Eco Design

Now for the days to come. Enjoy.

2010-02-19T04:06:00.000-08:00

For the bikes to come

2010-02-17T02:59:00.000-08:00

If some take cooking classes, some attend the newly bike-building classes. "It's a way of showing people they are capable of doing something they would never even consider doing. It makes you feel awesome", sais Sean Murray, co-founder of Bamboo Bikes, in an interview for the New York Times.
Purpose: for everyone who wants to learn how to design his/hers own bike and who can reach New York (for now).
Workshop price: 932$ - full bike class (including components).
Eco Material: bamboo (also known as the steel tree, is stronger, lighter and much easier to work with than steel)
Promised Learning Period/Workshop Duration: One weekend
Result: your own customed bike..made by you. Founders say “the result is quality bicycles, grown in our backyard” ..of course for those who have bamboo in their backyards, or backyards; for the rest you can find material elsewhere, don’t worry.
Check out the workshops at Bamboo Bike Studio. "We’re here because bicycling is fun. Bring your own iPod, bring your dreams of a perfect ride, bring expectations of tackling new skills; leave any anxieties about pretentious cycling culture behind— for the next two days, this is your workshop."
The cost of the class directly supports the Bamboo Bike Studio’s efforts to seed the first bamboo bike factory in Ghana. It would be good for this workshops to be held in various places/countries occasionally, not only in New York. So this is for the bikes to come.
Photo source: Bamboo Bike Studio

Another inspiration

2009-09-24T00:34:00.000-07:00

A walk to remember to Hopenhagen

2009-09-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

I've visited Hopenhagen and became it's citizen by telling that repurposing and eco design are the means through which i support change.
Whether "the artists, neurotics and human beings", "large furry animals", :) " open-minded people", "initiatives like this", music, coffee, books, design, photography, are the ones that "give you hope", sign the petition, show the world that you support change and join the echoes of Hopenhagen, maybe your idea could be inspiring for others. Hopenhagen is the name of the campaign through which UN and IAA (International Advertising Association) promote the climate change conference which will be held in december at Copenhagen.
The greenest capital in the world, Copenhagen is one of the most beautiful cities through it's elegant style and fascinating way of approach in different matters, being also separate from the agressive capitalism and agitating life of Europe. It is a place full of history and it's living principles has turned it into what is today, a fascinating place that makes me reconsider why didn't i have the chance to live in a place like this?
Here you can sign the Hopenhagen petition and support Copenhagen's inspiring initiatives for a better living.

How can advertising be literally eco?

2009-09-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

These past days I saw a car full of dust near by where I live, which had messages on the board like "Hey man f...ng wash me!". It stood there for days, filthy and unmoved and with the same funny message. I guess the owner finally took it from the "hall of shame" to "get it a nice bath", but the message captured the attention of anyone who passed by.

Following the same principle but at a higer level, dust was literally transformed into art by a british advertising agency which gave a meaning to the term of "stylized dust". Advertising has proved once again that it can be consummed as an entertainment product also.

Curb is the only advertising agency which uses only sustainable earth elements to create advertising campaigns. "They love to do cool things with nature". They do sand sculptures, snow tagging, solar art (using nothing but the power of the sun's rays and glass and then burn the most intricate patterns, portraits and logos into wood), sea and beach tagging and dust art also.

They also do LoGrow's using shrubs, plants, turf and natural elements such as wood and natural stone to create brand logo's in almost any color.

Check out more details about their unique work.

