Tag Archives: Green/Sustainable

From Amazon to FedEx, this eco-friendly transport pod concept is the solution every shipping company needs!

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When you order a package online, it likely travels hundreds (maybe thousands) of miles to reach your doorstep. Until Tesla unveils a fleet of eco-friendly delivery trucks, designers should focus on smaller-scale solutions to reduce carbon emissions. For instance, you don’t need a gasoline-powered truck to drive through residential neighborhoods, stopping in-between each house. Instead of burning fossil fuels to travel those short distances, the POD electric-powered delivery vehicle offers an alternative solution.

The POD was designed for the final leg in a shipment’s journey. Its main draw is that it is easy to operate. It doesn’t require a license or insurance … in fact, it might be easier to ride than a standard two-wheel bike. (As someone who refused to take the training wheels off hers, I would confidently choose the POD’s three-wheel vehicle any day.) Additionally, the POD has placed its cargo hold in front of the bike’s pedals, a strategic choice to keep the packages secure during travel. The POD vehicle comes with its own cargo container, which clips into the flatbed. The container has two compartments: a shallow tray for long/thin items and a large rectangular box that stacks on top. The larger compartment also comes with removable dividers, allowing you to organize the items into five separate groups. According to Statista, Amazon was responsible for 45% of US eCommerce spending in 2019  – this number is sure to shoot up in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic shooing everyone from young to old into their homes. If a giant like Amazon decides to update their model of the ‘last mile delivery’ to this eco-friendly solution, the numbers should help you imagine the scale of the change this idea can make!

If the POD delivery vehicle enters mass-production, I could imagine it being adopted by a variety of companies: bike messengers, food-delivery drivers, postal service workers, and more. The product seems very easy to operate and inexpensive, allowing for easy integration into an existing business. These qualities, I think, set the POD apart from other clean-energy vehicles … and I would love to see this concept manifested into an actual product (or, at the very least, inspire other developers’ electric-powered designs).

Designer: Juan Jose Foc

This tiny greenhouse’s controlled microclimate shows why warming of even one degree is a big deal

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If you remember the movie Interstellar, you will recall that all the food on their dining table was made from corn – cornbread, corn side dish, whole corn kernels, etc. Why? Because climate change had made the conditions so catastrophic that the planet had only one viable crop left – corn. It also showed the frequent dust storms because the heat had killed the vegetation and now the wind could carry huge swaths of dust everywhere. “It is just a movie” is what we hear when we get a little stressed about climate change, but those scenes in the movie about having just one crop left and insane storms – that is an extremely realistic scenario and we are hurling towards it each time there is a rise of even 1 degree Celcius.

The design has a purpose to educate through interaction but it would be more interesting to see if the Studio set up different Hothouses showing how the temperature increase would impact other regions’ crops in comparison to the UK – the side by side comparison would help people grasp the global scale of disruption because otherwise it just looks like you get to have mangoes in the UK and that doesn’t sound “bad”. Scientists predict that air quality levels could be 5x times worse by 2050 and crop yields can decrease by 30% as temperatures rise towards a 4°C increase globally by the end of the century – to put it into context, the world is currently in a race against time to stop the temperature from increasing beyond 1.5°C because that could have life-threatening effects so 4°C is catastrophic. These changes will have a direct effect on all the crops inside the Hothouse so people can see the real-time evolution and effects of the world.

Designer: Studio Weave

It is hard for people to grasp how apocalyptic it will be through articles or movies, the easiest way is to show them the transition in real-time. 1 degree may not seem a lot when you go on the beach but a consecutive rise means death for agriculture and the collapse of entire ecosystems. Using experiential design as a medium, Studio Weave collaborated with garden designer Tom Massey to create the Hothouse which is a tiny greenhouse filled with edible tropical plants. The installation was made for the London Design Festival 2020 and is located in the International Quarter of London and provides a controlled habitat to grow specific plants that would not otherwise grow in the UK’s climate. The aim was to show the effects of climate change in a more tangible manner you can experience on an individual personal level.

