The agency has approved three new hydrocarbons for use in home and small commercial refrigerators as part of its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.
The two-year-old beverage industry race to bring 100 percent plant-based -- and recyclable -- bottles to market continues with Coca-Cola's announcement today that it has launched three strategic partnerships to bring next-gen Plantbottles to market.
As the world of manufacturing gets increasingly more high-tech, there are a growing number of tools that can help companies focus on reducing energy and materials use at every stage from concept to production.
The growler is the beer-geek accessory of the moment. The refillable jug keeps beer fresh from the tap for days--the perfect solution for persnickety imbibers who prefer to savor their favorite microbrews at home. And now those same aficionados can tote a container befitting their discerning tastes: a slipcast ceramic bottle that perfectly complements their perfectly faded A.P.C. jeans.
Made by the Portland Growler Company, these gorgeous carriers were conceived by seven ceramic artists as an ode to American folk pottery, particularly the Kentucky bourbon jug. But their forms are quite modern, with handle options including a sprocket-like handle, a nod to the city’s famous bike culture, and loop handles, inspired by climbing gear. The growlers are made locally in Portland.
At the moment, they’re available in a 64-ounce size with a rubber-sealed flip-top lid and in gloss white, matte black, or satin gray. A 32-ounce version will be introduced in the spring. Buy yours here for $64.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a novel way to create a new form of carbon neutral cement by studying the formation of coral reefs and applying the principles at work. Coral takes in minerals and CO2 and then secretes calcium carbonate to build its hard exoskeleton. Inspired by this construction process, Stanford scientist Brent Constanz has developed a way to capture CO2 and dissolve it in seawater to form calcium carbonate, which has properties suitable for use in construction and could replace Portland cement (which is responsible for more than a ton of CO2 for every ton of product created). This new technology could reduce the environmental impact of construction in a big way by capturing and sequestering CO2 emissions while creating a durable building material.
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-12-15 02:17:13 UTC
Web-slinging arachnids already have researchers toiling away looking to replicate the remarkable properties of spider silk. Now spiders, along with their insect and crustacean arthropod cousins, have provided inspiration for a new material that is cheap to produce, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Its creators say the material, dubbed "Shrilk," has the potential to replace plastics in consumer products and could also be used safely in a variety of medical applications, such as suturing wounds or serving as scaffolding for tissue regeneration...
Continue Reading Cheap, biodegradable, biocompatible "Shrilk" is a potential plastic replacement
by: mocoloco, 2011-12-13 16:32:17 UTC
This series is brought to you by Autodesk BIM - Removing the Barriers to Better Business. Here's the third in a series of interviews with prefab architects and builders to take the pulse of prefab. This interview is with Charlie Lazor, founder of Minneapolis-based FlatPak, who is also a founder of Blu Dot.
Above (and below), The Week'nder house on Madeline Island in Lake Superior by FlatPak. Photos: George Heinrich Photography.
In today's information age and social media world, we always want more--and so do our customers. Remember that it is always easier, less expensive, and more effective to sell more to existing customers than it is to attract, court, and sell to new ones.
The problem is that many entrepreneurs come to the plate with only one pitch. They only have their one "golden" product that their customers love and in turn are left leaving money on the table for the customer that wants more--more products, more information, more service, and more of you.
So how do entrepreneurs and small business owners quickly capitalize on the need to have multiple products at multiple price points to satisfy the needs of the marketplace and more importantly, their customers?
Create Multiple Products--Quickly
The first is to develop a customer product and sales cycle based on your customers' needs and levels of attention that you can give them. During this stage you need to look at your market and the resources in your company and see where they intersect to solve your customers' problems. Come up with as many solutions as possible, including your existing products and development demands. Now it's time to create multiple touch points and apply price points to them. Think about it like a musician that you love.
The single costs $.99. That gives you one level of access.The album costs $9.99. That gives you another level of access.Then they come into your town and charge $50 for a general-admission ticket. Again, another level of access for what can be considered the same content.For those in the fan club, you get another level of access and also the ability to pay $200 to come backstage during the concert.And then you can bring this band in for a private function for $10,000. Again, increasing your access to them.Lastly, while at the concert, you can buy T-shirts, hats, buttons and for the seasoned band, other albums, B-sides, solo records, and DVDs from other live shows.
Do you see the common themes? The musician is using the same content and charging for multiple levels of access to their personal time. This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to give your new raving customers what they desire in the form of multiple products.
The Coach or Consultant
Let's put this into a different context. Let's say you run a sales coaching and consulting business. At the core of your business is coming into an organization and spending one or two days with them and providing information to their sales team, live and in person. When you leave, they might want more. What do you do?
You can offer more sales content in a book.You can record your time at their office and offer it in a digital package.You can hold a follow-up live training event in the area for multiple businesses that you connected with.You can blog and offer other related products from other trainers that you recommend.You can hold mastermind or group coaching calls where the students can get direct access to ask you questions about handling objections or closing the sale.
In this situation, you are multi-purposing content and creating new levels of access that are essentially new products for your marketplace.
The Widget Maker
The last example that I want to give is for the widget company; the company with the physical thing that they sell. What do they do about creating multiple products and satisfying the needs of their customer base?
They can do a few things. They can offer multiple levels of the widget; a bare-bones version, a standard version, and an advanced version. This creates 3 products and a great opportunity to get a customer to buy multiple copies of the same product as their needs and their consumption levels increase. After you create multiple versions of the product, you can then go in a few more directions to add to your customer value and give into their demanding needs.
You can create accessories, attachments, and resources that add to the overall value and experience of your product.You can create how-to videos, books, and CDs that help your customer experience your product (also think about including case studies and testimonials from happy customers who can share how they use the product).You can create a community of happy users that connect online (or offline at meet-ups) to talk about what your product does. If you sell something like scissors, think about the things people do with scissors like scrapbooking, and create a community around that kind of an activity. You can crowdsource new ideas, joint-venture with another company, or buy another company to get products that are closely related to yours and put them into the marketplace and into your promotional plans.
There are multiple ways that you can begin to satisfy the hunger of a market that is looking for more and collect the money that is left on the table by only having one product or service to offer. They key starts with knowing your market and doing everything that you can to fulfill their needs, and once that need is fulfilled, look for new products, services, or levels or access to get them further ingrained into your brand and the results your brand can provide.
mitsubishi's concept interface for its future electric vehicles integrates an innovative touchscreen dashboard and steering wheel input system, biometric readers, safety features, and 3D entertainment panels.
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-12-13 13:23:51 UTC
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Zero-Loft™ Aerogels insulation is thin, compression-resistant, breathable and waterproof.
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by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-12-04 11:46:36 UTC
Designed by Bertjan Pot and introduced in the Moooi collection in 2002, the Random Light has become a best seller right from the beginning. It transmit ...
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