Bloggin for a Cause

This is from wired online. You should check it out sounds like a good idea and easy way to help.



Anne

Some highlights from cradle to cradle

Chap.1
* The designers of the past didn't look at the larger system that they would effect.
* Western views of the past were negative toward nature. They thought it dangerous and wanted to civilize and subdue rather they learn and create with nature in mind.
* "Cradle to Grave" 90% of materials used to make goods in the US become waste almost immediately.
* We consumers pay for goods and along with them receive additives we didn't want and are unaware of.
* This system cannot continue to be supported and maintained by us.

Chap.2
* eco-friendly industrial businesses should be encouraged.
* Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Regulate
* The only way our planet safely absorbs waste is when the waste itself is healthy and biodegradable.
* "downcycling" is not the answer but rather "upcycling"
* "To be less bad is to accept things as they are, to believe that poorly designed, dishonorable, destructive systems are the best humans can do."

Chap.3
* Growth for growth's sake is a cancerous madness.
* "Design human industries and systems to get bigger and better in a way that replenishes, restores, and nourishes the rest of the world.

Chap.4
* Waste equals food
* Biological mass & technical (industrial mass)
* Early communities returned biological wastes to the soil, replacing nutrients
* Cities started taking nutrients from place to place
* Humans are the only species that takes from the soil vast quantities of nutrients & rarely put them back.
* Throwaway products have become the norm (Frankenstein products)
* We need to learn to imitate nature's system
* Designing products as products of service (technical nutrient)
* Negligence is described as doing the same thing over and over even though you know it is dangerous, stupid, and wrong.

Chap.5
* When faced with darkness, nature rises to fill in the space.
* De-evolution
* The vitality of ecosystems depends on relationships.
* Large scale energy providers throw off tremendous heat energy that goes unused.
* Wind power offers similar possibilities for hybrid systems that are a more effective use of local resources.
* "Form follows Function"

Chap.6
* Decades worth of manufacturing processes had taken a toll on the soil and water.
* If we are to solve the problems that plague us, our thinking must evolve beyond the level we were using when we created those problems in the first place.
* Eco-effective
* Make better choices
* Imagine what a world of prosperity and health in the future will look like and begin designing for it right now.

Fergie goes green!

Fergie: Hummer eBay Auction benefits Global Green

Black Eyed Peas vocalist and solo artist Fergie has currently listed her 2005 Hummer H2 in an eBay auction to benefit Global Green USA.

Inspired by her participation at Live Earth, Fergie decided to get rid of the Hummer for a more environmentally friendly form of transportation as a step in reducing her carbon footprint.

In addition, 10 years worth of carbon emission credits are being donated to help offset the impact.

According to the eBay listing of the organization designated to benefit from Fergie's Hummer H2 auction,

"Global Green USA works with governments, industry and individuals to create a global value shift towards a sustainable and secure future. Global Green USA is addressing three great challenges facing humanity: climate change, weapons of mass destruction and the need for clean water."

Restricted to pre-approved bidders or buyers only, Fergie's Hummer H2 eBay auction ends on September 15. You can email the seller and ask to be included in the bidding. The best possible outcome to Fergie's Hummer H2 auction? The winning bidder permanently parks the Hummer.

Reusable Bags!! Buy One for Everyone you Know!

Above: Trader Joe Reusable Bag Designs

Hey Guys,

So i went to Trader Joe's the other day and noticed that they had these really cute reusable bags. Which after reading cradle to cradle I've been thinking about how many bags my mom and i bring into the house and what should we do to cut down or even stop. So while i was at Trader Joe's i decided to buy Two one for my mother and one for me. Today my mom forgot to take hers with her so i mentioned that she should keep it in her trunk to help her not to forget. Anyway i checked some local grocery stores to see if anyone else had reusable bags and i found some more at Giant. I think this is a great idea and the bags only cost a dollar each. I think every one should buy them and spread the word to there family's and friends. I Bought a flower designed bag for my mom and mine has a pirate ship design on it. I think they are AWESOME! I'm going back tomorrow to buy one for my grand mom.

Who's Who at Target

From top to Bottom: Isaac Mizrahi/Mossimo/Tara

When we first arrived at target on day one i started to think about all the designers that target was interacting with. The one i feel i hear about the most is Isaac Mizrahi. I first learned or this designer by watching his show on the Style network. He talks to celebrities about what they have in there closets and about their life but then at the end of the show he takes design questions from the audience. Well now he gives design advice to target. I did some research and found out that Mizrahi attended NYC's Hight School of Performing Arts and Parsons School of Design. He also wrote a comic which i thought was interesting called "The adventures of a Supermodel." They have other designers such as Tara Jarmon which consists of a Canadian Student Tara and David Jarmon an international jet setter who designs with feminine simplicity. Tara meet David and together they formed Tara Jarmon. Target hasn't always welcomed fresh designers the people credited for this new idea are CEO Robert Ulrich who put design at the core of the company's differentiation strategy. Along with Robert is Robyn Waters who's idea was to give runway to soccer moms. She was the vice president of trend, design, and product development. Waters was responsible for Mossimo and Philippe Starck some of the most popular designers that work with Target today and even though she has left Robert Ulrich has continued to bring great designers to Target to design for the everyday consumer.

Droog

I really enjoy Droog designs. Droog, a dutch word meaning dry, is headed by Renny Ramakers and Gijs Bakker and consists of over 180 products by more than a hundred designers such as Marcel Wanders, Tejo Remy, and Jurgen Bey. Droog make the viewer see in a different way. This company has a fresh, unique view of what 21-century design should be. Pieces such as the Bee Vase show that these designers really use there imaginations. The Bee Vase started out as a vase constructed of hive then the designers used honeycombs to attracted the bees to there creation so that the bees would reinforce the vase with wax. How cool! I also like the Shadylace parasol, this design allow you to still be protected from the sun but allows hits of the light and warmth to still come through. Have you ever bought a product that came with its own hammer, well now you can with Do Hit. This invention is a metal box that begs to be hit into whatever form you feel it should be. In the end after fun hours of taking out pent up anger you can relax in your newly form seat. Neat Idea! Another design of Droog i like is the Frame It, which is a decorative tape that lets the customer frame whatever they feel is important. I really enjoy the idea of Droog creating an interactive product. Now a days many just buy thing and don't have to think but with these products Droog is inviting the customer to interact and make the Droog product become truly the customers product. I'm excited to try and brainstorm on ideas involving this concept of consumer participation.