+ The Kegstand

To wrap up our unit on leisure and entertainment, we tapped into a demographic group that devotes much of its time to activities in this category - college students. This demographic splits its time between classroom attendance and social events, and who doesn’t think of a keg party when they think of the college experience? We'd like to present to you our latest concept, the Kegstand.



As we began defining our concept we discussed sustainability, realizing the keg lifecycle is optimal - rent, return, refill - then rent again. So we went into the field and looked for other opportunities to improve the keg experience. We discovered that the three key areas in need of our help were transportation, maintenance, and entertainment.

Transporting a keg is sub-optimal. The weight and shape often require two strong individuals to move the keg to its party location. We added handles and wheels to our concept so that the Kegstand can easily transport a keg from the store to your backyard.



Second, we evaluated the required maintenance while using a keg. 10 out of 10 college students prefer cold beer; so submerging the keg in ice is essential. Here's where it can get tricky: Users have the daunting task of lifting the 15.5 gallons of beer into an aluminum trashcan, usually in front of some snickering friends and/or attractive women. Because the host house sacrifices their trashcan, trash becomes unmanageable, piling up around the house to be cleaned up the following day. (How did this cup get in the shower?) Also, our ethnography informed us that the tap’s nozzle should never touch the ice. Consuming small amounts of melted ice mixed with keg foam and spilled beer is not preferred.



To address these issues, we broke the keg cozy down into two parts. Users now only lift the keg about a foot onto the base, then slide the top half over the top and buckle it down. Dump in the ice and you're ready to go. When you're finished, a plug allows for easy drainage of melted ice. Built in hooks let the hosts hang a garbage bag to do their best managing all the empties.

Our ethnography informed us that the tap’s nozzle should never touch the ice. We added a cap display so you no longer have to ask, “What kind of beer did they get?” Then we added a cup dispenser and serving tray so you don't have to jockey for position waiting to fill up.

Finally, we wanted to make the keg the center of the party instead of that guy. We added a cap display so you no longer have to ask, “What kind of beer did they get?” Then we added a cup dispenser and serving tray so you don't have to jockey for position waiting to fill up.



The Kegstand would cost more than stealing your neighbor’s trashcan, but we found that most rent a bucket or trashcan when renting their keg. So we present this concept as an appealing upgrade to the current retail landscape.

If you are a keg connoisseur or passionate about innovation in this category, please contact us - we would love to share more with you on a confidential basis.

Cheers!

+ Maggie's Organics shares tips on organic fabrics

Mary from Maggie's Organics, a producer of organic fabrics, was kind enough to send us some guidelines on what we need to know about using them. This is great news for those of us that are in the design business and often end up speccing materials: the more we know, the better we can make a case for using organic and sustainable materials. Thanks to Mary for the info!

When someone suggests organic, people automatically assume it will be more expensive, a hassle, and compromising ease of use for an eco-friendly alternative. However, organic cotton can easily be substituted for regular cotton. There is not really a difference between organic and conventional fabrics relative to durability, shrinkage, etc, as the cotton is mechanically treated the same throughout production. There are specific chemicals - for example, the anti-felting chemicals used on washable wool - that are not allowed in true organic production – but those are very specific to each individual finished product.

The major difference in organic and conventional cotton fibers lies in its life before fiber, from seed to finish. From the seeds used to plant the cotton to finishing processes, organic methods offer several benefits to conventional cotton, resulting in a higher quality cotton fiber. Starting with the seeds and soil, organic cotton seeds are never genetically modified and are not treated with fungicides of any sort. Since organic farmers use crop rotation, there is little loss of soil or intensive irrigation involved as in conventional growing. Convention cotton is one of the largest pesticide dependent crops in the world and the insecticides and pesticides damage human health and the environment adding chemicals to the final cotton plant. When conventional cotton is harvested it is induced with toxic chemicals, whereas organic cotton is naturally defoliated from freezing temperatures or water management. After harvest cotton is whitened, finished, and dyed. Though some organic cotton companies use harmful methods, Maggie’s uses alternative methods to lessen the negative environmental and health impacts of its products. For instance, to whiten the cotton, traditional methods use chlorine bleach, whereas we use peroxide, a safer alternative that does not produce toxic by products. Traditional finishing requires chemicals and synthetic surfactants that our finishing does not. Dying our organic fabrics takes advantage of natural dyes with lower sulfur and metal content than conventional dying practices. The sulfur and metal can leach into human skin and the environment. Often times organic fibers are printed with water based inks or options without heavy metals.

"Organic cotton can easily be substituted for regular cotton. There is not really a difference between organic and conventional fabrics relative to durability, shrinkage, etc, as the cotton is mechanically treated the same throughout production"

Organic guidelines provide firm laws to promote environmentally conscious and fair labor practices. At Maggie’s Organics we manufacture our finished products according to the voluntary North American Organic Fiber Processing Standards (See: http://www.ota.com/polls/21.html). True it costs more to produce organic cotton, but certified organic cotton can receive a price premium, making the investment to convert to organic cotton production worthwhile.

