Activism 2.0: You Make the Call!

The new iPhone is certainly drool-worthy. But if you care more about causes than toting the shiniest gadgetry, you should check out Credo Mobile. Every time you make a call using the Credo's mobile or long distance plans, the company donates 1% of your mobile charges to nonprofit groups. The groups vary every year but normally fall within the categories of civil rights, economic/social justice, environment, peace/international freedom and voting rights--broad enough categories to cover most interests. According to their website, they've raised over $60 million since 1985 for various causes. How does your provider stack up? Check out their chart that indicates, among other interesting factoids, that Verizon contributes to the Texas Freedom Fund, a PAC that supports Minnesota representative Michelle Bachman, famous for accusing Obama and other congress people as being "anti-American" among other flubs.

Click here for the interactive chart, courtesy Credo Mobile.

Credo also lets you take your activism a step further, offering a variety of tools to organize members for political action. For instance, by signing up for Credo Mobile Action, you can opt-in to hear talking points on congressional committee meetings and votes. When you're ready to make your voice heard to your local representative, you push a button and Credo will connect you directly with the appropriate office. You don't need to be a Credo Mobile user to sign up for this feature.

As the whole country is rethinking the way that we live, it makes sense to look at the things we do every day and investigate ways that these activities can be combined with ways to become a more engaged and informed citizen. And if you still want that iPhone, I'm hoping that someone out there is developing an activism app.

Designing Green Classrooms

Whenever I pass by my old elementary school, a recognized as a California Distinguished School, I'm always astounded by the number of worn-out looking trailers that have begun to populate the playground, replacing what used to be a grassy area and a former recess hangout of mine. How do kids learn in these makeshift classrooms?

There are companies who are trying to find better solutions to California's crowded classroom problem, as reported by GOOD today. ProjectFROG is a design company focusing on smart buildings that are greener, safer and cheaper. Unlike traditional "temporary classrooms" (temporary defined here, at least in the case of my old elementary school, as being 10+ years), ProjectFROG's designs are modular, allowing for adjustments based on the school's needs. They are also energy-efficient and use high-quality materials, unlike the toxic plywood being used in traditional trailers (remember the FEMA trailers provided to Katrina victims?).

What I like about ProjectFROG's proposal is that their design methodology is based on the people who are going to inhabit the space, in combination with functionality considerations. The company's modular classrooms are designed to maximize light, and studies have shown that access to daylight/pleasing views outside of the classroom windows leads to higher test scores and improved performance. Anyone who has ever worked in an office cubicle under flourescent lights can attest to this.

Under the stimulus bill, the U.S. Department of Education, through the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, intends to help states fill budget gaps and assist projects such as environmentally-friendly school rehabilitation and rennovation. I hope that more design firms will see this opportunity to focus not only on green building for schools, but also to rethink the way our environments can effect overall learning and health.



Images of ProjectFROG's design work from their website.

The New Fast Food Nation?

Many international companies hungrily eye the Chinese market and it's 1.3 billion potential consumers. Perhaps none more so than KFC (and it's parent company, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands), who now owns over 2500 locations in China and is opening a new one every day, according to a recent report on CNN. Eventually, says the Yum! Brands website, the company wants to build over 20,000 "quick service" restaurants in the country.

According to the same report, fast food sales in China is expected to reach $58.8 billion this year, and while the U.S. is still the leader in per capita spending on fast food, it appears to me that China is well on its way to becoming another fast food nation.

KFC has also taken care to avoid replicating the U.S. model in China, and offers not just fried chicken on the menu, but local dishes such as rice porridge and egg tarts. Yum! Brands is also testing a new restaurant concept called "East Dawning" that provides "affordable, great-tasting, authentic Chinese food to the Chinese customer."

I think what concerns me most is the attitudes towards fast food. Says CNN reporter Emily Chang, "Western fast food isn't the cheapest meal around in China... local food can be had for less. But it's considered trendy, convenient, clean and even healthy, attracting a growing middle class that wants to indulge in a modern lifestyle." The report interviews various patrons who say that they like fast food for the speed, consistency and the belief that the restaurants have better health conditions than non-fast food chains. In a Time article from 2003, a Chinese fast food patron was identified as someone who takes his wife and 10-month-old son to eat at KFC three or four times a week.

I can't help but reflect back on America's fast-food culture and our alarming obesity rates and worry about China's future. If we need further evidence of the connection between fast food and obesity, consider the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's study on the correlation between time spent eating and obesity:


Data courtesy OECD via The New York Times.