The design highlights how local food in the UK will change with the rapidly growing temperatures – by 2050 tropical plants might become the norm and that is not an exciting thing. If the UK becomes a tropical zone, can you imagine what happens to actual tropical zones where most of the world’s vegetation and crops thrive? There will be a food shortage, more storms, wildfires, coastal flooding, and more. While it is hard to show that in an installation (most of us already experience it in real life with the recent wildfires and flooding), it lets people see how small temperature changes can change an entire country’s food consumption.

Studio Weave’s tiny tropical greenhouse wants to inspire and educate people about climate change and its choice of location has meaning too – the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was once dominated by greenhouses that allowed for the production of ornamental plants and flowers, and exotic fruits in the 1930s. The structure is a minimal redesign of the Victorian glasshouse and has a micro-climate that can be regulated to suit the plants inside. Currently, the Hothouse has crops like guava, orange, gourd, chia seed, avocado, pomegranate, quinoa, mango, sweet potato, lemon, sugarcane, chickpea, loquat, and pineapple. Changes in agriculture and food consumption patterns can change the global trade cycles – the Hothouse is a small example of how that could look for the UK.

“Amid the strangeness of the COVID era of the last few months, reduced human activity has produced what feels like a profound shift in the environment, progressing a much-needed dialogue that will hopefully translate into sustained action and change,” says Je Ahn, Studio Weave’s founder. “We hope this little Hothouse acts as a continual reminder of our fragile relationship with nature while allowing us to rediscover the simple and enriching pleasure of looking after beautiful plants.” Design is a powerful tool when it comes to combating climate change – it can help educate people, create products that are better for the environment, and also help us adapt to the changing times. The design community must use their skills and collaborate with interdisciplinary practices for innovative solutions that can help people seamlessly transition to a sustainable lifestyle.

This award-winning eco-friendly floss was designed to make flossing cost-effective, efficient and effortless!

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Sometimes we don’t realize but small parts of our routine tend to have a big environmental impact, for instance, floss is good for our teeth but it is terrible for the ocean and turns it into a plastic minefield. Most floss is made up of nylon which is biodegradable but another thing that makes it dangerous is that it is designed to not tear causing serious harm to ocean life. There are millions of miles of floss strings in the ocean and we need to switch to eco-friendly alternatives – there are a couple in the market but there is a demand for more innovative designs like the Phloss here.

Phloss is a refillable flossing aid that has a string suspended between two prongs. These prongs not only maintain the tension of the string but also reduce the effort required by your arms which makes flossing more effortless, efficient, and quick. Phloss was created to speed up the cleaning process without compromising on quality after the reduced dexterity. Since it is refillable, there is a waste management system designed for the compostable floss strings. “These refills are delivered to people using a subscription service, the used floss refills can be sent back to the manufacturer for industrial composting, utilizing waste material and following a circular economy,” elaborates Boyle. Flossing removes 80% of plaque from the teeth and is vital to our personal hygiene so it is essential to find a sustainable alternative instead of giving up this good habit. Dental products often have a short life span and Phloss aims to close one of its most notorious loops.

Boyle conducted research, where he dived into factors like user experience, sustainability, cost, and effectiveness of existing floss alternatives like Quip’s refillable floss, oral irrigator, dental floss, interdental brush, and floss pick. After addressing the pain points, he took the best parts of all these existing alternatives to craft Phloss and was mindful of making it an inclusive design. He then created several prototypes before landing on a final version which had an ergonomic build, smooth curves, good grip, and clean aesthetics that didn’t distract from its purpose. The same aesthetic mood board was also applied to the packaging of the refills because it is an important part of the overall product-service, the success of the product depends on every detail of the user experience and interaction.

Phloss’ aim was to make the flossing accessible and desirable while being eco-conscious. Boyle’s ‘take back’ system gives the manufacturers valuable compost for a range of agricultural applications. It is designed for mass manufacturing which makes it easier for people to quickly switch to eco-friendly options. The packaging will also reflect its goal to be eco-friendly and the product will come in a fully recyclable cardboard tube while refills will arrive in compostable envelopes. There are so many little changes we can make that go beyond the bamboo toothbrushes or reusable cups to truly be a step closer to living sustainably. Understanding this, Phloss also won the Joseph Joseph Brilliantly Useful Design Award at New Designers Awards 2020!

