The Not-At-All-Distant Future of Green Gamification
by: Greener Design, 2011-10-31 11:45:57 UTC

Gamification is a huge trend in marketing almost any kind of product or service today, and is only going to get bigger and more commonplace. And some innovative companies are already putting the power of game mechanices to work for sustainability.

mischer'traxler: one piece, one edition
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-10-29 13:34:00 UTC

an old clock has been deconstructed and its various components re-purposed to form new furniture objects

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Thinking It Through: Ecodesign in ISO 14006:2011
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-10-31 11:57:29 UTC
The famous Native American law which challenges a nation to think seven generations ahead before taking an action is known as the Great Law of the Iroquois.  Under this law, it’s appropriate to imagine your family 200 years down the road — and then determine whether the decision you’re about to make benefits your children [...]

Do I Care about the Environment? You Tell Me
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-10-31 12:53:13 UTC
Consumer behaviour change. These three words seem to be appearing with increasingly frequency within the conversations around sustainability in many if not most businesses today. Even if the broader debate is not shifting to the demand side, it is certainly expanding to the demand side, with all the leading fmcg companies pledging to crack the [...]

The New Worldchanging Is Coming
by: Worldchanging: Bright Green, 2011-10-26 22:40:33 UTC
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/011742.html

Pendant Lamp That Lights, Grows & Cleans The Air: Babylone By Greenworks
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-10-31 19:45:52 UTC

© Greenworks Conventional office spaces have the unfortunate reputation of being drab, cubicled places, often cursed with poor air quality and lacking in any cheerful greenery. Even if your boss missed the memo on how improving indoor environments can boost worker productivity, it's good to know that there are companies out there like Stockholm-based Greenworks<... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Gen Art: Will Sustainability be the Future of Fashion?
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-10-30 14:00:00 UTC
Photo Credit: Neil Chambers Will sustainability be part of the fashion industry in 5 to 10 years? Do the up-and-coming fashionistas feel the green movement is even important? These were the questions running through my head as I drove to the edgy and sexy Gen Art: Fresh Faces of Fashion Show at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles on October 22, 2011. With scantily cladded biki... Read the full story on TreeHugger

What's Next for PUMA's Groundbreaking Sustainability Plans?
by: Greener Design, 2011-10-27 11:45:56 UTC

After bringing a nearly defunct brand to the top tier of global sports fashion -- and the leading edge of corporate sustainability -- the former CEO of PUMA (and now Chief Sustainability Officer at its parent company) is still looking forward.

Manchester Wood Makes Sustainable Wooden Furniture Out of Local Materials
by: Inhabitat , 2011-10-28 21:30:05 UTC

Manchester Wood is a family business that makes built-to-last furniture from local and sustainable wood. Founded in 1976 in Manchester, Vermont, the company produces American-made solid wood furniture using hardwoods like red oak and ash. All of the hardwood used comes from sustainably managed local forests across the Northeast that are certified by the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and Manchester’s Slate Top collection also features local slate that is quarried just a few miles away from their factory.

+ Manchester Wood

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Post tags: "green furniture", "sustainable furniture", eco design, green design, local materials, Manchester Wood, recycled furniture, sustainable design

5 Rules Of Marketing To Women
by: fast company, 2011-10-28 18:19:58 UTC

There's a shortlist of mistakes companies and brands typically make when trying to sell products to women. Marketing missteps can hurt sales, but more importantly, they can actually turn women off from your brand entirely. If you've ever committed the sin of "pink it and shrink it," it's time to reimagine your strategy. Here are five pitfalls to avoid.  

1)    Don’t pink it and shrink it

The cardinal sin of marketing towards women is to "pink it and shrink it." The woefully misguided approach goes something like this: Take a perfectly decent product, give it a marshmallow Barbie paint job and miniaturize it so it fits perfectly into tiny female hands. Ta da! Female friendly. We’re bound to love it, right? What makes things even worse is that the tech specs on "female orientated" models often fall short of the "male" counterparts. It’s not the color of a product that entices us, it’s the sleek design quality.

2)    There’s no need to overtly target us

If you try too hard to push exclusively to women, we’ll see right through it. Take time understanding us like you would any other demographic, but please don’t overthink it. Just because we’ve got breasts doesn’t mean we have special needs. We’re different but don’t want to feel we’re that different.

Far too many products are rammed down our throats yelling "Look at me! I’m being relevant to women! Here come the girls!" It’s patronising, it’s ineffective, and often quite alienating. A subtler, more nuanced approach is always far more successful commercially.

3)    An emotional connection is a big selling point

Studies have proven that women are likely to form more of a lasting emotional attachment to products, and campaigns that make an effort to engage with this often prove to be very successful.

A great recent example is upscale department store John Lewis's beautifully executed ad "She’s Always a Woman to Me," which whizzes the viewer at high speed through 70 years of a woman’s life. The reason this spot works so well is not only that it’s beautifully executed--which it is, heart-achingly so--but that it also promotes a strong, enduring attachment to a reliable brand.

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4)    Too much choice is no choice at all

Many men might be perfectly happy to sift through mountains of information in order to find out whether one little black box is slightly better than another little black box, but most women are overwhelmed by choice. If a product is a hassle to buy then we will cease to care about it.

So having a hundred near-identical products in the market can be a real turnoff: We don’t want unlimited choice, we want the right choice. We want to know that a product does what it’s supposed to and is obviously at the top of its field. We don’t have time to find a diamond in the rough.

5)    It's more about show than tell

Don’t use statistics to teach us that we need something. Instead, show us why we need it, how it can benefit our lives preferably in a way that’s entertaining, fun, and engaging. I’m much more likely to warm to a product if it’s marketing does not preach, but has surprised me or made me laugh. Top Gear is a great brand that has made cars accessible to both men and women by entertaining them.

And if all else fails, call the Lady Geeks to help you understand women.

@belindaparmar is the founder of @LadyGeekTV. Please join the Lady Geek campaign to end the stereotypes and cliches towards women in tech and Like us on Facebook.

[Image: Flickr user ::Wendy::]