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They’re still “seeking”:
- an oceanographer
- a chemist
- a marine engineer
- and at least one expert on the problem
(yeah, might need at least one of each of these…)
but a group of Dutch architects and engineers has started up a research project to explore the idea of creating a sustainable island nation out of the trash floating in the Pacific. The project has been heralded “Recycled Island,” and the goal is a livable and scalable habitation the size of Hawaii’s big island.
The early mock-ups bring Venice, Dubai, and science fiction to mind, but the project is still very much in the early R&D stages and far from a reality. People love Dutch design for architecture and urban planning, not to mention their credibility in environmental solutions, so despite the distance from the potential island, this idea has sparked in the Netherlands. And why not beckon the world’s greatest minds through online publishing and networking? The project has been spreading across magazine websites, blogs, and press releases this week (I saw it here), and the group networks through Facebook to various other sustainable design groups.
Some virtual ships, machines, and robots and things building Recycled Island in Waterworld, er, the Pacific
The weekend is upon us and for most nine to fivers that means a little house cleaning is in store. And no matter how dull you find scrubbing the toilet, turns out there’s a little more at work in your cleaning regiment than just your muscles. All cleaning requires some degree of consumer decision making. Will you swab your counters in Clorox or will you opt for a non-chemical solvent like Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Countertop Spray (an office favorite)? Or will you choose to go the old fashioned route and use a little vinegar and elbow grease? What’s really underlying the decision making process when you decide to get out the dirty? Is it the green in your wallet or the green of the environment?
According to a new report by GfK Roper Consulting, consumers are motivated to purchase “green” cleaning supplies if it saves them money. A whopping 76 percent of consumers report having purchased energy saving light bulbs while 58 percent have purchased energy efficient appliances. 
When it comes to choosing household cleaning products the same model works. Consumers tend to reach more frequently for products that they perceive as beneficial to their wallet or the health of their family, in spite of the product’s environmental impact. So if the Clorox Clean-Up is cheaper than Method’s Multi-Surface Cleaner, that’s what’s going in the shopping cart.
Accordingly, eco-friendly product lines have upped the ante in their marketing campaigns. Seventh Generation, once a stalwart standing against mass marketing, rolled out a new campaign geared toward women. The ad capitalizes on the safety and health of the family in “planet home” and reflects the new direction of green marketing: family first, planet second.
There’s a great documentary film out that you should view. It’s titled “Objectified” (www.ObjectifiedFilm.com), by Gary Hustwit, that explores the man-made products that we use, and that surround us, in our environment.
What I like about the film is that it’s presented to us from the perspective of designers who develop products and their creative processes, the front-end of the product spectrum; not a worn a’la cultural anthropoligical or consumer behaviorist critique of the end-process of people and all their stuff, and how bad all that is. Nice work, very well done.
Reuters is generally my preferred online news source, not least for its approach to aggregation of “Green Business News.“ This categorization actually covers a wide array of topics, many of which are rather new to me. Keeping up with environmental subjects is, of course, increasingly relevant, but it’s also great mental exercise. I find aggregation sources like this, updated in real time as the articles are published, very helpful – regular review helps me feel like I’m keeping up, even though consideration of some of the subject matter is new and challenging.
Investing attention and energy in these issues has helped in my work life this year as well, as we’ve seen an increase in interest for marketing research and strategic guidance for products and services in the green business realm. We’re always looking for new information sources – let us know if you have any “green business” recommendations!