Designer: Charlie Boyle

Problem Solving

Design Process

This James Dyson award-winning sleeping aid uses an OLED screen to help you destress + fall asleep

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To fall asleep at night, I imagine my bed turning into a hammock, swinging somewhere on a sandy beach. It typically does the trick, but when it doesn’t, I can usually chalk it up to my anxiety or sleep apnea. Receiving 2020’s James Dyson Award, Nocturnal, designed by Alexander Braga, is an interactive sleeping aid that specifically aims to help insomnia sufferers. With user-defined technological and personalized features, this design solution makes restful sleep possible. On this point, Braga says, “Nocturnal combines both digital and beautiful design, language and form to improve sleep quality for insomniacs as a sustainable solution for the future.”

Surrounding the bed is an OLED, a film of an organic compound, emitting light, which bridges digital solutions with the human experience. The OLED screen is the sleeping aid’s primary charm and uses rollable, flexible technology in order to envelop the top half of your body and project images from the depths of your most peaceful, relaxing imagination. By promoting the beneficial and curated use of Artificial Intelligence, stressors such as anxiety and depression can be managed. Through research and conducted interviews, Alexander Braga concluded, “Dreams have always fascinated me and I wanted to add this celestial component, in combination with beautiful aesthetics to completely change the way we as humans sleep. I had looked into current bed sizes, ergonomic considerations through interaction and resting positions, and sustainable material selections. Once I achieved a better understanding of traditional sleeping habits, I looked into accessible technology that could stimulate our senses to fall asleep and provide the user with a dreamland sensation.”

Each component of the bed and its features are made up of entirely natural materials, enhancing the design’s appeal to sustainability. Additionally, the bed frame mimics the shape of a sailboat which will only enrich the user’s imagination. While these aspects certainly augment Nocturnal’s commitment to optimal rest, the defining feature is the design’s interactive programming. Nocturnal integrates haptic sensors and voice recognition technology in order to help maintain an intimate relationship with sleep, through visual, touch, and verbal feedback. Furthering that relationship, the underlying haptic sensors, inside Nocturnal’s mattress, adjusts to your body’s distinct contour, providing you with ideal comfort levels before falling asleep. Living with anxiety himself, Braga designed Nocturnal in order to supply those of us who suffer from varying mental stressors with a good night’s rest because sleeping’s for everyone, Nocturnal makes sure of it.

Designer: Alexander Braga

A 100% biodegradable adhesive-free shoe you can fully disassemble + compost in your backyard!

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At the back of our minds, we all want to make some difference to the deteriorating environment, and we do a thing or two consciously to prove a point. But one thing that we’ve all been doing otherwise – knowingly or unknowingly, there aren’t many options you’d argue – is using a pair of sneakers made from plastic or rubber. According to researchers, a pair of joggers you wear for the morning run takes upward of 30 years to decompose completely. While there is no clear definition of what makes a shoe sustainable, there are companies such as Adidas, Allbirds, and a few others, trying to build sneakers with recycled materials to address the issue – but it’s just not enough!

Almost every pair of shoes currently being billed as sustainable uses some recycled or biodegradable materials. However, a strong adhesive is used to join these materials, which makes separating them difficult – leading to issues in end of life management. Designer Rik Olthuis from the Massey University of New Zealand has thought of a very innovative shoe design to overcome this lapse in eco-friendliness of footwear dubbed sustainable. The Voronoi Runners are made from 100-percent biodegradable materials, each of which can be separated easily at end of life to be composted. The result is a pair of sneakers you can wear and when done; you can separate each part of the shoe and send it down your backyard/kitchen compost to one day be used as manure for your garden – nothing remains behind, the Earth can breathe lighter and you can jog with your head held high.

The main structure of Voronoi Runners is 3D printed using a robust, flexible biodegradable filament used to create the outsole and the midsole. The polyurethane foam is replaced by biodegradable alternative foam made using gelatine and glycerine, which offers comfy cushioning to the foot. Using 3D printing to create the midsole allows the Voronoi Runners to adapt to the individual wearer’s foot. The toe and heel caps printed from plant fibers add substance and shape to the Merino wool upper of the trainers that are also comfortable for everyday use. To eliminate the use of adhesive, the shoes are sewn using organic cotton thread and finished off with linen laces. This makes the Voronoi Runners easy to be dismantled fully and composted responsibly. Check out an on-foot video of the Voronoi below to get a hang of it.

