(So, i haven’t posted in a while.. sorry… i meant to post this 6 months ago haha)

“I just want to stick my hand in hot sauce and sweet sauce at the saame time!”

~Jince (By this time on our drive back, my brain was so fried I had no idea what the hell he was talking about)…

So Project H came to UC yesterday and OFCOURSE  jince and I took a trip down (and skipped work) from our Columbus location. An hour and a half later, (after I found my book!) Emily and Matt showed up on McMicken lawn with their nice and shiny trailer. It almost blinds you to look at it!

Yesterday totally took a lot out of me. It was inspiring to see so many people there, especially people who were waiting to get in the trailer, and people at the talk.

Things in this picture  are all things that really excite me, but I felt like it was really weird that I felt so frustrated last night! I don’t know exactly what it was(…)

^^^^^^^

Okay. So I started writing this post a week or two ago. and I forgot all my frustrations/ feelings. but I am ready to write again. Don’t mean to blabbidy blab on- but I think that it is due time for me to process some of the thoughts that have been swimming around my head for a while.

Whenever I mention the words “social design” to someone (especially designers), I kind of get the bug-eyed look like okayy “your some hippy person, that stuff I’m not really interested in to” etc. etc. Which is totally okay, I understand everyone has different interests. But even explaining that word to people, it doesn’t really feel right yet and I’m still trying to figure it out– i still get that feeling of pretentiousness saying its design for “the developing world”, (generally now I kind of stick to developing water systems, education systems, etc.). Especially with volunteering, going abroad– I have been hammered with the “oh-your-so-young-and-naive” kind of look. I think very recently, with school, new orleans project, back to co-op I actually have gotten a little overwhelmed with social design. Even seeing Emily’s tour (which really was great!), I even heard a few people mention the same thing “oh , so young and optimistic.” (Optimistic is said here in the narrow-eyed kind of way) . I think recently I started becoming kind of pessimistic myself.

I couldn’t believe I was thinking this–but it was something like, “Okay okay, I get it, it’s another product that saves a life in Africa.” Which is not to discredit the accomplishment of these things. But last week felt this incredible disconnect with the term “social design” and the omnipotent connotations it has. So what does this mean for me?  I think I need to rehash what it is I love about design…problem solving?

For now, I am feeling a little separated from the term “third-world” design- and even at work, the “first-world” design of changing colors of a client’s product in photoshop (ugh i guess it’s intern work, right?). (I’ve found what I am really sucky at/need to work at– styling and sketchinggg), But what I really love and get excited about is solving problems (please no more photoshopping)…

I can’t remember all what i was thinking back then (April 29, 2010) so I will leave this post hanging.

Really interesting stuff, I’m really excited about this quarter! (It’s moving too fast though. grunt)

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/photo/2010-haiti/index.html?hp

Haiti relief is really crazy. I’ve been glimpsing at pictures on nytimes, and here and there at npr.org.. and it really puts all the shit that i think is crazy in my life in perspective… I want to start something with SBC soooon!  Donate money to the red cross, and think of ways you can help out!

IDEO’s toolkit looks into “Human Centered Design”– looking for new solutions for today’s world problems for communities in need… “hear, create and discover” are three things they stress. Head over to IDEO to get a good (free) look at their really long pdf.

Mmk, so where do we begin class…

The first company I thought of was product/project RED… You know, at first, you can’t help but be amazed at how successful their marketing/branding campaign is. Pretty genius how they incorporate RED (including just the letters) into.. basically everything.

One thing that really inspired me to do research this project is watching Izzie Zahorian’s presentation on “Designing Something They can Believe In Again…” She focused on making sure that a companies’ values and beliefs branch out to customers and are powerful and important. Oh yeah, don’t forget… the most important thing is facility transparency.  Although RED advertises for a great cause, it’s transparency on how full flegged their commitment/ their claims to donate “help people with HIV/AIDS” is pretty questionable. On their site.. you don’t really know where your money is going do you?

buylesscrap.com argues that donating directly to The Global Fund without consuming creates more of an impact.

“The recent questions about the effectiveness of RED’s business model suggest that consumers, when buying certain RED products, cannot exactly know how much money makes it to charity. Additionally, there is the concern about how much money has been spent on RED’s partners. Hence, RED is experiencing its first crisis as a brand: lack of consumer confidence. ”

3 steps suggesting to gain back confidence include:

“1. Let consumers know what has been spent, by whom, and on what.

2. Replace current models that do not make it clear how much money goes to Global Fund.

3. Make it possible and easier to donate money to Global Fund directly – without making a purchase.

Although I feel bad for criticizing them, and I feel that working with such large corporations is hard to successfully pull something off that is 100% genuine… I still think that if there is all this kind of scrutiny… that means that not all of their customers are convinced. If they want to successfully build brand loyalty, and build a meaningful relationship.. they need to clarify their corporate transparency.

