January 2012
2 posts
The iPhone Economy, understanding the importance...
via nytimes.com This a great video that explains why designing products to be made overseas isn’t the best idea in the long run. It leaves us with a big question: What can we do? On one side, we want the best products at the best price (sadly, those are made in Asia today), on the other side, we want jobs for the largest amount of people (sadly, those jobs are paying less and less people...
What if logos told the truth?
via behance.net Great work by Victor Hertz using common logos to share a piece of his mind about what they really mean. I wonder if this company bashing trend through logos is going to get any bigger? I could imagine designing products that could have the same message strength… Then again, it’s not the product that’s the problem, it’s the system… Posted...
November 2011
2 posts
La France favorise l'Affichage environnemental -...
via dailymotion.com Pour créer une demande de la part des consommateurs, rien de mieux que d’aller chercher l’information correctement et la mettre sur ses produits. Il faut partir la roue. Cascades a commencé avec leurs résultats d’ACV. Mais le Québec est encore 3-4 ans en retard. Ce que je note de l’initiative: Pas d’uniformité! Ni dans la forme ni dans le...
Design for Autonomous Biological Services
via fastcodesign.com This is close to regenerative design. Instead of cleaning the earth to answer to your needs (think North pacific plastics gyre becomes a vaccum from the sea and Method soap bottles), now comes something different. How can we use nature’s energy creation capabilities to answer our needs? Let go of foreign oil or even ‘local’ hydroelectricity. Find...
October 2011
2 posts
The distance from eco-concept to eco-reality is...
via treehugger.com Remember the idea of regenerative design. Electrolux getting most of the initial idea marketing behind this idea of cleaning up the sea. How plastic from the north pacific gyro could be used to make actual vaccum cleaners. It was just a concept campaign back then. http://www.electrolux.se/Innovation/Campaigns/Vac-from-the-sea/ But now this seems closer to reality. Method has...
ACV de Cascades: Ce n'est que le début!
via cascades.com Nous assistons à la première pierre qui construira notre culture collective de l’analyse de cycle de vie. Finalement, une entreprise publie les résultats d’une étude complète. Qui de mieux que Cascades pour le faire avec l’énorme crédibilité qu’elle a déjà. C’est vraiment un premier pas vers la compétition basée sur la performance...
August 2011
3 posts
Open faced products - selling the hard and the...
via fastcodesign.com This is an interesting business model attached to a half complete product. Wimm is going to sell a little box, and someone else is going to find a market and a need for it. This is more than open innovation, it’s open ended. And it runs on open sourced software. This reminds me of buying clockworks. Dress it up anyway you like to tell the time. Just make sure to buy...
Door handle testing
Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Door handle testing
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July 2011
1 post
Great video about using environment assesment in...
via solidworks.com A good understanding of where their tool fits into the global picture. The two phases of assesment and redesign are well put, yet intergration between both is a little weak. The software doesn’t really give that bird’s eye view of the big picture, because that’s not its focus. It’s focus is much more on the shape of the object and not its function...
June 2011
2 posts
How do we recycle PET bottles? This videos tells...
via core77.com To think that all this effort is but a few percentages of the carbon footprint of the original manufacturing process! Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Xerox PARC still gets innovation. They are still...
…For those of you who missed Malcolm Gladwell’s article on “The Creation Myth” in the May 16 New Yorker, read it here behind a paywall http://blogs.parc.com/blog/2011/05/the-cartoon-says-it-all-well-kinda/ http://blogs.parc.com/blog/2011/05/from-creation-myth-to-the-reality-of-innov… Better yet is Xerox Parc’s presentation on how to get the job done! Managing...
May 2011
11 posts
Dieter Rams: ten principles for good design
via vitsoe.com Good design is innovative The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself. Good design makes a product useful A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy...