Photo source: Curb

Dan Phillips: "Repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern"

2009-09-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

Middle-class workers and also a worring number of people who have lost their houses due to natural dezasters, can't afford to buy new ones because of the price or because materials needed for rebuilding are expensive as well.
For people that have to worry about tomorrow, inventions and futuristic technologies like eco cities as Masdar City, or the future one from South Korea that is to be developed in the next 10-15 years (where thousands of residens will be centered around a spineof transportation and green industry) are just "glitz and glamor to show off some technoogy".
Instead of thinking of future new eco-cities what do we do with what we already have? A lot of issues need to be taken in consideration when buying a house, mainly the price for most of us. Repurposing comes again as a fast and cheap solution.
In an interview for The New York Times, Dan Phillips says that "attractive, affordable housing is possible and I'm out to prove it". He is building low-income housing out of trash through his company Phoenix Commotion.
Before starting his building company, Dan Phillips was "disturbed by the irony of landfills choked with building materials and yet a lack of affordable housing". 80% of the materials are salvaged from other construction projects, hauled out of trashheaps or just picked up from the side of the road. He sais that possibilities are endless and he makes use of mismatched bricks, shattered mirrors, bottle butts, wine corks, old DVD'S, etc. "It doesn't matter if you don't have a complete set of anything because repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern", Mr Phillips sais.
Technicians can assure that his designs are sound. One of the couples who own one of the houses claim: "My wife likes the house because it doesn't look like everyone else's but, being a guy, what I like is that it has a galvanized metal roof that I'll never have to replace".
Here you can find more photos about how can repurposing be also practical and more affordable, and not just a show-off of someone's creativity.

Photo source: The New York Times

Maria's echo

2009-09-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Maria is one of the echoes coming from the design area, as she has graduated this year the faculty of Design from Bucharest and believes that the reason people don’t give credits to repurposed objects is because they are skeptical in what concerns their resistance and also because “many haven’t reached that point in which they have many new things in order for them to want to buy something different."
Echo: Hey Maria, I know you have finished design in Bucharest, did you learn about eco design at school, do they encourage you to use eco friendly materials? If you would open a business would you consider recycling or repurposing techinques?
Maria: Yes, these are things that are remembered, and mostly when you choose materials to create an object, because after that it’s up to the client what he does with it.
Echo: How much of an eco girl are you?
Maria: Well I try to use eco friendly products, but I don’t really throw them correctly. I don’t separate the trash like I’m supposed to. And this sucks because I wanted to take my paper to recycling because I have a lot, but it’s out of my reach to get there.. I mean I’m supposed to do many roads, whatever.. I guess this is not what you wanted to know.
Echo: No, no, on the contrary! I want to make an opinion on how you see the eco way of life especially because you have graduated from design. You who are more related to design have you bought clothing/jewelery made out from recycling materials? Do you know about the existence of this types of shops and do you think people know about them?
Maria: Yes, I do and I make myself occasionally stuff from other objects. I mean usually I throw away only what cannot be repurposed in any way. Now, with the shops there is a trend, it’s cool and more people will adopt this style. I mean I for example if I buy something and see that it is associated or made from a certain material which you can find somewhere else I think it’s ingenious and there are bigger chances for me to buy it than if it were something completly new, because it has a story and if you graduate from design it’s kind of a professional default to be attentive to details and materials.
Echo: Aa so you repurpose then! But what if it were for you to choose between products like for example eco make-up, eco shampoos versus the normal ones, which ones would you choose normally if you have them let’s say one next to the other in a shop?