But after looking into it, there are so many corporations that have continued to develop their community/care image… 

(Pampers,  Tide total care, Starbucks, Dawn, Hasbro Cares (Project Zambi))

Which of them are 100% genuinely following through.. I don’t know.. but I guess it’s important to see/show that more and more companies find it important to explore these areas. Plus. hey. isn’t it awesome to slab a cute seal on a packaging and make more money for your company?

so which company gives the damn the most? i mean … which one is most convincing?

and the winner is…

JOHNSON AND JOHNSON

well. okay okay. maybe they have a 1up because they focus on health care products. But still! it’s pretty impressive that they have a reputation and an image for caring more for people.. than profit. what is most exciting is how much of that stuff they publish… Their initiatives all put on reports on their websites.. open.. out there…. downloadable.. transparent to the public.

So how can FP do something similarly successful with toys? I’m hoping that I don’t just slap a “we’ll donate money” sticker on an existing toy. Common…. Design thinking! Break!

Then after my guilty conscious kicked in.. that hey, I probably should be doing work.. at work.. (and since they have nothing to give me to do..) I’m going to start a personal project! Guesses as to what this is?

Well, all I can tell you now is that of course I’m going to try and tie it all to something Good. It’s so strange how tired I was this morning, and now I have this sudden rush of energy to research and find out products that do something socially good.  Even if I just leave here having a presentation on a concept, I will be completely happy.

Sources so far definitely include IDEO’s Human Centered Design Toolkit.

gah. why didn’t i start this earlier?!!

“fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better.”

It sometimes is hard to have the self motivation to take the stairs, or recycle things, or pick up stuff off the ground and throw it in the trashcan. The fun theory shows how something simply designed to be fun, can really change something for good.  The results are pretty amazing!  (my favorite being the piano stairs– who doesn’t want to play on those? [and the bottle game]).. Why aren’t these everywhere?

head over to www.thefuntheory.com, brainstorm/ enter a contest or watch these!

Hope these make you smile!

Anywho. Good.Is has been launching their top 100 list. and I haven’t read all of them… but it’s definitely a list worth checking out. www.good.is

One thing I thought was particularly interesting was “Cola Life”… I think I have blogged about this a while back (maybe in Spring) and I posted a video.. but this week Coca-Cola has been coming up a lot… I watched a TED video earlier this week (hm i guess it was last week)  and the guy rory sutherland said that coke was really one of the most democratic products out there.

“Warhol said about Coke, ‘What I really like about Coca-Cola is that the president of the United States can’t get a better Coke than a bum on the corner of the street.’ …It’s actually a remarkable achievement to make something that democratic.” http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html

It is really quite amazing how true it is. and if you think about how “advanced” Coke’s infrastructure is to deliver their products to a lot of developing countries, how can we harness that power to deliver ‘social products’, such as oral rehydration salts, to the people who need them desperately? This could be done by incorporating an ‘aidpod‘ into Coca-Cola crates…. I’m not exactly sure what exaactly would go in there, but still it is really interesting to produce a solution that co-exists with Coke’s delivery system.

There are other very significant benefits from moving from focussing on distributing a particular product (ORS with hygiene and sanitation educational materials). Among these are:

1. It allows the essential local determination of what is distributed and when. Needs will vary from location to location and from season to season and what is distributed MUST be determined locally by those with the long term responsibility for public health care;
2. It potentially allows the idea to be replicated across the World after successful local trials;
3. It also dis-associates the Coca-Cola product/brand with a particular ’social product’ which is likely to enable a wider range of products to be distributed.

the explanation is kind of long, but if you want to see it:

COLA LIFE OBJECTIVES

To engage Coca-Cola in exploring the viability and options for using their distribution networks in developing countries to distribute ‘social products’ such as oral rehydration salts (ORS) and related educational materials on health, hygiene and sanitation.

To help engage an appropriate international NGO, or NGOs, to partner with Coca-Cola at a global level and local levels on this initiative.

To support Coca-Cola and its partners in modelling different scenarios which combine Coca-Cola’s distribution network with local health initiatives in order to achieve our aims.

Well on the rest of the list…

Hats off to Emily Pilloton + Project H who made the list…  it’s really kind of interesting to see how much she has made an impact the past  what two or three years?

Will continue throughout the week with more Good. IS

^the picture is a little creepy and a little cult-ish, but I stole it from Jonze’s blog himself .

Oh oh oh. well first I guess I can write about my experience seeing Where the Wild things Are! ^ total trip becoming nostalgia. It was veryy dark, and I think I was the only one laughing in the theatre when Douglas got his arm torn off . But being such a highly anticipated movie by me, I can proudly say that one of my favorite directors, Spike Jonze did not disappoint . The monster’s were just soo great, and even though there was not much plot (many complain about)… I really didn’t mind.

Although he has no children of his own, his feeling for what it’s like to be a child seems to be stronger and more immediate than that of most people his age, and children are often drawn to him. Catherine Keener, who was nominated for an Oscar for her work in “Being John Malkovich” and who plays a divorced mother in “Where the Wild Things Are,” told me that her 10-year-old son, Clyde, once asked her why Jonze didn’t live with his parents; apparently Clyde didn’t realize that Jonze was an adult.

