Connect Is At It Again… Responsible Events… What?

The new retail store Connect in Chicago is all about business with a conscious, but owner Jonathon Shaun is sure to make the point that  “social responsibility doesn’t have to be boring”.  Proof in point was their event this past weekend which, in addition to good music, cocktails and a huge selection of Eco-friendly clothing and accessories, also included a visit from Sara Snow speaking about Green Living and signing advanced copies of her new book.

Powerleap, flooring that converts human energy into electricity, was in use, donations were accepted for a local charity, there was a sign up with King’s Hill Farm for organic produce pick up and we featured the first permanent installation of our Material Petting Zoo™ .  For all in the Chicago area, feel free to drop by and take a peek!

This “Eco-materials petting zoo” features 20 materials from the Ecolect website that have unique properties with a leading sustainability performance.  We cater the Petting Zoo to the large community of designers, engineers, and business professionals, eager to learn about the latest and greatest in alternative Eco-materials. It is a chance to speak with designers, engineers, developers, and the business owners one-on-one about material needs, options and ideas.  It is exhibited at conferences, seminars, in-office events, trade shows, corporations, studios and educational institutions. Every sample in the Petting Zoo is accompanied by information about production, usage, technical specs and environmental properties.

Related Posts about Connect and conscious retail:
Connect – Nau in Chicago
LL Bean goes LL Green
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Going Green At The Home Housewares Show, Chicago 3.22.09

This years Home Housewares Show is once again big, expansive, overwhelming, extraneous, wasteful, etc., but it also included many new green products and materials, giving hope to those of us who desire change.

They featured 50 of the most sustainable products in a separate display and had several speakers to present the “latest thinking on green design and practice”.  CA Webb from Preserve shared the reality of having a successful business based on the re-use of materials and also discussed the importance of transparent practice and straightforward information when developing an authentic relationship with the consumer. Accordingly, Howie Fendley from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, discussed eliminating the concept of waste, which is vital to America utilizing it’s by-products more efficiently and effectively.

Seeing so many thousands of products presented at the show, I can’t help but hope that very soon all of these companies integrate and prioritize a higher level of green innovation and responsibility.  The effects would be far-reaching and could actually benefit the company, as well as the consumer and the environment.

Top 10 eco-items scouted at the Housewares Show:

1. EZ Bagz – 100% biodegradable trash bags in 12-24 months, even in a landfill and they are actually puncture resistant, affordable and sold everywhere!

2. Ecologic dishware – made from bamboo fibers.

3. Aladdin Recycled and Recyclable Plastic Products – coffee tumbler.

4. Twist – a collection of natural sponges and cleaning clothes.

5.  Zak designs – Confetti – recycled melamine dishware.

6. EcoGen – durable, affordable and biodegradable products for the home.

7. Pedrini – Eco-line – the first line of biodegradable kitchen tools.

8. Blue Avocado – cool kit grow bags – a compacting system of all the bags you need.

9. “Power Plant” by Prepara – very attractive, good for indoor air quality and automatically dispenses nutrients.

10. Oots – 100% recycled fiber and handmade seed paper for boxes, bags, place-mats etc.  They also make a great baby bib that covers a larger surface area – the bbib.

Related posts about eco-friendly product design:
What is the Green Retail Experience?
New Preserve Product Line!
Plastic Recyclers Anonymous: A 7 Step Guide

Rethinking Compostables

Wasara has a striking Japanese aesthetic. Their new product line of biodegradable paper plates and cups features an elegant design. Wasara plates are made using renewable reed pulp and bagasse (a fibrous byproduct of sugar production). The forms are organic but with attention to comfort and texture. In line with Japanese creative tradition, Wasara “represents the spirit of living in harmony with nature.” These products are a great example of how design can change our perception of a typically “cheap”, everyday item such as a paper cup or plate.

For more information see www.wasara.jp.

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Amron Experimental.

It’s always great to highlight some fun and inspiring creations from artists and designers who are pushing the environmental envelope. Here are a few concepts and products from Scott Amron. Scott is based in New York and dubs himself an electrical engineer, designer, conceptual artist, inventor and founding principal of Amron Experimental. When browsing his collection of different ideas and products, we couldn’t help but smiling. For package fill material, Scott used “leaves from real New York trees”. The quote below best describes the idea…

“Freshly fallen autumn leaves from real new york trees will be used as void-fill (packing) in all amron exptl. Product shipments placed between November 15th and December 23rd. Autumn foliage falls just in time for Christmas shipments. Consumers from all over the world get a taste of autumn in new york at no additional charge. For people who’d prefer to skip the merchandise an go straight to the mulch… I offer box o’ leaves.”

Beyond packaging, there’s an option for replacing typical light bulbs and a simple wallet made from, well… money. A quick browse through amronexperimental.com will certainly give any designer some inspiration to think outside the box or simply have a good laugh.

For more info visit amronexperimental.com.

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Sony “Bio Battery” Generates Electricty From Glucose

This has been out for a while, but other than the prototypes and studies shown on the press release I have not seen a commercial product out of it. In any case, for the sake of inspiration and information archival, I thought it was worth posting it here.

On August 2007, Sony announced the development of a “Bio Battery” that generates electricity from glucose.

Capable to generate up to 50mW of power (enough to power most small gadgets), this battery operates under the principle of breaking down enzymes and utilizing them as catalyst to generate power (just as they work on living organisms).

From the press release:
“Sony will continue its development of immobilization systems, electrode composition and other technologies in order to further enhance power output and durability, with the aim of realizing practical applications for these bio batteries in the future.”

Here’s a video with more details.

We definitely look forward to seeing applications of this technology.

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Shedding Light On A Growing Issue In The Seas.

The issue of plastic contamination in the ocean is rapidly gaining a lot of attention. As a designer, distributor, or manufacturer, thinking of the infrastructure used to transport plastics for production and recycle them at the end of their life can have a much bigger impact than you might imagine!The reprocussions are first and foremost affcting the ocean’s eco-system. Beyond that, plastics function as a magnet for chemicals such as PCB’s in water. Fish which swallow both the small and large bits of plastic, ingest the chemicals, and in-turn are ingested by humans. Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation was the first to discover the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an endless floating waste of plastic trash. At the TED conference, he recently drew attention to growing problem of plastic debris in our water.Watch the video and let us know what you think!

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Event Notice: Janine Benyus Lecture At Syracuse University

Photo by entersnieuws.nl

Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE), is a federation of firms, organizations, and institutions that creates innovations to improve health, productivity, security, and sustainability in built and urban environments. Based in upstate New York, Syracuse University leads the overall SyracuseCoE federation, and also its primary research enterprise center. The purpose of the Syracuse Center is to create jobs and wealth in New York State through collaborations in research, development, and education.

SyracuseCoE has been working to put on a great event. Janine Benyus will speak at Hendricks Chapel on the campus of Syracuse University tomorrow, (March 3) at 4pm. Benyus is a natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including her latest, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In Biomimicry she names an emerging discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s designs and processes. The talk is a University Lectures event, sponsored in cooperation with the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and SyracuseCoE.

Click here for more information.

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