Maria: For instance I use a romanian brand of eco products. I think they are really good, but they are not cute packed and those which are imported are cute but much more expensive.
Echo: Yes..I know! But do you think that designers generally think eco or it doesn’t matter that much for the majority?
Maria: Yes they do, and I even got mass messages on messenger to buy products which are made in our country to help increase the economy.
Echo: So the big disadvantage would be the price. Ok, thank you Maria. One more thing..when you were in school have you been involved in projects like "Design for a better world"?
Maria: Yes, we had projects like this but they are not so proffessional at us because there are no stable connections with other faculties, I mean there are no conferences with guests and a lot of people who could attend, from which to result a project. But we had initiatives.
Echo: And have you considered how you could use design to improve it’s future effects? I mean if you consider it’s life, if it pollutes the environment, what it will happen to it after people buy it, if it could be repurposed.
Maria: Yes, design always changes and you never finish an object. You always have to analise and see what could be improved at it, I mean to make a prototype and then you observe what and how could be modified. And yes, it’s put accent on sustainability. This is where you start from, from it’s purpose, and then you take into account all this things. I mean you choose friendly materals for humans but also for the environment, adequated to the purpose. And if it dezintegrates well you don’t consider any longer what you can do with it after, but you think during the process, I mean it takes into account for instance when you choose it’s shape how it can be stored in order for it to occupy as less space possible and not to lose it’s qualities..
Echo: I see..So, taking into account that you have recently graduated, on what direction are you heading to?
Maria: Well I wanted to take courses of Master and to make interaction design, but it’s too expensive.
Echo: What is this interaction design?
Maria: It’s related to how people interact with objects, at interactive experiments.
Echo: I didn’t know we have masters of Interaction Design!
Maria: We don’t actually, this was the theme I considered I would do, because you choose what you want to study. The section was of industrial design.
Echo: Nice, and what about the job? Don’t you want to do something on your own, to start a business, a boutique?
Maria: The thing is that it’s kind of difficult because I don’t have contacts, but yes I would try something. I want to make lamps!
Echo: I believe you mentioned that in other occasions! By the way I found on the internet some unique lamps made from recycled materials. I think it’s fabulous and I was very surprised how many things you could do if you have a little imagination.
Maria: Yes, there are a lot, but it’s also hard because you have to think a lot and there are already made some stuff and in order to be original you have to think much to find new solutions. Plus, at us nobody buys this kind of stuff, because for buyers everything has to be new, they are skeptical and they haven’t reach that point in which they have many new things in order for them to want to buy something different. It’s a psychological effect for the majority of the people.
Echo: They don’t buy it because this kind of objects are not promoted as it should be.
Maria: People at us still see Swarovski’s as something extremely cool :). For instance, I knew a girl that made clutch purses from a material with which you cover the big trucks, material that is very rezistent and which kept the initial patina. They were very nice and their material transformed, but it didn’t have any impact. The majority of girls still want to buy Louis Vuitton, they don’t look at things like these.
Echo: People don’t know about their existence, you know because you’re passionate about this kind of things.
Maria: The idea is that I think they are not promoted because they don’t represent interest as much as a holiday to Monaco, or a handbag Louis Vuitton, and it won’t until our country will have a high level of living, so that people won’t dream to this kind of stuff because they see it and they can’t afford to be excentric. All over the world I think it’s the same, I mean the masses are not preoccupied with things like these. They care about work and the day of tomorrow. But there are better laws now, I mean they are obliged to make economy at water and electricity (light bulbs ok) and to separate the garbage how it’s supposed to. But in our country if I separate my garbage I don’t have a place to throw it.
Here are some past works of Maria.