The president of Yum! Brands in China, Samuel Su, has been working to overturn the image of fast food as being unhealthy junk food, according to a recent article in the New York Times. Yet as the company says this, most of the imaging on their website continues to promote fried chicken and pizza as part of everyday (perhaps even traditional?) Chinese living:


Source: Yum! Brands website

Are you kidding me?

But beyond the health issue, what I worry more about is China's food culture--one that ties eating and food with family traditions and health. Typical Chinese families visit local markets (what we would call "farmers markets") daily to buy fresh food for the day's meals, which can be a time-consuming (yet important, in my opinion) part of the day. Eating together is the norm, though perhaps this is changing in the cities. What will happen when the benefits of quick and easy overrules the benefits of fresh and homemade?

Watch CNN's full report here:

GOOD data

GOOD Magazine, founded by Ethos Water founder Jonathan Greenblatt, has made understanding big ideas simpler with their "Transparency" series and is now available on Flickr--a collection of "infographics" that artfully display data or map out systems in a way that is easy to understand (and easier on the eyes than pie charts).

From slides that track refugee populations to the less serious topic of trophy sizes (who knew the Stanley Cup was so big?), the Transparency series makes information easily digestable an encourages you to dig deeper.


Infographic on public transportation cuts, courtesy Good Magazine

Global Oneness Project: What Would It Look Like?

What would our world be like if each and every one of us embodied our fullest potential? What if we ignored, questioned and challenged "best practices," norms, assumptions and customs? The Global Oneness Project, a special project of the Kalliopeia Foundation, has put this idea into perspective with their documentary, What Would it Look Like?.

Since 2006, The Global Oneness Project has been exploring the notion of interconnectedness and how it plays out on an increasingly interdependent planet. Through videos captured from around the world, the project has put a spotlight on global citizens that are tackling both personal and community challenges, putting into perspective problems that are sometimes universal, sometimes very personal.

The 25-minute documentary, directed and produced by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, juxtaposes stark and dramatic imagery with interview clips of community and social activists working worldwide.

While I'm not generally a fan of using imagery that scares people into action, I also believe that (when done well) it's sometimes necessary in order to convince people to take off their blinders and see what's going on around us. The film does a good job of connecting viewers lives, whether you are living in Palestine or Pensacola, and asks us to imagine what the world would look like if this understanding could turn into mutual respect. It's authority has been helped along by the fact that we are indeed in a time of upheaval where we continue to question the structures, policies and norms that got us here in the first place.

The film doesn't just dwell on destruction of the planet, homelessness, poverty or other global issues; rather it moves beyond it and provides a vision of the world that is cautious and realistic, yet ultimately hopeful and positive. In the end, it asks us to contemplate what our own role should be in a transformed world and hopefully encourages everyone to act upon these self-realizations.

Watch the entire film here, or the trailer below:

Reinventing the Summer Vacation

With warm weather's arrival and Memorial Day just around the corner, you're probably thinking about your next vacation. We all deserve to lounge on the beach, relax and pamper ourselves, but consider using your time off by volunteering. You'll meet other volunteers from around the world, get greater insight into the places you visit (rather than sticking to the tourist spots) and create a memorable experience that you're not likely to forget. Have kids? They'll have a greater eye-opening educational experience saving dolphins in Brazil than riding the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland. And what better way for families to bond than by building a home with Habitat for Humanity.

Whether you're on a staycation or traveling away from home, there's a number of opportunities that you can help those in need. Websites such as Global Volunteers and Charity Guide have a number of opportunities that last from one week up to longer-term vacations if you're on a sabbatical or are lucky enough to live in a country where 3-month holidays are the norm.

Major travel companies are getting involved in volunteer vacations as well: Travelocity has a Travel for Good program and is offering two "Change Ambassadors Grants" of $5,000 each to sponsor those who want to volunteer but cannot go without financial assistance. If you can pay for your own volunteer vacation, check with the organizer to see if your expenses are tax-deductible.

The options are vast, but below is a short guide to various volunteer opportunities to consider:

• Want to save the environment? Check out the Sierra Club's National Outings program.
  
• Love animals? You could save the turtles in Costa Rica or help care for elephants in Thailand. And don't forget that your local SPCA needs volunteers, too!
  
