Citi Bike NYC...The Good, The Bad,The Should, The Could

The big news in the Big Apple this week is the launch of the Citi Bike share program. If you are in NYC, you may have seen the racks being installed in the past few weeks and the bikes being delivered this past weekend with the intention of a memorial day launch. Bike sharing is a big effort towards sustainability in transportation in major cities around the world. New York is not the first to implement bike sharing. 

The Good

• get's New Yorker's moving...physically
• gridlock? grab a bike!
• no room for a bike in your NY size apartment, just use Citi Bike
• looking for something to do on a nice spring/summer day? Bike it! 
• Grab a bike here, return it to the nearest Bike Share stand wherever you end up. 
• Membership has it's privileges

The Bad

• membership and passes can get pricey - especially with a $101 security hold on your credit card with each ride
• disruptive installment of Bike Share stations in inappropriate locations...in front of residential and commercial buildings, blocking access to buidlings, near "local" bike shops, in already crowded parking spaces, in "sidewalks" meant for pedestrians...
• no helmets...although if you become an annual member you can get $10 off a helemt. Woohoo! I foresee a big helmet requirement petition coming soon
• you have to check your bike in at a station every 30 or 45 minutes, depending on your plan, or pay a fine
• there are lots of $10 fees for when things go wrong
• there's no bike lock if you want to stop in a store and there's no station around
• all bikes are exactly the same - designed by Public Bike System Company (PBSC, also known as Bixi) 
• if the bike is lost, stolen, or damaged you will be charged
• oh, and there's tax on top of everything
• Hipsters already have their own bike
• p.s. One bike was already stolen while the delivery guys were loading them into the stations

 The Should Have

• involved the residents and community in planning station locations
• crowdsourced bike  designs from New Yorkers
• made the bikes in New York by local bike shops, or at least even in the USA like Bike Nation USA
• promotional deals for launch month
• created a bike event for charity launching the Bike Share system - a ride with resident celebrity New Yorkers

The Could Still

• service of the bikes should be outsourced to local bike shops
• local bike shops should be able to sell discounted memberships to their customers
• crowdsource local artists and designers to decorate and design bikes 
• talk to the actual people in the communities and LISTEN
• create a bike event for charity launching the Bike Share system - a ride with resident celebrity New Yorkers

What do you think? Will you be taking the Citi Bike out for a spin this summer?

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! 

More Screwing With Booze

Back in March we posted a Blips about The Next Wave In Soda Packaging: AluminumBottles. Well, it seems to be a hot topic right now in beverage packaging. I'm sure you have all seen screw top wines popping up at liquor stores and restaurants. It used to something you would only find on cheap wines or on airplanes because the screw top could withstand the cabin pressure. Now with cork forests being depleted by the wine industry, aluminium is the next and best alternative. There is a trend to go "screw top".

A study by Wine Business Monthly found growing consumer acceptance of screw-top wines. 

“The usage of screw caps continues to be boosted by an increasing impression among wine makers that consumers’ opinions of the closures are improving. And although natural corks remain the most widely used closure – 78% of responding wineries use natural cork for at least part of their 750ml bottles – alternatives are being used more for low- and mid-priced wines, and are now even being considered for use with wines at price-points of $25 and above.”

There are a number of reasons that ROPP closures are being applied in ever increasing numbers in the wine, spirits, soft drink, and beer industries. These include:

• Greater shelf appeal through the wide variety of colors and styles – product differentiation
• Improved product protection in terms of taste – superior barrier protection against oxygen ingress and carbonation loss
• Tamper-evident protection provided through the integral pilfer band
• Brand protection from counterfeiting through the use of non-refillable fitments
• Price stability and assured supply versus the limited availability of high-quality natural corks
• Flexibility – can be used for hot-fill, carbonated, or retort applications
• Containers can be resealed – which cannot be done with crown closures or corks

So next time you are picking out a bottle of wine, don't be turned off by the screw cap, it's jsut as good if not better. And recycle the top and you'll feel even better about your buzz. 

(via Food and Beverage Packaging)

Gucci With A Conscience

"Gucci has introduced a line of leather handbags that don’t contribute to deforestation. The eco versions of its Jackie, Hobo, and Tote bags each come with a passport that details the life of the cow that was used to make it, from its birth to the final product." (PSFK)

"Crafted exclusively from cattle on Rainforest Alliance-certified ranches, the process ensures that grazing cows have in no way affected the lush (and fast-disappearing) Brazilian landscape–and that the animals, themselves, have been treated in an ethical way.

But the project goes beyond a capsule collection of handbags: In addition to making this major milestone for green-friendly fashion, Gucci will donate €50,000 (approximately $65,100) to the National Wildlife Federation to aid in its anti-deforestation work. Says Gucci creative director Frida Giannini, “Through our sustainability, humanitarian and philanthropic actions, we would like Gucci to not just be synonymous with Made in Italy, but also Made with integrity.” With these latest stints in particular, we’d say the iconic brand is achieving that and then some." (Fashionista)

Okay, this isn't completely cruelty-free since it is still leather, but you have to give props for luxury that cares.  

Edible Packaging Proves These Burgers Are Irresistible (video)

"To tie in with a campaign that boasted their burgers are irresistible and customers can’t wait to eat them, fast food chain Bob’s in Brazil offered customers edible packaging.Comunicadores reports that agency NBS created the packaging, which was provided in the restaurants for a limited time." (PSFK)

In the past, we have posted about edible packages, but most companies that are creating edible packages are doing it to leave less of a carbon foot print - not to promote the eagerness to indulge. I like the idea that they have taken out the sustainability and waste factor and driven the message to irresistible burgers. This is a refreshing way to look at how to present edible packaging to a consumer group who could probably care less about the wrapper - they just want a good burger. 

Mountain Dew + Burton = The Greenest Collabo, Green Mountain Project (video)

This is a cool and unexpected collaboration between a soft drink company and a performance gear brand to create a more sustainable environment and collection of apparel. I especially like how they turn plastic bottles in to awesome Burton jackets...very Willy Wonka! 

This is a great way to bring attention to millennials who care about sustainability in a fun way with brands they are familiar with and rank high on the "coolness" level. Knowing this, I am more likely to buy these brands when given a choice. What about you? 

Velopresso, For The Love Of Coffe And Pedal Power

I bet there was a lot of highly caffeinated coffee consumed during the design, development, and trials of the Velopresso. Created by two London Royal College of Art product design graduates, "Velopresso is a celebratory fusion of human power, sensory pleasures and technology -- old tech with hi-tech, bicycles and coffee, their engineering and aesthetics. The result is an innovative pedal-powered mobile coffee-making machine for off-grid selling of quality espresso and its derivatives with a compact footprint and near silent ultra-low carbon human-powered operation -- fine coffee, no electricity, no motors, no noise."

It would be great to see the food truck revolution take on this more sustainable approach.