Archive for the 'green' Category

Method Omop Starter Kit Bamboo Packaging

April 12th, 2008 by sauce

San Francisco-based Method has revamped the packaging for its popula Omop floor sweeper keit and Omop microfiber accessory pads.

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Made specifically for Method from a combination of paper and bamboo the new brown packaging has an attractive unfinished quality to it – totally unique next to other products packaged in clear clamshells with bright labeling.

The packaging has a minimal quality to it that alone provides it a creative advantage – you want to look at the packaging, touch it and find out what is in it.

The packaging is both compostable and recyclable (mixed paper) and its creation has an interesting story behind it.

The idea for the new design came out of a “Design Safari” a regular creative departure held internally among Method staff. At the safaris staff members share examples of packaging or creative design they like and discuss it with their colleagues.

The new Omop starter kit packaging is compartmentalized. Everything has its own place in a logical easy to open format (unlike many clamshells).

Method’s Katie Molinari says – the internal layout of the packaging is a little like the experience of opening an Ipod box. omop_microfiber_mop_pad.jpg

Open the lid of the paper/bamboo packaging on the starter kit to find a bottle of the Omop cleaning solution and a microfiber pad nicely laid out in front of you. Dig a little deeper to uncover the Omop unit itself. So simple its actually rather elegant.

The Omop starter kit and microfiber accessory packaging are both made from the new paper/bamboo packaging designed in-house by Method’s design team.

The new packaging replaces the clamshell style packaging the product used before and began appearing in stores across the country last month. Molinari said the Omop itself is basically the same as the earlier version with a few minor enhancements to its durability and functionality.

Consumers will ultimately judge the effectiveness of the new paper/bamboo packaging but from a creative and design perspective its bold and ambitious – fitting well with Method’s goals of continuing to green their packaging.

The packaging won the Institute of Packaging Professionals’ (IoPP) AmeriStar award.

The newly designed packaging is available for both versions of the Omop and microfiber pads.

via Sustainable is Good

Functional art_solar trees

October 20th, 2007 by sauce

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Stimulated by the MAK in Vienna, Ross Lovegrove designed urban lighting fixtures to brighten up the Austrian neighbourhood. 

 Solar Tree is a solar-powered lighting fixture for Vienna’s urban lighting based on a design by Ross Lovegrove, created on the initiative of Peter Noever. 

Produced by Artemide, the Solar Trees bring nature to the grey-ness of today’s urban environments.

The installation is realized through a collaboration between Sharp Solar, Artemide, Ross Lovegrove and MAK (Austrian Museum of Contemporary Art).

Eco materials

October 18th, 2007 by sauce

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Ecolect is a newly sprouted sustainable materials community with a most ambitious mission: “to be the largest, freely accessible sustainable materials library in the world.” The site will not only be a resource listing, but will incorporate reviews, discussion, and news, encouraging audience participation to further build a bustling eco-minded community.