• Staying closer to home? Check out Take Pride America for opportunities close to you.
• Are you job-seeking and looking to utilize your business skills while volunteering? There's many small business owners locally and abroad who could use your skills building their businesses. Check out the work of organizations like ACDI/VOCA.
• Help kids learn a new language: Programs like i-to-i offer English teaching opportunities abroad. Consider it a two-way street and maybe they can teach you a few local phrases as well.
  

If you are still doubtful, think of it this way: when you add volunteering to your vacation itinerary, won't your friends and family actually want to see your vacation photos when you return?

"Design for a Living World" Opens at Cooper-Hewitt

The "Design for a Living World" exhibit made its debut this weekend at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Organized by the Nature Conservancy, the project challenged ten famous designers to create objects from sustainable materials sourced from countries such as China, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Australia and here in the United States.

The purpose of the exhibit is to get us to think twice about our consumption: it's not just about how we use a product, but also about where it comes from, how it is made and the effect of its production on the planet. The exhibit serves a second purpose: by using marquee names such as Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade and Yves Behar, the organization also serves to elevate sustainable design and demonstrates that fashion and smart production are indeed compatible.

Below are the designers' creations that are being displayed in the exhibit, along with initial prototypes and drawings from each artist:

Jewelry designer Ted Muehling visited Micronesia to observe the usage of "vegetable ivory"--the seeds of the ivory-nut palm tree whose hard, cream-colored interior resembles true ivory. The palm drops hundreds of seeds over its lifetime, providing a sustainable and equally-attractive alternative to real ivory.


Stephen Burks, industrial designer and director of the New York studio Readymade Projects, spent time in aboriginal Australia and observing the process of collecting seeds, nuts, berries and twigs which are then crushed for therapeutic or medicinal purposes. His raspberry jam wood "totem piece" is like a peppermill: the plant parts are placed in the top part of the totem and then ground; the material can then be used to produce lotions or other products.

fuseproject's Yves Behar, the influential San Francisco designer of the One Laptop Per Child, met with indigenous women's groups in Costa Rica that produce organic cocoa and chocolate. As drinking cocoa from hand-processed cocoa patties is an important local custom, Behar designed a tool to scrape and collect the cocoa shavings from the patties.


Graphic and exhibition designer Abbott Miller was "inspired by the astounding variety and beauty of the Bolivian woods and the ingenuity of the vernacular design and architecture in Santa Cruz" and created an FSC-certified plywood chair that is designed to maximize the yield per sheet of plywood. The chair also ships flat and is easily assembled, reducing shipping material waste. The increasing demand for FSC-certified material is also providing a source of income in a country where 2/3 of the population is impoverished.

Kate Spade designer Paulina Reyes collaborated with carvers and weavers in Bolivia to create handbags made of FSC-certified hardwood and jipijapa, a fiber made from palm leaves. A limited number of the creations will be sold in the United States.

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi used salmon skin discarded by Alaskan fish processors to redefine leather. He commissioned a Parisian artisan to turn the skin into sequin-like discs which are then handsewn onto fabric.
Rotterdam-based product designer Hella Jongerius known for her use of unusual materials. She combined natural chicle from the Yucatan Peninsula, a material that is used in small amounts in chewing gum, with ceramic vessels "to create tactile surfaces and planes of connection between diverse materials."
Textile designer Christien Meindertsma traveled from The Netherlands to visit Lava Lake Farm in Idaho, where she met a flock of sheep that provided wool for her rugs. Using custom-made, oversized needles, Meindertsma uses her felted wool yarn to knit textured rugs that highlight the material itself. Meindertsma points out, "A lot of the value of a product lies in knowing where it comes from, where it grows, and in what amounts. This information tends to get lost when things are made all around the world and not in your own backyard."

Rather than using bamboo as a material to create a surface, Israeli designer Ezri Tarazi turned the ubiquitous grass (sourced from Yunnan, China) into an object itself. His "Living Forest" design utilizes bamboo's hollow center to become functional home objects such as magazine stands, lights and media stands.

Maya Lin, perhaps best known for her radically-different design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., worked with the Nature Conservancy to create a piece of furniture meant to highlight the beauty of an individual tree. The Terra Bench is made by piecing together lateral slices of FSC-certified red maple from Maine, creating an irregular, wave-like surface.


Design for a Living World goes hand-in-hand with another exhibit Cooper-Hewitt launched two years ago: Design for the Other 90%. While the former focuses on moving the average consumer to shift his or her definitions of product value, the latter exhibit emphasizes the value in good product design for BoP consumers.

Photos from The Nature Conservancy, Christien Meidertsma, and Hella Jongerius