production of trash bags and disposable packaging, it’s designed to decompose (in compost) within a few weeks. In soil, BASF claims it will leave no residues. Ecoflex is engineered to work just like Low Density Polyethylene, allowing it to be made into films, bags or coatings. This bio-based plastic does not require drying and remains stable for one year on the shelf or being warehoused.

BASF is also working on initiatives such as PremAir, a catalyst product for the commercial market that destroys harmful, ground-level ozone (different from the ozone that we’re used to hearing about). A main component of smog (smoke and fog), ground-level ozone causes eye and nose irritation while weakening the immune system, increasing chances of illness. It’s been found by some studies that hospital visits and fatalities caused by respiratory complications are increased when ground-level ozone amounts are higher than average. When BASF’s PremAir coating is applied to heat-exchange surfaces, such as traditional car radiators for example, the catalyst coating manages to reduce ground-level ozone in the air, converting the ozone molecules into oxygen molecules instantly upon surface contact.

Click here to visit BASF stories.

Toys “R” Us To Adopt Higher Health Standards

In recent years Toys “R” Us, Target, Sears and Wal-Mart have all been forming plans to discontinue the sale of toys containing PVC. Toys “R” Us is taking their initiative to the next level, announcing that they will be phasing out any toys containing phthalates in their juvenile product lines. Phthalates are the chemical compounds that soften PVC, turning it from a hard and rigid material to a soft and flexible material. Aside from being used in toys, phthalates are commonly used in the production of paints, nail polish and adhesives. Added phthalates in PVC is being discovered to cause unusual hormonal activity, birth defects and other health risks, especially to children as their bodies are still in the process of growing. In 2009, the state of California will begin acting on serious plans to heavily restrict the use of phthalates in toys for children. For the toy industry as a whole, the added chemical compound has made PVC prominent for good reason in the past. Its ability to be made in many different durometers while passing shatter tests has kept children from swallowing small parts that could break off and restricts them from being exposed to sharp edges.

Green Toys Inc is a newer company based in San Francisco geared towards making simple, environmentally friendly products for children. Robert von Goeben is Co-founder and his take on the current consumer mentality is that people are “looking at toys the way they looked at food 10 years ago. They’re starting to think about the specific ingredients in toys.” After the scares with lead paint last year, many companies are under analysis by the public, feeling pressure to improve their products and highlight active steps they are taking to make safer toys. Green Toys uses a bio-based plastic produced by Cereplast for some products and their new line of greener more eco-friendly toys will be made from plastic, post-consumer recycled milk bottles.

We’ve Just Made it a Lot Easier to Suggest Materials

Here at Ecolect, we are in a constant state of making updates to the site, improving dynamically as we go. This week, we’ve updated the form for submitting materials to our team for review. We invite all visitors to use this form as much and as often as you see fit. It is our goal to extend ourselves, our knowledge and ultimately our support to everyone in the industry (manufacturers, architects and designers included) who are having an impact and working towards making design and development sustainable around the world.

If you are a manufacturer and would like us to review your material, do not hesitate to send samples and information straight away to our east coast office (contact listed below). We are open to all types of design and building materials including, finishes, sheet materials, fabrics, adhesives, foams, and plastics, just to name a few.

60 Valley Street, Unit 7
Providence, RI 02909
USA

Our team looks forward to learning more about all of the great business and individuals out there doing amazing things with sustainability while shaping what it means to be “green.” Thank you all for your support and we welcome any feedback you have for us. Visit ecolect.net/contact and let us know what you think!

Algae Shines Bright on our Clothing

We all know that traditional fabric dyes are toxic (heavy metals, synthetic chemicals) and wasteful (by-waste, and run-off). In the past couple of years, this problem has posed serious environmental issues in the textile industry. In the last year alone, prices on fabrics have risen due to efforts to mitigate environmental pollution in China.

Well fear not, help is on the way. British scientists and researchers at Oxford University have developed a way to color fabric with algae. The single-celled algae organisms, called diatoms, are composed of tiny little iridescent shells. Depending on the porous nature, these silica based shells reflect different colors that remain constant over time.

“As the paint dries, they will all align themselves horizontally at the surface, all reflecting light the same way,” said Andrew Parker, of Oxford to Wired Magazine. “So, even though you have completely transparent paint and completely transparent silica shells, they will produce a very strong color.” Thus color is created naturally without having to rely on any environmentally harmful synthetic chemicals.

Crate and Barrel Releases Their “Eco” Line

Crate and Barrel has released several new products that promise to be a step in the eco-friendly direction. Slogans such as “Introducing more eco-friendly upholstery, without more expense” can be seen in their product ads. As a major distributor of housewares caught in the sustainability wave, they’ve been trying to minimize waste for some time now. From 2001-02 they worked with their stores to discontinue the use of petroleum-based foam peanuts for packaging. In April of 06 they successfully discontinued the use of foam peanuts was company-wide. In 2002, Crate and Barrel eliminated foam-in-place as a packing material.

Last year, Crate and Barrel made its vendors discontinue the use of white bleached shipping cartons. Their shopping bags for the holiday season in 07 were up to 30% post-consumer recycled material and were printed using water-based inks. In addition, the protective tissue used for shopping bags and boxes is made with 70% post-consumer waste fibers.

The Geämi Material system that they currently use for packaging employes a process where a special sheet of paper is put through a machine that expands it, cutting down on shipping costs and allowing their stores to only use what they need while saving storage space. For another innovative packaging material, see the Expandos system.