Something inspiring

2009-09-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Old school cassette's new face

2009-09-07T00:58:00.000-07:00

On a previous post I have remembered vinyls and cassette tapes that in our modern times have been replaced by cd's and mp3 players. Why would you want to occupy your space with things you' ll never use again, maybe only the vinyls if you are time nosthalgic, have a pleasure in listening to music at pick-ups or if you are a dj. Based on Andy Warhol's message that art is what you can get away with, I've presented what unique accessories you can accomplish by recycling the vinyls, from bags, to clocks and they are also used even as an expression of urban art by painting them, or as used in combination with grafitti like did some artists in New York.
But what can you do with casette tapes? Designer Alyce Santoro has created an exquisite and durable fabric using 50% recycled casette tape and 50% polyester thread, which is more revolutionary due to the fact that it is audible and makes under-water like sound when run over by a tape head and it was even played in a concert in Las Vegas by a percussionist, as presented on the offical site of the sonic fabric. Instead of throwing the old cassettes, people that can make fabrics like Alyce or others that can use them in a usefull and creative way that we normally couldn't, should have them at their imagination's disposal. Watch how sonic fabric was born, and where the designer's idea came from.

Photo sources: greendiary.com, sonicfabric.com

What is the color of your idea?

2009-09-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

The color of my idea is Pantone 360 C, green, which stands for my eco design concept.
My inspirational idea... Nature, photography, design, advertising and urban culture. Being creative, imagining ways to use design for a better world and to make a difference.
Jonas Javier's inspirational idea "is to be an engineer someday". The color of his idea is PANTONE 115-1-6 C.
myColor myIdea is a site that gathers thousands of inspirational color ideas and stories from designers and artists. What is the color of your idea?

Curious about what a green photographer is?

2009-09-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

The answer reffers to the ways in which you could be a green photographer by following some rules, 12 rules to be precise, made by greenphotographersnetwork, which gathers people that enjoy the art of photography, but who also care about the environmental problems and "want to do their part while doing their business".
The number one rule of the list is: "Use LESS water by printing digitally"; second rule: RECYCLE your gear - give it to someone who needs it; third rule: REPURPOSE your gear.
The list gives details upon how to do these things plus 9 rules more.
If we care about this world so that we want to capture each aspects of it's beauty with a camera, avoiding the "love and distroy" paradox , we can find ways to not contribute to it's pollution.

SPRANQ: "After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."

2009-09-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sustaining the idea that simplicity and clarity lead to good design gathered in the famous quote "Less is more" associated in general with the famous architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe Spranq, an advocate of minimalism, dutch creative communication agency Spranq invented the Ecofont.
This innovation is free-to-download, environmentally friendly and cuts down on printing ink, using up to 20% less.
Their simple idea came after the question "how much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability?". After continuous tests, the best results were achieved using small circles. Anyone can download and use the ecofont for free from here. Everyone believes that this is a very simple idea and there are wonders why nobody thought of this until this moment.
You could be environmentally friendly by using this font, save paper and ink and doesn't hurt to save some money also.
Printing can be now reduced to its necessary elements and Spranq encourages printing as little as possible, not to abuse and benefit in printing much more.
Printed on normal dimenssions you can not tell the difference, the image of the Ecofont shows the letters higly zoomed to present the principle of it's functioning. Think of the paper wasted in big companies, for example at the newspapers where there are a lot of prints used only to be verified and which are not use for other purpose than strictly indoor between the employees, and there are many more examples of paper waste. It's not solving earth problems completly, but surely contributes to it. Simple ideas like this put togheter can solve major problems. It's like in charity when even a penny counts, given by many is big.
Go green and try the Ecofont!

"It's a man made world"

2009-09-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

Designer Barbara de Vries has come up with an eclectic and chic solution to repurpose the plastic found on the beaches of Bahamas, after it was carried around for decades in the ocean because of the fact that people once believed that the ocean is large enough so that the garbage made by them would disappear in short time if thrown in it. It seems that salt, water, rocks, sea lifes leave their print on the pieces of discarded plastic and eventually the pieces take the appearance of stone, coral and salt patina. With her designs gathered in the "It's a man made world" collection, Barbara contributes to raise awarness about the ocean pollution problems.

The name is chosen in total concordance with the facts that people are creating and in the same time distroying the world that we live in, due to the fact that almost every marine organism, even whales and polar bears, is contaminated with man-made chemicals. Pollution in the ocean is a major problem that affects the organisms in it, but also the earth too, by affecting the food chain. Toxic wastes are poisonous materiales that are being dumped into the ocean, and among them we can find lead which is causing major health problems like attacking the kidneys, brain and causes birth problems for people as low IQ, slow growing and many others. Garbage dumping like plastic still is in the ocean for decades and is often mistaken for food by marine animals, because high concentration of plastic materials have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles .
In an interview for Planet Green, Barbara suggests us to collect plastic from the beach, take it home and let it speak for us. "If it doesn't speak, then take it to the recycling station. But whatever seems to be interesting can be transformed... I cannot tell anyone how their creative process should work, each artist has his/her own means, just start by picking it up and take it home." She is one of the people that is trying to make a difference, by combining pleasure for designing jewelery with solutions to the man made chemicals that end up in the occean. Every domain of one's interest can have a good impact on decreasing the disturbing 80% marine pollution which comes from land-based activities.

A percentage of the proceeds of "It's a man made world"go towards the Cape Eleuthera Institute, a Bahamian organization that researches resource management and marine and sea life sustainability.

