Category Archives: Sustainability

Aug 11 2011

20+ Amazing and Inspiring Ideas / Inventions

I’ve been thinking about how there are too many movies, video games, and fictional books being made these days. In this capitalistic society, we vote with our money on what we feel is important. Instead of curing diseases, creating renewable energy, or any other noble causes, we put more money and effort into items of entertainment. I can’t say that I am not to blame for this as well, but I think that it’s a shame.

It’s the thinking mentioned above that made this next slideshow all the more interesting to me today. Here I present to you 20+ amazing and inspiring ideas or inventions. They range from temperature sensing shower heads to wind powered bridges. They may not be the noble causes that I wish we’d focus more on, but at least they aren’t the next summer’s blockbuster movies.

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Aug 24 2010

2 Life-Changing Products (VIDEO)

I’m not sure why we’re not hearing more about what you are about to see. It could be that the ideas presented are large threats to the energy companies we’re so dependent on. Regardless to the reasoning, I think that these ideas need to spread faster than the Bed Intruder Song or CeeLo Green’s F**K You video.

The first video you are about to see was sent to me today from a fantastic company named PSFK. They send me new ideas every morning via their newsletter, which I highly recommend subscribing to. This video shows a scientist who makes turning our discarded plastic trash into oil look easy.

Hopefully I’m not the only one who can imagine the enormous potential. It may change the way we view garbage as well as the way we view oil production. Working for a plastic company, this could change the way I view our products.

Next, I’m sharing a video with you showing an idea that can rid us of our dependence on oil. The video was originally aired on the CBS show, 60 Minutes, in February. I am amazed by how little I’ve heard of it since then. I believe this to be one of the most substantial breakthroughs of my lifetime and hope that it lives up to what its creators are saying about it.

Consider the possibilities of a world where the Bloom Box and the Plastic-to-Oil Machine become widely used around the world. This is a world that I cannot wait to live in.

Jan 7 2010

Favorite Tweets of 2009

It’s no secret that I love using Twitter. I use my account for both personal and professional purposes. Twitter allows me to learn about innovative new products, business news, updates from friends, and a lot of laughs. So, with that being said, here are some of my favorite Tweets of 2009, each in less than 140 characters.

badbanana: If they don’t want us knocking down Popes, they shouldn’t make it look so fun.

CommunispaceCEO: http://ow.ly/NJUe Dee Hock on management – via @shelleykuipers – Great Article

hotdogsladies: Joining a Facebook group about creative productivity is like buying a chair about jogging.

adamisacson: Check it out! I’m texting while bicycli

artofmanliness: New documentary coming out: Emasculating Truth. looks good! http://bit.ly/5qp0Pc

abigvictory: Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck walk into a bestseller list. No punchline. The joke’s on us.

sween: They should make a Saw movie where the torture is to watch the other Saw movies.

mikearauz Interesting list of hot brands http://bit.ly/2hJ8rK via @miishi

joeschmitt: For Halloween I’m going as Facebook. Early on I’ll reintroduce a long lost friend, then bore you with which Scooby Doo villain they are.

PSFK: Piers Fawkes’ Future Trends 09 Presentation http://bit.ly/4FrVm1

shitmydadsays: “A mule kicked Uncle Bob once. Broke his ribs. He punched it in the face.. My point? You have an ingrown fucking toenail. Stop bitching.”

swampynomo: Hey Tiger ! Email is like herpes, you may not be able to see it but it never goes away.

badbanana: For $11, you can come to my house and watch me shave. The plot is a little weak, but the 3D effects are amazing.

JennyDeVaughn: Fortune’s 40 under 40 list http://bit.ly/1gR448

luckyshirt: It must get pretty crazy when the DJ tells the crowd to raise the roof at an Amish wedding.

sween: Some days I’d like to feel something… anything. But then I have to go to work.

badbanana: http://twitpic.com/kqjr5 – An assortment of seasonal grains.

Mashable – 5 Ways to Write Retweetable Tweets – http://bit.ly/ovkmw

Iconoculture – A $0 home energy bill by 2015. Possible? GE’s goal is to get us there http://bit.ly/QqsZT

Apr 1 2009

Going Green at Work

Picture this. A company posts its green initiatives all over its website. The company president tells an audience about its environmentally-friendly practices. Then, one day a member of that audience arrives at the company for a meeting. He is offered bottled water, but declines. He is then offered coffee, which he accepts, but it is served in a Styrofoam cup. And, he questions just how serious this company can be about going green.
[FULL STORY]

Mar 24 2009

Hi Wil – Green Marketing to Women

This is the fourth entry in my Hi Wil series of posts. (what I learned at Housewares International)

Green Marketing to Women. Presented by Frank About Women.

Green is the biggest movement of the near future.

There are 8 fundamental truths about women and being “Green.”

1. Women truly fuel the green movement, more so than men.
____a. Women are more likely to switch from their favorite brands to one that is more environmentally friendly.
____b. Women are more accepting of green messages and advertisements.
____c. Women are more likely to ask mass-market retailers to carry green products.
____d. Women are more likely to believe that buying green will make an impact on the environment.

2. Women truly believe in their purchasing power.
____a. The Big Green Purse is a great guide to help women buy green.
____b. Whole Foods is taking donations at the checkout for their green charity, “Whole Planet”.
____c. Key – Celebrate her ability to make a difference with her purchasing decision and keep making it easy for her to give back.

3. Women are motivated to buy green for themselves and for the globe. They do it to be more healthy as well as to help the environment.

4. Most women refuse to sacrifice ease and convenience for green benefits.

5. Understand her green value equation. Being green alone isn’t enough. Think impact + convenience + health. Wal-mart is leading the charge with making green products more affordable.

6. Women embrace green “all over” – across many categories and in every aspect of her life.

7. Don’t paint is green. She will know the difference. Actions count as much as words. Women believe that we are all in this together. Women expect that your green promise will extend past its marketing hype. Transparency is extremely important.

8. One size fits all simply doesn’t work. Not all women share the same drivers and motivation to buy green.

Listen to the audio from this presentation

Feb 18 2009

Bottles and Cups

The average person drinks 4,742 plastic bottles of water in a lifetime and the bottles take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. Only a small amount is actually recycled. Plus, it takes energy to create and ship the bottles to their destination.

On top of that, each year, Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam cups that cannot be recycled. That’s enough to circle the Earth 436 times.

I’ve just worked with a group to eliminate all styrofoam from our campus and I’m working on limiting the amount of water bottles used here as well. Hopefully others will join me in slowing down our consumption of these harmful items.