KWDesigns

I know I’m one out of a gazillion other people posting an article or story related to Earth Day 2008. But I feel compelled to share my part in giving back & striving towards sustainable living. For some reason, this day, celebrating the place we all call home, has more significance than those previously. Not to say that I haven’t been conscious of my living habits, but I don’t think it had such an impact as it does now. I’m old enough to see the impact of wasteful living.

I feel extremely privileged to live in Portland, Oregon, a place that whole-heartedly practices sustainable living. Much of the new residential construction in The Pearl adheres to green standards and Portland is one of the few US cities that has an electric car dealership.

I could name a few more ways Portland practices sustainable living…but that isn’t the intension of my post. Living in Portland has influenced me greatly, as well as the simple fact of ‘getting older makes you wiser’ (hopefully). Since moving here more than 6 years ago, I’ve changed my habits for the better. I’m a faithful user of public transportation, use cloth totes instead of plastic or paper bags for my groceries and recycle just about everything in my house. I know this is a small contribution & I can do more.

I was recently treated to a taster by Tricia McCracken, co-founder of Modmix. She prepared a variety of unique drink combinations - (the French Martini & Lavender Lemon Drop were my favorites.) I have to say I was impressed - the mixer was subtle & not too sweet.

Cool fact - Modmix is the first USDA approved organic cocktail mixer! It’s slowly but surely making its way to the mainstream market & is available in organic grocery stores in the Pacific NW & East coast. Not yet in bars…

Thanks Tricia!

Is it really possible to have an eco-friendly cell phone charger? A group of students at AiPD think so.

I have been tasked, along with 3 other students, to develop a concept for a sustainable product or service and then brand it from the ground up.

What comes to mind when you think of a product that’s been accepted as a universal commodity, yet lacks the use of renewable energy? Cell phones.

These days, I don’t know of many people who don’t own a cell phone. It’s an integrated part of our daily life and we take it everywhere go. In fact, we often feel lost or “naked” if we forget it at home.

Worse yet, imagine you’re traveling and your charger is packed away in your suitcase, you have less than a bar left on your phone, a two hour layover at the airport and at least 5 phone calls to make between now and the time your plane takes off. It’s a challenge just to find an electrical outlet to plug your laptop into, much less a space to charge your cellphone (one that includes the charger itself!).

There is an answer - the ChargeBox. It’s a machine that allows you to recharge devices such as cellphones, iPods and PDA’s inside a secured locker. Each ChargeBox has six lockers and each locker has the capability to charge different types of hand held devices. Most can be fully charged in around 35 minutes, however iPods for example can take almost 2 hours to fully charge. Since its inception back in 1995, the ChargeBox has grown to expand it’s locations to include Iceland, France, South Africa & Turkey and the UK.

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What if the ChargeBox used renewable energy to recharge these mobile devices? Efficient and eco-friendly!

We’re in the early stages of market and product research. Here’s a short list of KPI’s we’ve identified:

• potential sources of renewable energy
• best US target market - top 10 US airports
• additional “add on’s” besides charging (ie: download MP3’s, ringtones, games, etc.)
• potential partners

Further research:

Is the use of renewable energy an important factor when choosing to use or not use an electrical device?

How much would you be willing to pay to charge your hand held device?

• $0.02/minute
• $0.05/minute
• $0.10/minute

Would you be interested in “adding on” additional services? If so, which ones?

• MP3’s
• ring tones
• pictures/screen savers
• games

I’d love to hear any thoughts, ideas or feedback. I’ll be posting details of our project as it unfolds over the next three weeks.