Green Options » creative commons

Nike’s Lorrie Vogel on Closing the Loop. Part 2- The Human Impact

Susanna Schick — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:09 +0000

Laura Kurgan, Chris Jordan, Lorrie Vogel and Assaf Biderman - Pop!Tech 2009 - Camden, ME

In Part One, Lorrie Vogel explained some of the work Nike is doing to increase recycled and organic content in their products. Our conversation continues with discussing how Nike designers are encouraged to use sustainable principles in their work.

SS: You mentioned something about rewarding designers for innovating around sustainability, how does that work?

LV: As with any company centered on innovation, the process begins with Nike’s designers. To influence the designers to make responsible choices, Nike designers are scored against the Considered Index. In order to get new Considered innovations adopted faster, Nike gives innovation points to designers who come up with a brand new idea, as well as to teams who adopt considered innovations in the first year.

SS: And how are employees outside of the design department scored against the Considered Index?

LV: At Nike, there are so many different groups in different matrices, a lot of them are expected to calculate their CO2 footprint. But the Considered Index is primarily for designers.

SS: Sustainability 101 and Step by Natural Step (mentioned in this press release)- are they teaching personal sustainability practices, or teaching employees how to spot opportunities to be more responsible in the choices they make in their jobs?

In Search of Sustainable Community: It’s Within Reach

Paul Smith — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:22 +0000

You hear so much about people striving to live a greener, more sustainable life. You may at times wonder, who else is doing it, and is all that happy talk translating into real world results?

Three friends decided to find out. As they put it,

Mandy, Ryan and Brady are ‘bikepacking’ 12,000 miles to the East Coast and back to California, using solar-powered electronics and leg-powered bicycles. The result is a feature-length documentary film that will present a realistic experience of seeking out and living in sustainable community.

Started October 2008 and 3800 miles into it as of this writing (with 209 PB&J’s consumed if you must know) they have been filming and Twittering their way across to country, giving a peek into what it looks, feels, and works like to live in sustainable, intentional community, the end result being a film called Within Reach.

It’s clear that these people are 21st century environmentalists - they don’t shun businesses supporting their venture, and in fact proudly list their sponsors on the front page, all of which bear relevance with what they’re doing. This project is Creative Commons licensed, and they are a non profit, allowing for people to support their journey and the making of it into a film afterwords.

So what have they found?

Sexy Lingerie is Closer than You Think :: Good Humans Offers Sweet Styles in All Colors!

Lucille Chi — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:51:12 +0000

Just when you thought that luxurious eco lingerie was out of your reach, think again, we’ve found some options under twentyfive now. Go ahead, if you dare, and stretch your pocketbook to pair bikini briefs with g=9.8 thigh-high tights.

Good Humans offers some very nice undies for her. I am smitten over these String Bikini Briefs and Simple Rib Undies both 100% organic cotton baby rib lingerie. A soft, pure, light weight knit with gentle strength for a perfect fit. Made in the USA. Shown below is an example assortment of colors,

Printer-Friendly Grocery Shopping: Brown Paper Seed Packet Business Cards Tutorial

Autumn Wiggins — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:01:40 +0000

We all forget our reusable shopping totes from time to time. Instead of putting yourself on a green guilt trip, pick paper over plastic (ask your friends and relatives to also!), and upcycle those bags into some not-so-shiny seed packet business cards. Since I focus on the environmental impact of crafting, I decided any self-promotion should reflect my agenda. Plus, I’m ever enthusiastic about combining gardening with crafting. This is what I came up with, and they’ve gotten rave reviews. The process involves some unorthodox methods, but such is the way of the eco-craft ninja…

Gather your materials and ideas. Here’s what’s involved:

An inkjet printer
The seed packet outline template (download here in JPG or PDF file formats)
Embellishment option 1: A graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (free open-source software)
Embellishment option 2: Decorate the packet post-printing by hand
Embellishment option 3: Do both!
Paper grocery bags
Iron and scrap fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Glue stick
Paper creaser or popsicle stick
1 can of wildflower seeds
Optional: rotary cutter with dedicated blade
Optional: stamps, stickers or other embellishments(as long as they don’t poke holes in the paper)
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