Designer: Rik Olthuis

This triangle-shaped food-waste processor fits perfectly in the corner of your kitchen

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A common problem in smaller households (and I’m fairly familiar with this as someone who lives on his own) is that the garbage bag never fills up in one day. Having fewer people live in a house obviously means lesser waste created on a day-to-day basis, which means it takes a good 3-4 days to really fill up your trash before you chuck it out.

Rather than living with that old, rancid, smelly trash for 3-4 days, the Alone food-waste processor helps provide a discreet way of disposing of small amounts of food at a time. Its unique right-angled triangular shape helps it easily fit into a corner of your kitchen, and its tall design makes it easy to remove the waste-bin and chuck your stuff in without bending over too much. The Alone food-waste processor then proceeds to break down your food, turning it from waste into a harmless, odorless, nutrient-rich fertilizer you can use in your own backyard or kitchen-garden. A heating plate at the base helps accelerate the composting process, breaking food down into a crumbly mulch as little as 30 days (instead of the regular 5-6 months), while an air outlet on the top helps let gases on the inside escape, but not before passing it through a HEPA and Activated Carbon filter to take out those microorganisms and odor molecules, keeping your kitchen odor-free and safe!

Designers: Designer Dot & Hyeona Cho

An electric bamboo food steamer to keep traditional cooking techniques alive and you healthy!

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To maintain healthy habits during quarantine, I have taken to steaming my food, as it is one of the healthiest methods of cooking. But what is the advantage of using the Bamboo Food Steamer? First off, bamboo steamers have been a staple in Chinese cuisine for over 5,000 years. They consist of stackable layers with slatted bottoms, making it possible to cook multiple items simultaneously. The bamboo also absorbs excess steam, which keeps vegetables from becoming too soggy. As a bonus: the Bamboo Food Steamer promotes environmentally-friendly practices in addition to healthy eating because, unlike trees, bamboo stalks grow back after being cut and require minimal effort from their farmers.

The Bamboo Food Steamer takes these pros and adapts them into a modern cooking tool. Compared to traditional bamboo steamers, this product is cleaner, more portable, and easily accessible for consumers who are less familiar with Chinese culture and cooking techniques. The steamer seems very-user friendly, as it only has one control: a circular LED timer. Simply plug in the device, set your timer- no extra on/off switch needed. These small touches make the Bamboo Food Steamer the easiest purchase you could make in order to support healthy and environmentally-sustainable choices.

Designers: Max Mysechko and Artemiy Drobyazko from Qvarta

Mercedes-Benz’ new electric scooter has a mileage of over 3100 miles – hello zero emissions!

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As we continue to move towards a cleaner and sustainable future, automakers around the world are doing their best to switch over to electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz has spent the past couple of years developing electric mobility concepts and it has finally unveiled its own fully-electric scooter which accelerates our zero-emissions journey – at least for short distances and especially for city dwellers. Longevity is at the core of this e-scooter, it uses high-quality components and materials to give the user a mileage of over 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) which allows for more freedom when it comes to micro-mobility solutions.

Mercedes-Benz has launched this EV in collaboration with a Swiss scooter specialist, Micro, to make this e-scooter sleek, strong, and efficient. It features an electric motor with a maximum 500 W power which allows the scooter to accelerate to a speed 20 km/h (permitted in Germany) while the 7.8 Ah battery gives a range of up to 25 kilometers. This lets users travel with speed, comfort, and security. The kickboard is wide enough to have plenty of room for both feel and has a non-slip coating for more stability. The e-scooter has front + rear suspension and comes with 20 cm diameter rubber wheels that effortlessly handle uneven surfaces like cobblestones making it ideal for short urban commutes.

The electric scooter also features a retractable steering column that is adjustable to the rider’s height making it a popular option in the market. The handlebars are ergonomically designed with the accelerator on the right and brake on the left as well as an integrated bell. It has a rear drum brake and a foot brake on the protective plate for added riding security. The compact scooter also includes front and rear lights along with the side reflectors so the user can ride it in traffic at any time of the day. There is a display in the center that shows the speed, battery level, and riding mode – this is also all synced to the user’s mobile app for the electric scooter.