From a consumer standpoint, I do notice that the clothing I wear that is made from organic fibers is softer than conventional fibers. However, I believe this is attributed to the fact that true organic clothing does not undergo the chemical processing that conventional clothing does. So from a comfort perspective, it beats conventional hands-down! In my experience, organic clothing lasts just as long, if not longer, than conventional clothing. My favorite clothes are my organic ones! They feel better to wear on the inside and out!

"True it costs more to produce organic cotton, but certified organic cotton can receive a price premium, making the investment to convert to organic cotton production worthwhile."

Visit www.maggiesorganics.com for more information on the benefits of organic cotton and to check out attractive, durable, and affordable products made of certified organic fibers.

+ SolarDuct: A modular rooftop air heating system

I came across an interesting new product called SolarDuct by way of Michael Pietchmann, from parent company SolarWall. In their words:

SolarDuct is based on the highly efficient and award-winning SolarWall® system. The technology has been specifically engineered for roof settings and for applications where a traditional wall mounted system is not feasible. The new modular product line will meet the increased market demand for cost-effective solar systems using proven technology.

“We are excited to be in a position to expand the solar air heating and PV/thermal markets with our new innovative rooftop systems” says John Hollick, President of Conserval and inventor of the SolarWall® technology. “Our company has used our expertise platform to develop and design new solar products that will provide increased flexibility for clients looking to integrate renewable energy solutions on their buildings.”

Get more information here!

+ Samsara Surfsystems

The core of the surfing community is based around getting outside and playing hard in the waves, sand and sun. Surf culture is understandably embracing of sustainable ideals, but current production methods for surfboards are very much out of sync with those ideals. The industry standard surf board is made from a polyurethane core which is shaped by hand, wrapped in fiberglass cloth, and sealed in resin. The end result is a product that has a completely unmitigated ecological footprint; petroleum based, large quantities of carbon dioxide emitted in production, and non recyclable. In an effort to put close the gap between the surf community’s ideals and the product that is at the heart of the sport, we developed Samsara.

Surf culture is understandably embracing of sustainable ideals, but current production methods for surfboards are very much out of sync with those ideals.

Samsara is a concept for a completely closed loop product cycle that provides surfers with a board that minimizes their footprint on the environment. It begins with the board being made from Nylon 6 using SLS (selective laser sintering). SLS is traditionally a rapid-prototyping technique, and allows for some unique opportunities like the structure of Samsara’s core; a light but strong cellular-type structure that would be unproducable by traditional production methods. The entire board is made from one piece of Nylon 6 in a matter of hours. This particular type of nylon is 100% recyclable which will come into play later in the product cycle.

SLS is traditionally a rapid-prototyping technique, and allows for some unique opportunities like the structure of Samsara’s core; a light but strong cellular-type structure that would be unproducable by traditional production methods.

Once the board is made, it goes out to the surfer and lives the life of any other board on the market. Surfboards are a balance of minimizing weight and maximizing strength, and due to the enormous forces of the waves (and the beating they get from the user) will eventually deteriorate and possibly break. When this happens to Samsara, it is returned to the manufacturing facility in pieces. Due to the recyclability of Nylon 6 and the board’s one-piece construction, the pieces are reground, depolymerized and inserted back into the manufacturing cycle. This gives the customer the opportunity to choose a new structure pattern and get a discount on the new purchase. Basically the damaged board is reincarnated as a new one- strong, and ready to ride. The new board is then sent back out to the user and the cycle begins again.

+ Understanding Leisure with Christopher C. Deam

To learn more about how we define leisure and entertainment, we spoke with architect and designer Christopher C. Deam. With projects ranging from residential architecture to furniture to Airstream trailers, we knew he would have a strong perspective on the subject. Thanks to Chris for taking the time to speak with us.

Please tell us a little about your background and some of the projects you've worked on.

I am trained as an architect, and I studied quite extensively in Italy. I took that knowledge and started applying it to a variety of scales all the way from furniture design to urban design. I've done everything from starting my own furniture company to interiors for Airstream to advanced concept design for Herman Miller, Target, and Kenworth. I'm just finishing a floating home in Sausalito. I've also got a prefab home in development as well as one on the market. If you could characterize my studio, I guess you could say it's a nondenominational design studio in that I like projects that are innovative but also sort of quirky. Those types of projects gravitate towards me.

How do you define leisure and entertainment? Do you think our society's idea of leisure has changed over time?

Whenever I hear that word leisure I always think of the leisure suit that my mom forced me to wear when I was twelve years old, so I dislike that word. If I had to define it, I'd say that it's unprogrammed time, but in some manner you're active involved. It's not just laying on the floor, there's some component of being engaged, but in an unstructured way. The odd thing to me is that nowadays we have to schedule our unscheduled time. It's getting to be a pressurized way of life, it's creeping into this idea of leisure. For example, you can't just go for a run anymore, you have to better your time on your run. So there's a real striving for optimization.

I think leisure and entertainment are distinctly different. Entertainment is a much more passive experience – like listening to music or watching television. The exchange is typically one way. That's changing a little now with the internet, but in general I think of entertainment as one directional.