The Green Fair

2009-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

The concept "verdeurban" ("urbangreen") organizes "Targul Verde" ("The Green Fair") in the period 24-27th September 2009 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, to promote a green way of life (the encouragement of consuming green products, the protection of the environment and to create awarness about the participant brands). There will be exposed all kind of green products, from cosmetics, food, wine, lactoze products, cleaning products, bikes, etc. There will also be a special guest invited, a ceramic artist, Daniel Les.

1.000 paper storks

2009-09-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

Origami is one of the elements that simbolises the japanese beauty and perfection and represents the art of folding coloured paper so that it represents shapes of living creatures or abstract decorative ones.

In Japan, storks are considered to be sacred birds and it is believed that who achieves to make 1.000 paper storks (origami) can make a wish come true. There is a true story at it's basics, that of Sadako Sasaki, who in 1955 was diagnosed with cancer. She was part of the generation affected by the Hiroshima bomb even if she had only 2 years old in 1945. The disease which was called the "Bomb Disease-A" affected her and many others ten years after the explosition. Her friend taught her to make origami storks so that her wish would come true and for her to get well. When she died she had made 644 paper storks and she wished to make 1.000 for a better world. Three years after her death, in 1958, in the Park of Peace from Hiroshima was brought up the monument of Children Peace. Every year now, on the date of 6th august it is celebrated the peace day and people from all over the world bring paper storks.
There are many styles of origami, from the most simple ones to more complicate compositions. It challenges one's imagination and besides it's aesthetic value it has also an ultility in one's style by using them combined with our wardrobe (broches, or accessories for the hair), but also for the interior design (lampshades). There exist all kind of volunteer organisations that organize workshops to learn people how to make origami from recycled paper (written, coloured paper).
Video lessons on how to make origami are put at everyone's disposal on the internet and it will help boost your creativity and imagination and you'll find a way to use the paper you don't need from your desk. Here's one interesting video on how to make an origami figure and you can make even moving origami cubes on an more advanced level.

AdFel 2009 - Second Day: Cultural Day

2009-09-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

AdFel, the only festival of unconventional advertsing in Romania, hosted this evening the "Cultural Day", in which cultural and nonguvernamental environmental organisations sent their messages about the earth problems and ways to solve them in an unconventional way. Those who participated at this event saw how the trash jukebox brought by the representatives of WWF worked and also participated at the funeral of the man made from recycling materials, organised by "Mai mult verde" ("More green"). The stairs of the terrace were the festival is taking place took shape of book spines and after people got up on the terrace they were taken by three forces of nature (The Sun, Wind and Water), brought by Greenpeace to teach them how to use the regenerable energy.
At the entrance of the terrace there is a gallery hosting advertising prints that reffer to the environmental problems in Romania, but also awarded international ones. After the gallery, a paper car had messages on it encourraging using more the puplic transport or the bycycle. The festival lasts one week and will have thematic days. It takes place on the terrace "La motoare", which is situated on the roof of Bucharest National Theatre, one of the most popular places in Bucharest.

AdFel is at it's fourth edition and it's success from the previous editions shows that advertising can be consumed as an entertainement product as well.
The most expected day of the festival is "Recycling Day" which is focused on combining creatively the pro recycling actions with dancing and music, ending the day with "Recycle Music Party". Alongside the idea that “Nothing is lost, everything is transformed”, everyone who wants to participate to the event can contribute directly to the recycling of used lightbulbs, which will be organised in the Green Corner. They will also be able to take part at creative actions like painting the old lightbulbs, and in the end all the unconventional executions will be exposed on the terrace. It's a continuous interaction with the participants, there are workshops and it's an excercise of one's imagination in promoting ways to solve earth problems and to raise awarness among those who can make a difference but who are not informed or among whom traditional means don't reach their goal.