Stickers for Eco-labels. It's about time we all...
via fastcompany.com The new labels also include options for all sorts of alternative-fuel vehicles. The electric-car sticker shows kilowatt hours per mile, charging time, and how long you can go on one charge. And these cars rate highest on the greenhouse-gas rating scale. Concern over greenhouse gas seems as though it’s not a primary driver of car decisions, but those nearly $10,000...
Introducing Radical employee trust: or how culture...
via fastcompany.com I’ve heard this story before. Forgot your toothbrush on a business trip? An employee at the ritz has a 100$ open tab to answering his customers particular needs. Moments later your back to fresh. That’s radical service. Apparently the idea is catching on with a twist for office culture. “You will not attract and retain the world’s best builders...
C'est quoi exactement le développement durable?...
via oqlf.gouv.qc.ca Et le fameux PDF. http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/dictionnaires/terminologie… “Un partenariat entre l’Office québécois de la langue française, le ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs et le Bureau de normalisation du Québec a permis de valider et de rendre disponible une terminologie illustrant...
Porter's new Big Idea: Creating Shared Value -...
via hbr.org Companies must take the lead in bringing business and society back together. The recognition is there among sophisticated business and thought leaders, and promising elements of a new model are emerging. Yet we still lack an overall framework for guiding these efforts, and most companies remain stuck in a “social responsibility” mind-set in which societal issues are at the...
Regenerative products - Animals to help humans...
via fastcodesign.com That’s the freakily ingenious idea behind Revital Cohen’s “Life Support” concept, which pushes the idea of “assistance animals” (like seeing-eye dogs) to its logical limits, imagining a day when domesticated creatures literally become medical devices. http://www.revitalcohen.com/project/life-support/ Posted via email from...
Example of regenerative design: smog eating...
via alcoa.com To think the rain is the only thing needed to wash off the captured pollutants of this titanium coated aluminum… Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
L'équation des impacts qui prend en compte le...
via china-sds.org C’est toujours plaisant de creuser plus loin. Dans cet esprit, j’ai commencé à réfléchir à comment le « regenerative design » pouvait s’inclure dans l’équation classique du I=PAT. “Human Impact (I) on the environment equals the product of P= Population, A= Affluence, T= Technology. This describes how our growing population, affluence, and technology...
Untitled
via china-sds.org C’est toujours plaisant de creuser plus loin. Dans cet esprit, j’ai commencé à réfléchir à comment le « regenerative design » pouvait s’inclure dans l’équation classique du I=PAT. “Human Impact (I) on the environment equals the product of P= Population, A= Affluence, T= Technology. This describes how our growing population, affluence, and technology...
L'enveloppe brune qui contient le plus de richesse...
Plan de développement durable 2010 - 2012 Cascades est heureuse de présenter son premier plan de développement durable. À l’intérieur de cet outil, l’entreprise s’est fixé 18 objectifs mesurables qu’elle tentera d’atteindre en toute transparence d’ici 2012. Ces objectifs, qui s’appuient sur des indices de performance constants, structureront ses...
15+1 vidéos de grands penseurs de l'écoconception,...
In case you missed any of the Sustainability in 7 videos, we’ve created an easy index of all our experts below! Bookmark and share the Sustainability in 7 homepage. All the videos will live at core77.com/sustainabilityin7 for your easy reference. + Fiona Bennie on Future Scenarios + Janine Benyus on Biomimicry + Allan Chochinov on the Seven Presumptions of Design + Dawn Danby on...
April 2011
5 posts
Global Carbon Footprint Infographic.
via core77.com So is it demography or GDP that is the bigger influencer of CO2 emissions? the Nature vs Nurture debate will become Nativity vs culture… Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
A green store doesn't make up for a brown product....
via fastcompany.com This is an interesting point for a service heavy industry. And its a nice spinoff the old “a brown company can’t make a green product”. It’s all about integrity people. Change in terms of sustainability isn’t about patch work, making up, or cosmetics. It’s a deep seeded reflection that should start with your biggest impact. Often...
Partial transformative companies not sticking in...
Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. Post a Comment » Sales of Green Works have fallen from $100 million to about $60 million a year, and those of other similar products from major brands like Arm & Hammer, Windex, Palmolive,...
When administration doesn't project change in...
The U.S. Energy Information Administration explains the gritty details of our energy future in its Annual Energy Outlook 2011, which has tracked our projected energy use all the way to 2035. Don’t have the time to slog through its myriad charts and tables? We do. Read on for our abbreviated look at the report’s most important findings. Energy Importsvia fastcompany.com This is...
Walmart sees its goals and raises the bar.
via fastcompany.com Talk about gambling and winning. Oh wait, sustainability isn’t a gamble anymore… Goal: Reduce our global plastic shopping bag waste by an average of 33% per store by 2013 (2007 baseline) Goal: We will partner with suppliers to improve energy efficiency by 20% per unit of production in the top 200 factories in China from which we directly source by 2012...
March 2011
8 posts
Ouch! Eco-label accused of greenwashing. Industry...
via forestethics.org “Sustainable’ Forestry Initiative (SFI) = Selling False Information The phony SFI certification program – developed and funded by some of the biggest forest destroyers in North America – is a marketing tool for selling environmentally harmful products by falsely describing them as ‘green’. This scam threatens our forests, communities, fresh water and wildlife.” ...
L'homme plus fort que la nature? L'énergie du...
via wired.com Imaginez un frigo qui produit assez d’énergie pour un quartier. C’est ce que le professeur du MIT, Nocera, croit être en mesure de créer dans les années à venir. Le tout avec une touche de biomimétisme qui permettra finalement de produire l’électricité à partir de la source la plus faible d’énergie disponible à tous et gratuitement: le soleil! ...
Dam! Those goats make a great biomimicry design...
via news.nationalgeographic.com Props to Core77 for the idea: http://www.core77.com/blog/education/biomimetic_designers_take_note_goat_hoov… Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Beauty is all about proportions! Tell that to the...
via fastcodesign.com Now let’s start imagining other things that are scary when too big: Off shore drilling, nuclear energy (contradiction noted!), water turbines, coal?. You get the drill, I mean jist. Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Suivre la ligne tracée par la nature! Voir ce...
via bolefloor.com Pourquoi aller contre le grain? Pour la productivité? Mais est-ce que c’est vraiment plus productif? Si l’on compte les pertes et les opérations, est-ce que suivre la ligne de la nature est plus simple? Mais quel effet visuel! Il n’y a pas de ligne droite dans la nature. Seulement dans l’esprit humain… Posted via email from...
Top sustainability issues for customers? Not the...
via ci-shift.com Feeling connected, well being, balance, fair wages = top 4 sustainable issues. Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
The "Shift report" gives a sustainability passion...
via ci-shift.com The shift report give a new light on consumer research pertaining to eco-consumption. 5000 is a big sample size. I still find it difficult to label someone in just one category. Still, the effort and data are worthy. Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Quand les secteurs industriels s'alignent ensemble...
via fastcompany.com The Coalition is made up of more than 30 annual dues-paying companies and environmental organizations—including Levi Strauss & Co., Li & Fung, the EPA, Marks & Spencer, Mountain Equipment Co-op, New Balance, Nordstrom, Otto Group, and REI—all working together to develop an industrywide supply-chain index that measures water and energy use,...
February 2011
1 post
Que faut-il faire pour une économie verte?...
via unep.org Vive les économistes de l’UNEP. Ils ont sorti un rapport qui détermine que 1.3 trillion est le chiffre magique pour créer des énergies renouvlables, réduire les Co2, créer des emplois… Bref, inverser la tendance actuelle. Le rapport se nomme: The Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. Posted via email from...
January 2011
5 posts
Apprendre des pays en voie de développement....
via ddimick.posterous.com Il y a un courant que l’on ne touche pas à l’IDP. Est-ce que c’est tabou? Est-ce qu’il nous manque une influence internationale? Que nous dit cette image? Les pays qui ont plus de population au bas de la pyramide socio-économique ne gaspillent pas la nourriture. Imaginez ce qu’on peut apprendre de ceux-ci. Exfo a compris quelque chose...
