A great definition of sustainability

Sustainability is one of today's biggest buzz-words without a doubt. But what does sustainable really mean?

Environmentally friendly?
Organic?
Natural?
Local?
Design oriented?
Functional?

This weekend, I went to an exhibit called the Museum of Sustainable Style, a small showcase featuring local initiatives in sustainability reaching from textiles, to furniture, to fashion. Although all the products showcased were very innovative and inspiring (and expensive, damn), I was really impressed with the paraphernalia that the event distributed.

I have scanned the 12 page packet into a powerpoint and posted it on slideshare. I take ZERO CREDIT for the creation of this pamphlet, but was impressed by the simplicity of its content and wanted to share it. Please direct all accolades and questions to MoSS

The exhibit was awesome and makes me look forward to making more money so I can be more sustainable (and sylish too). Kind of an oxymoron though that sustainable options cost too much money to be available to the masses where they would make the biggest impact...

A visit to the Method pop-up store on Halstad

What a treat.

For the last few weeks I have taken walks up and down Broadway and Halstad with no real objective in mind. In Italy, they would call this "Fare un giro" or literally, to take a turn [around town]. One of the jewels of such walks is accidentally stumbling onto a shop like the Method pop-up shop on Halstad.

Although I don't have any photos, the shop is filled with many of Method's products (as you might guess) but also acts as a "detox" location, where you can bring any chemicals or hazardous materials that you don't know how to dispose of properly. The store also offers a deal on what they call "the detox kit," aka 5 of whatever items are on the shelves for $5 each (I bought laundry detergent [normally $10], shampoo, and dish detergent). There is also a photo booth where you can take your photo and document your cleanliness.

The store gives you a re-usable bag to use for your products and several coupons for future purchases.

What a deal... too bad this place is closing in one week. Although there are many things I miss about not having a Target nearby, one of them is not being able to purchase Method products regularly. Method is one brands whose essnce could transfer over so-well to a regular retail store.

Maybe I'll go back next weekend.

What does your re-usable bag say about you?

A habit I started to pick up right before moving to Chicago was an obsession with purchasing re-usable bags. This started at the Target in downtown Minneapolis, a store which I frequented at least 3 times a week for lunch. I bought my first bag, knowing that I would return to the store soon and could re-use it. Obviously, the second time I returned to the store I forgot the bag so I purchased a second one knowing that someday I would need multiple bags for a trip that involved multiple items. Needless to say, this process repeated itself a few more times and I ended up with more than a few re-usable bags from target.

Not so popular yet in Minneapolis, but quite popular in Chicago is the reusable bag trend. Great! Less plastic waste, less grocery spills from broken handles, this is win win right? But one question I beg to ask is what does your re-usable bag say about you?

The re-usable bag has become another connection point for people to make statements about their personality. Look at my personal collection of bags in the picture above. What does it say about me?

Method: This guy is eco-friendly
Trader Joe's: and he likes good food
Threadless: and he likes designer t-shirts
Target: and he loves Archer farms

Is it appropriate to use another brand's bag at a different store? For instance, is it ok for me to walk into a Jewel Osco with my Target or Trader Joe's bag? Is that a figurative slap in the face to the brand whose bag I'm not using? I know Jewel sells re-usable bags as well, but I'd rather people see my TJ's bag or even my Threadless one...

Threadless is interesting because if you bring their bag back to the store for future purchases, you get $1 off. Now, you might as well carry around the Threadless bag all the time because you never know when you might pop in, find something nifty-neato, and save a buck. In the meantime, you can fit all sorts of other goodies in there too.

Idea: Rock Band Battle of the Bands feature

Last night, a few friends and I went to the Gizmodo meet-up at the Sax hotel. It was an interesting spontaneous decision to go as I was walking around downtown, called my friend Benny to see what he was up to and he said "I'm going to this website party thing at the Sax. There's free booze, so you should come."

Anyway, they had two full rock-band systems set up facing opposite directions and as we were playing, I considered how cool it would be if Rock Band had a "battle of the bands" function. Obviously, this would not be for the normal person who probably can't afford to put two systems side by side, but I believe there are some multi-player online implications in this idea. The premise is, each band creates a 3 song set. Then each band alternates turns playing the songs and trying to one-up the other's scores. At the end, a battle of the band winner is declared.

Maybe this already exists, but I think that would have made last night even more fun, having two "bands" who don't know each other (let alone know the other members of their own bands) competing for video game rock and roll supremacy.


Check out the photo too (I'm on Gizmodo!!! Yea!) direct from Gizmodo.com Benny's in the blue shirt drinking beer. Dan (my roommate) and I are chilling on the couch in between sets. Randy, our other buddy, is rocking the base.

My brands

*Warning, this may be boring post.

One good things about moving to a new city is the opportunity to wipe the slate clean of reputation (at least to a certain degree, depending on how many people you know in the new locale) You can really create a new identity for yourself if you choose to because nobody knows anything about you.

As such, I've really been thinking about the image I want to portray. One way in which public reputation is developed is through the brands of clothing that you wear. In Chicago, compared to Minneapolis at least, there is a much greater diversity in terms of logos that you see on the street. Riding the El, you could see a girl with her Louis Vuitton purse, Coco Channel sunglasses, True Religion jeans and who knows what brand heels, sitting next to a guy wearing Levi's and a artsy shirt from Threadless. Both will look good in their own right, but it got me thinking as to what brands really represent me and my beliefs.

Sure it'd be fun to own a BMW, but would that scream "SEIJEN" as much as a Prius?
Anyway, I started making a list of brands that I think represent me well.
Here's what I got and why I think they work.

Nike (The most iconic sports brand in history. athletics has been such an ingrained part of my life for so long that having the premier mark on my list is a must. Why more than Adidas or Reebok or Asics? Maybe it's the global character of the brand, the fact that it reaches across so many sports and cultures and has this unifying vibe which surrounds it. Plus, it's roots were born in running, so that's good. )

Levi's (Levi's seems very urban to me, the brand of jeans for the normal guy who lives in a big city. They are classic and moderately priced. No highfalutin fashion here.)

Method (I am trying to live as green as possible. I have CFL's in all my lights in my apt, I recycle as much as possible, I don't own a car any longer, and despite the fact that I don't make much $,I believe that sacrificing a few $ for a brand so dedicated to the environment is awesome.)

Apple (cliché, i know, but I just love their stuff.)

Gap (Similar to Levi's, I like the Gap because its styles are classic without seeming old fashioned.)

I'm trying to think of some less mainstream brands that I like, but I'm having trouble. I'll add more later.