^(from NYTimes Magazine 9.09)

On other notes, I have been trying to think about the future. Getting a different co-op, whether I wanna study abroad, etc. etc. Even though I have all this free time, i think it is even harder to focus than when I am busy and have one thing to do after another. Plus, I have to somehow convince my mom that I am going to El Salvador… this includes research, topographical maps of my location, nearest hospitals and exit routes, and the safest medical insurance that will fly me in and out of the country etc, etc. On one hand, I understand her regular concern (being a mom) and letting me go to some developing country while I have this weird stomach thing. But honestly, (this is my thinking) … I want to travel anyways, and even though these countries aren’t where she ideally would want to go… I have to make the decision on my own at some point right… ?

Oh well I better get on all that research stuff.

plus portfolio galor.

ugh why does it have to be nice outside today?

These are my favorites of the bunch. Even though they are so simple, I think that’s what I like most about it.

click here for the jump:

http://www.toby-ng.com/graphic-design/the-world-of-100/

Nepalese teen Invents cheap Solar Panel using human hair::Did you know that melanin, the pigment in hair, is light sensitive and can be used as a conductor? Well, that’s what an 18 year old in Nepal recently discovered, and is now using human hair to replace silicon in solar panels. Since the price of hair is considerably cheaper than silicon, this enterprising youth may have just found abreakthrough technology to help bring down the cost of solar and give thousands of people in developing nations access to affordable renewable energy.

Wow. well this is cool! And.. also. kinda gross.

but that’s okay. I still am very impressed.

The panels themselves are 15 inches square and can produce 9V or 18W of power and cost around $38 to produce. Karki thinks that if they were mass produced though, they would cost half as much. In Nepal, human hair costs about 25¢ for half a kilo and can last for several months. Hair is also basically a renewable resource and can be replenished by the owner of the solar panel as it wears out. This low cost and low tech device could be a revolutionary step in solar power bringing down the cost of the technology, bringing power to the masses and using materials which are common to everyone in the  world.

click here for the jump:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/09/nepalese-teen-invents-cheap-solar-panel-using-human-hair/#more-60436

In Hindi the word “chulha” means stove, but for millions of low-income people in developing countries, a stove is a pile of stones heated by an open wood- or cow-dung-burning fire in their homes. This method of cooking poses a serious health hazard: indoor air pollution resulting from the burning of biomass fuels is a leading cause of respiratory diseases. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that 1.6 million people — mostly women and children, who are more likely to cook or to be confined in the home while cooking is done — die annually from indoor air pollution; India alone accounts for 25 percent of such deaths. That’s why Philips’s Philanthropy by Design unit, working with the company’s Indian office and the organization ARTI (Appropriate Rural Technology Institute), chose for its first project to create a stove that wouldn’t taint the air. “The goal was a low-tech, low-cost, low-smoke device that respects local traditions and culinary habits,” says Simona Rocchi, senior director for sustainable design at Philips and a member of the core design team for the Chulha project, which won the 2009 INDEX Award in the Home category.

The Chulha is a simple, modular concrete-block stove covered in brown clay. It features two potholes: one for circulating hot air for steamed foods such as rice, and the other for heating flat pans holding chipati (fried bread) and similar dishes. The modular format was chosen to facilitate production, assembly, installation and the replacement of parts. As the design progressed, two models of the Chulha emerged to accommodate different income levels: one version priced at 9 to 11 Euros ($13.10 to $16) has a double oven and hotbox; a pricier model, at 13 to 15 Euros ($18.90 to $21.80), includes a steamer. Both stoves feature a decorative pattern common in India, which could be described in marketing terms as a lifestyle upgrade. After all, notes Rocchi, “Design solutions for poor people don’t have to be ugly.”

Well, this is particularly interesting to me because it definitely reminds me of my time in Guatemala– making stoves for women within the village that would be cooking several hours during the day and be exposed to dangerous smoke and dangerous fires in the corner of a mud room.

BEFOREI guess it kind of makes me nostalgic, working in that room installing something as basic as a brick stove… and seeing those Guatemalan kids– who were simply happy with kicking around a bucket.

^ us Americans with the family, making the stove.

AFTER

I guess what was most surprising to me was actually seeing that something this basic was so impactful and important for a family like this. The man who we worked with, Margarito, said that many children and women get hurt or even die from the fire because it is normally not contained. It really made me think of the things I use every day, and how many of these people have to take such a risk doing such seemingly simple tasks.

What is really cool is that it’s not just something that is being given to people. One of the most important things I learned is that in order for change to really happen, people have to be given a solution that is sustainable and that they can continue growing on their own without outside help::

Another goal of the project is to enable local people and entrepreneurs — especially women-run enterprises — to produce and sell the Chulha, based on a special training kit and open-source manufacturing plans made available by Philips. An estimated 1,000 new stoves will be distributed over the next year in Puna, India, to test the product and its social impact, and a second pilot project will begin soon in Bangalore. Rocchi says reduced-smoke stoves could be applied in Bangladesh and Pakistan — countries that have culinary traditions similar to India’s, but substantial adaptations would be required to fit the particular cuisines and rounder house shapes (necessitating a different kind of chimney) of potential users in Latin America and Africa.

here for the jump::

http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=10717