Honda changes Purchasing Guidelines to go Green...
via sustainablelifemedia.com This image is going to be part of many of my presentations in the future for 2 reasons. First it shows what green purchasing objectives look like. Nothing complicated about looking to improve fuel efficiency. Also, simply put it’s about adding environmental responsibility to the existing criteria of Quality, Cost, Delivery and Development. Second, it can...
À quand les 6 béatitudes de la communication...
Honnêteté Fournir les preuves Réalisme au niveau du progrès Être clair sans confondre Être intéressant Être ingénieux dans la présentation des attributs verts par rapport aux attributs traditionnels. Quelques questions à se poser. Est-ce que la communication traite de plusieurs problèmes environnementaux? Y a-t-il suffisamment de renseignements pertinents concernant les aspects plus...
Retail business model is changing! Buy back says...
via fastcompany.com The program will also assist Best Buy in reaching its goal of collecting one billion pounds of e-waste over the next five years. Would it be more environmentally sound for consumers to simply stick with the same personal electronics for years on end? Of course. But that’s not going to happen anytime soon, and Best Buy’s program is at least a smart stopgap...
Good - not less bad. William McDonough
I think we’ve learned in the last 10 years that many enterprises we work with have hit the wall and now realize that being less bad is not being more good. via greenbiz.com Being less bad is a great thing to do and has the right trajectory but it is insufficient to the task of a creating sustaining world. Many of our clients have come to us because of this recognition that simply...
December 2010
6 posts
Philips Lumec's President is an example of...
via lumec.com Talk about a meaningful Holiday card. When the president steps in to share the good work done in the past year, there’s a sense of responsibility and forward movement. Well done! Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Coca-cola Canada publie un excellent rapport de...
via cocacola.ca http://www.cocacola.ca/fr/pdf/CRS_Report_2010_French.pdf Autant la qualité de l’information que la présentation de celle-ci. C’est clair précis et profond. L’initiative est bien menée et bien documentée. Prenons des notes. Dommage que je bois 80% de l’eau du robinet. Il font pas de vin, ni d’eau pétillante. Juste le V8 dans les événements. Et je...
After green design, and blue ocean strategy here...
via fastcodesign.com Blue design is what McDonough calls restorative or regenerative design. And yes, that is the future of design. Lest we forget that regenerative design implies that we study and understand the system behind the need to be answered. Oh and objects and buildings aren’t the only systems within systems that can become regenerative. Companies can also regenerate themselves...
Nike Designers create their own LCA tools to...
via dexigner.com By releasing the tool we want others to improve on it and we hope to inspire further collaboration to create global industry standards for a level playing field, encourage widespread industry adoption of sustainable design practices and have more sustainable products available for the consumer. Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
B Corporation, les entreprises responsables se...
via bcorporation.net Un regroupement d’entreprises responsables qui cherchent plus qu’uniquement des profits. Ils appliquent la vision du développement durable avec une “triple bottom line” pour aligner des objectifs économiques, sociaux et environnementaux. Est-ce qu’on pourrait faire de même au Québec? Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment » ...
Les 11 meilleurs livres d'innovation de l'année
via core77.com Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age Clay Shirky Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation Steven Johnson Avec un court descriptif de chaque ici: http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/11_best_innovation_and_design_books_of_201… The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion John Hagel, John...
November 2010
13 posts
Bruce Nussbaum – Keynote interview on Vimeo
via vimeo.com Design thinking for 2020 by Bruce Nussbaum. Posted via email from ecoconcept | Comment »
Un virage vert pour l'industrie proposé par...
” Today, manufacturers have to focus on the twin objectives of environmental and financial sustainability. I believe Canadian manufacturers will continue to find compelling competitive advantages in going green to ensure that environmental sustainability remains a strategic priority.” Jayson Myers, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters ...