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.

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!

To attend this event , visit
The Art Institute of Portland @
1122 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209

Schedule of events

The Evolution of a Sustainable Society will be featuring EcoCharge - a free standing module that uses renewable energy to charge portable electronic devices. EcoCharge is the classic example of finding a new way to solve an existing problem. In an earlier post, I explored the idea of using renewable energy to charge cell phones.

“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!).”

The EcoCharge concept has grown to in include charging services for cell phones, PDA’s and laptops - all while using renewable energy sources. Below are some samples of the brand collateral that have been developed to date.

ecocharge machine mock up with detailed view

_____________________________________________________ 

ecocharge website mock up

_____________________________________________________

ecocharge print advertisements

What is it?

AIGA’s SOCIO XV / Celebration Gala

AIGA’s SOCIO XV is two events in one: a celebration of the AIGA’s (Portland chapter) work with the Urban Forest Project AND our yearly gala social event. Banners created for the Urban Forest Project by local AIGA members will be shown in reincarnated form, as limited-edition bags that have been beautifully recycled by local artisans at Queen Bee Creations. Attend SOCIO XV on September 19th for an exclusive first chance to snap up the beautiful bags, get inspired, and celebrate sustainable, local design with friends and colleagues. Bag sale proceeds will benefit Portland’s Friends of Trees.

Wednesday September 19, 2007

6 pm - 9 pm Art Institute of Portland Gallery Space
1125 NW Couch St
M Financial Plaza - Second Floor

The event is free for AIGA members, $5 for non-members. 21+.

For more information visit AIGA Portland

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.

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

♣

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.