The best part is that you can fold the Mercedes-Benz e-scooter using a simple mechanism operated with just a press of the foot. To make it more streamlined and easy to carry, the handlebars also fold down. The e-scooter weighs around 29 lbs (13.5 kg) making it portable and convenient. Let’s kickstart our zero-emissions journey with a touch of a luxury automaker!

Designer: Mercedes-Benz

This natural eco-friendly deodorant will safely biodegrade with its packaging in 10 weeks

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Every aspect of the Wellow deodorant was designed with a cradle-to-grave mindset. Whether it’s the ingredients inside the container, the container itself, or even the information printed on the container with ink… the guys behind the Wellow realize that a product shouldn’t just make its users happy, it should make the planet happy too. Meet Wellow, a solid deodorant made from hand-poured natural ingredients (with zero sulfates, parabens, toxins, or unwanted chemicals), encased in a paper tube made from 95% recycled paper, glued with water-soluble adhesives, and printed with plant-based ink. The fact that it’s a solid deodorant means it also uses 80% less water than liquid deodorants, and lasts much longer too.

Striking a balance between traditional and modern, between self-hygiene and planet-hygiene, the Wellow deodorant bases itself on an au-naturel recipe that uses only nature-based ingredients like shea-butter, coconut oil, beeswax, arrowroot powder, and 6 other environmentally safe ingredients in its deodorant-base. The sticks are safe enough for your skin, providing 24-hours of odor-busting protection, and are safe enough for the soil too (you can quite literally compost the entire Willow in 10 weeks). Willow’s scents include Activate Charcoal, Coconut + Vanilla, Bergamot + Citrus, along with a scent-free option for people with sensitive skin or noses. The entire deo-stick comes packaged in an all-paper tube, made from 95% FSC-certified recycled paper, and lasts through 3 full months of daily use before running out. When it does, feel free to just throw the tube into a compost pit or even in your backyard. Nature will absorb the ingredients and break down the packaging into dirt in just under 70 days.

Designer: Wellow

This $65,000 tiny house on wheels is made with eco-friendly materials for sustainable home owners!

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Back with yet another tiny home I am currently dreaming about – the Natura by The Tiny Housing Co! The tiny house movement promotes living sustainably, you use only what you need in terms of resources and space which doesn’t hinder your quality of life and also allows enough time for nature to complete its replenishing cycle. Natura is a wonderful example of the best to come out of the tiny house movement, it is an environmentally friendly home on wheels! “As negative as pandemic has been throughout the world, a positive thing that’s come from it is people have really come to realize that nature is important to people’s lives,” says Smith-Burchnell, Founder and Director of The Tiny Housing Co.

One of my favorite things about tiny homes is the loft-style beds because they give you a little private cozy corner and that is exactly how the bedroom in Natura is set up. It has a multifunctional king-sized bed with plenty of storage under the frame. The bedroom also has a single large window that makes it more spacious and allows for a lot of natural light to flood your top floor. The space optimization goes beyond the bedroom, there are many built-in spaces for you to put the things you own like under the stairs as well as in the walls! The choice of materials for exterior and interior has been kept in line with the eco-friendly mission – there is wood paneling on the exterior, a thick corkboard layer on the front to add a defining feature that doubles as a breathable, fire-retardant area by the bedroom. The house is well insulated because of the natural materials chosen. Natura also features 1000W pre-installed solar panels as well as an Energy Recovery Ventilator which helps to remove excess humidity, filters the air, and removes stale air while keeping your home warm. Like a modern house, it includes an elegant glass double door which doubles up as a glass wall that keeps the living area well lit and house plant-friendly. To add to the spaciousness, it also includes an outdoor deck – since the house is on wheels you can always change the view!

Natura is ready to move in as soon as you receive it and comes fitted with A++ energy-efficient appliances like a 2-hob induction cooker, fridge freezer, electric oven, extractor fan, under-sink water filter plus a bathroom with a large shower. “Small space, less waste, high-thermal efficient insulation & ERV system and super energy-efficient appliances means you’ll spend a fraction on bills if any. Use of corkboard reduces harmful VOCs, formaldehyde or other chemicals to be required in your home,” elaborates the team. While luxurious tiny homes are nothing new, not many combine luxury with sustainability like Natura.

Designer: The Tiny Housing Co

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