I think leisure and entertainment are distinctly different. Entertainment is a much more passive experience – like listening to music or watching television.

Compared with other parts of the world, do you think we have difficulty finding leisure and being entertained? What can we as designers do to help?

We as Americans have a hard time letting things happen, or not happen for that matter. We want every moment scheduled and optimized, and I think it's easier in Europe to be leisurely. In that urban landscape, it can be a feast for the senses just to sit and wait for the bus. Here, people pop on their headphones and tune it all out. I think as designers the best thing we can do is to give some space away from those hyper designed and programmed landscapes to allow more organic development and experience to happen. You could argue that it's a purely cultural difference, but I think the physical environment affects us. With the way our culture is car-based, people are more isolated and not as used to being social.

Furniture seems to play a part in creating places for leisure. How does our designed environment help us find that state of mind?

Right now, I see a lot of design based around creating cocoon-like places or furniture. In theory, it creates your own peaceful space so that people can have relaxing experiences. That may be fine in an office landscape where we sometimes need to be able to concentrate. For me, those designs are further isolating us and keeping us from being able to deal with our surroundings or form relationships with the people around us. When you view leisure as a thing apart from others, people become less practiced at being social. There's a real skill to being a good conversationalist and being able to relax around people. The trend says that isolation is the solution, but I don't think it is. When I am designing and thinking about leisure, I try to leave holes in the design, leave it semi-incomplete, so that people can feel more engaged to it and complete it themselves.

With your help, Airstream has experienced a nice renaissance over the past few years. Why do you think they're becoming popular again?

I think there are a couple things at play. First, I think they're resurgent because the Airstream trailer embodies the timeless ideas of mobility and independence. Those are really great American ideals. We're a mobile country and independent thinkers and Airstream is the
perfect vehicle to embody that. Suddenly with the advent of wireless technology, we're redefining the idea of what mobility and independence are. Now, you can live anywhere or be anywhere and still be connected. I also think that they're resurgent because people understand that it's authentic: hand built, made of real materials. In America right now there's a real hunger for authenticity.

People understand that it [Airstream] is authentic: hand built, made of real materials. In America right now there's a real hunger for authenticity.

What are the challenges you've experienced when designing spaces to help people relax and enjoy themselves?

I think the biggest challenge is knowing when to stop designing. You can program spaces to death and overdesign things so people feel trapped. I want people to feel free. I think that's the trouble with design right now in general. We're almost becoming addicted to it – more, more, more. Frankly, I don't want my toothbrush to be in the MoMa. I just need it to do the job, because otherwise it's taking up a lot of mental headspace. It's important to know when to stop and to let people have their own experiences with spaces instead of being controlled by the designer's experience of things.

Can a brand still have good recognition if designers relinquish control and let consumers have more individual experiences?

I think so. Certain stores like Harley Davidson and Apple really create a certain vibe. While you're in one of those places you get into the fantasy world of that brand. The problem was that is it's so complete, such a total experience. When you take home your new computer or your new leather vest, out of that context of the store, it can feel empty. By hyper controlling those environments, you actually create a more difficult time for people to contextualize the products in a greater way. Everyone falls in love with their iPhone, and they are great, but sometimes you realize it's just a phone.

To see Christopher Deam's work, visit his site.
Dwell has a nice video on Deam and his work for Airstream here.

+ PartnerUp interviews Demetrius Romanos

Megan Dorn at PartnerUp recently interviewed Kaleidoscope's Demetrius Romanos on how to develop and design new products. It's a nice overview on how we work as design consultants to help our clients bring a new product to market.

Q: Once your customers come to you, where does the process go from there?

A: This depends on where we’re engaged, but the primary point of entry is that a client needs to enter a market with a product. We’ll do research and strategy to define the consumer needs, positioning and business opportunities, with the outcome driving design concepts. We’ll then start broad then focus in on the design and engineer of those concepts, working our way down to the direction for manufacturing. At that point we may even assist in selecting the appropriate vendors and may serve as a liaison during the manufacturing process to maintain design integrity.

Thanks to the PartnerUp team for their support. Check out the whole interview here.

+ What's your recreational footprint?

Fun & CO2!
Our new open office plan works! Because we got rid of our cubicle dividers, I got into a conversation with my co-worker about the carbon footprint of food. He pointed me towards the Carbon Trust where I found the publication "The carbon emissions generated in all that we consume". I wasn't expecting to get involved in anything for our current Greener Grass topic, but I stumbled onto an unexpected revelation: Recreation and Leisure activity (in the UK) has the single largest carbon footprint of any consumer use category- beyond even heating, commuting, etc.

Amazing! This includes all the upstream emissions related to producing the boats, bikes, cars, shoes, and everything else we end up using to have fun, plus burning the fuel expended to get to where we play.

This information got me thinking; my significant other and I are headed to a cycling tour in Oregon. I did some checking and found that my favorite outdoor store, REI, neutralizes some or all of their adventure vacation impact using the BEF Green Tag Program. Another similar program is run by TerraPass. As a concession both to having a vacation and mitigating it's impact, I offset part of the flight using the Green Tags. It's a start.