Editor-in-Chief of Core77 Speaking at the DX - April 19th

The 2012 Sustainable Design Awards is having a guest lecture with Allan Chochinov of Core77 at the Design Exchange on April 19th. Stay tuned at www.facebook.com/SustainableDesignAwards for more details. FYI - seating is limited!

2012 Sustainable Design Awards

This year's Sustainable Design Awards are up and running now. The SDAs are an annual, student-lead initiative aiming to help inspire young artists and designers to approach their projects through the lens of ecological-sustainability and social-consciousness. Each year we invite our peers to develop ideas to that will create meaningful change through their designs. This year we've brought together an expert panel to help choose the winners. 


The all-star jury panel includes: 
- Allan Chochinov (Editor-in-Chief of Core77, Chair of the Products of Design masters program at the School of Visual Arts in New York)  

- Graeme Stewart (Architect at ERA Architects)
- Jason Dressler (Partner of Brothers Dressler)
- Katherine Ngui (Co-Founder of Public Displays of Affection)
- Susan Spencer Lewin (Principal and Director of Sustainable Strategies at CS&P Architects) 

On top of the jury-selected winners, there is a Student-Choice Award. So if you're a OCADU student, go vote for your favorite sustainable design at: http://www.sustainabledesignaward.ca/members/register 

Global Rare Earth Elements Shortage

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rare-Earth-Elements-Shortage-Threatens-US-163684.shtml

While it could pose a temporary dip in the quantities of electronics being sold/manufactured, you can bet the big electronics manufacturers aren't going to sit on their hands and hope that China opens up more mines to sustain the global electronics market. I've got a feeling that this could very well spur some new development in an area that dramatically affects sustainability: PCBs (printed circuit boards). In a typical electronic product, 95% of its environmental impact is a result of its PCB and various electronic components (all of which are made using toxic rare earth elements). This leaves a sad 5% for the housing, the area in which most 'green' products focus on.

If global supplies of these crucial materials are dwindling, it will demand new research into alternate (hopefully greener) technologies to drive the ever-growing electronics market.

Here's to hoping!

To all the car design lovers... Honda P-Nut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ULA3uCUQt4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/03/honda-unveils-ultracompact-p-nut-car/

The Honda P-Nut (Personal-Neo Urban Transport).

A concept design not in production, designed for Low footprint, but large personal space by rearranging components. Kind of futuristic streamline design, I liked to steering wheal and openness, but apparently the driver seats alone, with 2 more spaces in the back

A big boo for isolation

Enjoy!