I.D. Magazine January/February 2007: Celebrating the Collective
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.19.07
The above image is a fitting description for the January/February issue of I.D. magazine; subtitled "...the I.D. 40/All Together Now", it celebrates design as a collective, collaborative process, and there's plenty of green to go around. They've got events and installations, like Indestructible Language, in which conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carol proclaims, "It Is Green Thinks Nature Even In The Dark" on the side of a loft complex in Jersey City (page 35). Original TreeHugger Meaghan O'Neill covers Montreal's Canadian Center for Architecture's "Environment: Approaches for Tomorrow" (page 36), illustrating that no matter the philosophical differences, "designers must work with nature, not against it. The environment itself - not human demands on it - becomes the point of reflection." The issue also highlights some of the best in green product designs, including a shout out to Nau's sustainable fashion (page 56), the Eco Kettle (page 119) and LivingHomes green prefab (page 50). The heart of the issue, though, is "The I.D. 40" (starts on page 63), which profiles 40 design collectives from around the world, illustrating that multiple brains are better than one.
Sustainable design plays prominently on the list, which features Brooklyn-based The 62 (page 64), who're working on a project called Rudolf: A Salutary Pipeline which involves gathering waste oil from Brooklyn restaurants, converting it to biodiesel, using the byproduct glycerin to make soap; they'll then use the fuel to power go-carts built with recycled materials, which will be driven to yet more restaurants where the soap will be given away. The logo they've designed for the project (above, center) riffs on the word "oil" (see it now?). Vancouver's Bark also gets a deserving mention (page 70) for their All-Terrain Cabin (which we just mentioned), a fully functioning, self-sustained prefab home designed to highlight Canadian design (it's fitted with all Canadian furniture, housewares, lighting, etc.). Berkeley-based Celery (page 72), a graphic design collective who endeavor to design smarter, greener packaging, communications and identity systems and more; they've been hired by both HP and Stanford University and have made a name for themselves as the go-to green designers in the Bay Area. These three, while excellent examples, are really just the tip of the iceberg; there are 37 more, who, while all not primarily focused on sustainability or green design, have all helped show that design can affect positive change and help the world be a more efficient and beautiful place. ::I.D. magazine
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- HGTV “Design on a Dime” host Creates Eco-friendly Coffee Table – Proceeds for Charity (50-Buck Home Makeover Not Included)
- Green Eyes On: Natural Products Expo East Shows Bright Future for Green Products
- Languages Matter! UNESCO Design Competition To Promote Linguistic Diversity
- What Credit Crunch? Two More Ecocity Projects from the Persian Gulf