Old school vinyl's new face

2009-09-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

The rise of vintage fashion has contributed to the revival of the vinyl discs because some have imagined to reuse them in more creative ways like creating clocks, fruit bowls, supports for glasses, and even jewellery. Vynil handbags have had a true success among the fashionistas, and the price in not ridiculous big as we are used with unique accesorries, on the contrary. So can be used their "relatives", the cassette tapes.
howcanirecyclethis teaches us how to recycle different objects that in most of the occassions would have been easily thrown away. Television wires, wine corks, buckets, milk bottles, everything can be practically transformed into fashion accessories, lamps, furniture objects.

Photo source: takeawaybags, ecofriend.org

Spin and redesign

2009-08-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

[re]design, a site for "designers who don't want to make landfill" is presenting us a funny and simple solution to our various needs to create friendly design to people and to the environment. We can use the[re]strategy spinner tool and we can also see that good choices can also be gorgeus, as they say. First we have to spin the first wheel to choose a [re]strategy, then to spin the second wheel to identify an activity to design for. Here you can spin the wheel to [re]design for yourself.

E-waste accessories

2009-08-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

Most of us have changed our computer at least once and if not, at least the keyboard or elements from it, because we wanted something new or simply because computers are not designed to last that long. The idea of using parts of the computer in order to make unique and interesting accessories, instead of throwing them was adopted in the past years by different designers but also by curious people who want to express their creativity in a certain way.
Alin Teglas, the producer of the brand Devla Accessories, is an artist from Bucharest who uses keys from the keyboard, disckettes, to make bags, rings, keychains and all kinds of accessories, he practically turns junk into fashion.
A team from advertising agency Ogilvy from Bucharest alongside Alex have worked together in creating a video through which they explain the dammage caused by e-waste and present a way of recycling and reusing elements from old computers in a creative way.
On this video you can find out where his idea came from.

Photo source: devla accessories

E-waste keeps “active” 150.000 chinese in one city

2009-08-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

Rich countries fill third world countries with hi-tech waste. Only in China, every year arrive over 1 million tones of technological waste. A random example would be Guyu, in Quandong, where the industry of electronical waste keeps active 150.000 people, who work in terrible sanitary conditions so they can recover the most valuable materiales from the electronical objects. These are only some “details” that we don’t or refuse to see. As we find out from Wikipedia, e-waste describes loosely discarded, broken, electrical or electronic devices. Electronic equipment contains some very serious contaminants and recycling and disposal of e-waste involves significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations. Some apply the term "e-waste" to all surplus electronics which are dumped or disposed or discarded by the buyer rather than recycled. Facts show that discarded electronics represented 5 to 6 times as much weight as recycled electronics. The need to recycle or to reuse electronic waste is major and instead of finding solutions or because the solutions needed are too expensive, it is often exported in developing countries.
Consumer recycling options include donating equipment directly to organizations in need, sending devices directly back to their original manufacturers, or getting components to a convenient recycler or refurbisher. Creative thinking of different designers and not only, have given a new face on how one can reuse some of the electronic waste in an usefull and why not rather fashionable way.
The main focus nowadays is the image and it reflects in the desperate need to sell and buy, to consumme, to get things that reflect our style, personality and way of life. We can literally use design for a better world, only if we were more interested in the material that is used in creating different things, from accessories, bags, clothing, objects for decorating, to furniture. Not everyone is good at recycling different objects and create new and unique ones but in order for this industry to grow and survive we need to buy this kind of things and create also awarness among us, because one of the main problem is the lack of information in this sence.
The enormous amount of e-waste comes also from the need to change the computer or different electronical devices for reasons not that strong, like the need to change, because of the new arrivals on the market, so millions of TV's and computers and it's components are sitting unused in people's houses, because noone nows what to do with them or in worse scenaries they trow them to the garbage, or send it to developing countries in enormous amounts as shown.

A disturbing photo with a chinese child among wires and e-waste can be seen on greenpeace and it shows that it is commom for children to be in touch with these dangerous substances produced by electronic waste.

The need to encourage recycling exists and also we have to find a way to satisfy the producer and also the buyer in order to keep the planet a safe and healthy place to live in, because the solution certainly isn't exporting waste to developing countries.