The Disappearing Package

Sustainability is a huge global topic. We are running out of space due to waste and in the process we are forever altering the state of nature and the environment. Recycling is one big step towards lessening our carbon footprint, but what if we eliminate packaging waste all together? The Disappearing Package is a Masters Thesis Project by Pratt Institute student Aaron Mickelson. 

"Every year, we throw away a ton of packaging waste (actually, over 70 million tons). It makes up the single largest percentage of trash in our landfills (beating out industrial waste, electronics, food… everything). Figures released by the EPA indicate this problem is getting worse every year.

As a package designer (and grad student—meaning I know everything and can solve every problem, naturally), I was concerned about where this trend is going. Of course, many talented designers working in the field have made great efforts over the past few years to reduce the amount of packaging that goes onto a product. However, for my Masters Thesis, I asked the question: Can we eliminate that waste entirely?"

Here is one of Aaron's brilliant examples of how to eliminate packaging waste. 

To see his other ideas, please visit Disappearing Package. 

Growing Green

Spring is finally here after a long winter here on the East Coast. To get my garden ready, I went to Home Depot and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of "green" products available. This is really the first year that I have noticed such a big increase of shelf space devoted to "eco", "pet-friendly", "safe", "non-toxic" and "natural" in the garden section. This is just a sample of what I found...

Garden Media Group has a great piece on 2013-14 trends that is a great read on the trend towards gardening and going "green". This is defintely a trend we sill see growing - no pun intended. Hey, if you garden, grow green! 

The Next Wave In Soda Packaging: Aluminum Bottles

It's a fact that a lot of people drink a lot of sodas. I mean soda out of a can or a plastic bottle. The two biggest manufacturers are Pepsi Co and Coca-Cola. Personally, I think soda out of a glass bottle tastes best, followed by the aluminum can, but a plastic bottle makes it much more convenient with a twist on/off top. In the past few years, I have begun to see an integration of the two - but unfortunately I've only noticed it used for limited edition products or used more widely overseas. 

First, there's the green factor:

Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, can take years to decompose in the ocean and can stay in landfills for hundreds of years. Plant-based hydro-biodegradable plastic aka polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic made from corn, decomposes into water and carbon dioxide in 47 to 90 days -- four times faster than a PET-based bag floating in the ocean. However, an aluminum can can be recycled and back in the market in 6 weeks. So recycle folks! 

Convenience

Love the taste of a cold soda in a can or glass bottle but how often do you wish you could re-cap what you have left and save it for later? Put it right back into the fridge, cooler or even in your bag. It won't go flat and it will keep the drink fresher longer. 

Look and Feel

It just looks so much cooler than a can! Taking the original glass bottle design and modernizing it for more efficient recycling is "throwback cool with a conscience". It's sleek, modern and oh yeah, everything else mentioned above. 

The Takeaway

I think we will be seeing more aluminum bottles in the market. But RECYCLE! And let's utilize that design space for some great eye-catching graphics. 

Method: Bottles Made From Ocean Plastic (video)

Nothing bothers me more than seeing plastic bottles flaoting in the ocean and end up on the beach. So, naturally, I am so happy to see that Method is doing something with the garbage! 

The Method two-in-one hand and dish soap comes in a bottle made from ocean plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic. The new hand and dish soap in the ocean plastic bottle is available exclusively at Whole Foods.

“Our goal with ocean plastic packaging is to show that the most viable solution to our plastic pollution problem is using the plastic that’s already on the planet. Method’s ocean plastic bottle demonstrates in the extreme that recycling is possible,” said Adam Lowry, co-founder and chief greenskeeper of Method. By recycling and reusing plastic to make our bottles, we turn off the tap of plastic flowing into our oceans and take the first, most important step toward solving the ocean plastic problem.” Source: Method

Method employees hand-collected several tons of plastic from the beaches of Hawaii and this plastic was then used to create the new bottle. Method is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the two-in-one hand and dish soap to Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i and Kokua Hawai’i Foundation, two organizations that worked alongside Method employees to collect the plastic waste. source: MNN

Unilever's 5 Levers For Change...Great Levers For Life As Well (video)

We love Unilever's approach to sustainability – realizing that consumer behavior and habits are a big part of where success in creating a more sustainable world stems from. We all know habits are hard to break and brand loyalty is often a habit that is the hardest to change for certain age groups and families. However, the economy has forced people to rethink their loyalty and choose more cost efficient products. Like the economy, sharing the knowledge of the damage we are doing to the earth and educating consumers that there are choices that can be made to create a healthier and cleaner world may get people to think and shop differently as well. Well done Unilever! 

Video: Turntable Rider by COGOO

You'll need some mad BMX skills for this! Check this out, "developed by interaction artist toshiyuki sugai to encourage bike sharing practices in Japan, three add-on pieces convert bicycles into DJ consoles, permitting live-mixing by riding, jumping, and performing stunts." Not only is it really cool to hear the beats and mixes from the various riding styles, but check out the sick riding! And this was all developed to promote bike sharing in Japan! Brilliant! 

via  and DesignBoom

Method: Clean Happy (video)

Method is really the first household brand that brought regular everyday households to rethink the chemicals used in their cleaning. Seventh Generation has done the same but has remained a crunchy, granola eating kind of feel. Method, on the other hand, has proven that natural and clean can be fun, quirky, well designed and have a personality that fits almost any home. Check out this brand video they just released on Facebook. Love! 

(via BrandChannel)

Eric Ryan, Method's co-founder, tells theTimes that the brand's challenge is two-fold: Method needs to emphasize the fact that it is a "high aesthetic" brand without being stodgy, yet highlight its quirkiness without seeming odd. "Heavy users love the brand," says Ryan. "It's as if you found out Skittles are good for you." Ryan's concern, however, is that "a lot of people still don't know about us... It takes a long time to build a consumer product brand."

The "Clean Happy" campaign is designed to grow the brand's awareness by capitalizing on its quirkiness while making it clear that the product line does its job. Tommy Means, a partner at Mekanism, the agency that created the new campaign, tells the Times, "We're embracing the mission of creating a safe household environment and keeping this brand a little bit weird, a little bit off."

It is easy being Green!

Recently at Tokyo Design Week, there was a garbage disposable system designed by Ken Kwok and Catherine Mui that is suppose to make it really easy to decipher what to throw where in the world of "sort this and throw this here and that goes there" recycling. They use very minimal and simple visual cues to clue you in on how to sort and recycle for the good of the Earth. 

This got me thinking. Recently, I have randomly taken snapshots of recycling bins and trucks that are going green. I'm not sure why, but I just kind of feel compelled to document how people, businesses and in general where the design of recycling and "going green" initiatives are headed. Here's a couple of my own pics. 

I have to say this is pretty stylish for Madison, Wi (Concourse Hotel). but what's the middle slot for?

Tabacon Grand in Costa Rica. Waste Not Basket. Well thought out but not really easy to use. It got a little messy and all twisted and mixed up after a few bottles, bags and paper trash went in. But love the idea that there are no plastic bin liners! That's really sorting it out green!

NYC, Frito Lay 100% electric delivery truck! 

NYC, This was conveniently parked in front of the Frito Lay truck. Fed Ex EarthSmart - low emission hybrid electric. Love seeing big companies make the move to go green! 

It is easy being green! As long as we all do our part! 

(hopefully I'll post more pictures and follow this as we move into more green initiatives!)