Instructables, the online forum for DIY projects big and small, is holding Epilog Challenge '09, a contest looking for designs of any kind that include a green aspect, whether it's energy efficient, is made of reused materials or helps the environment in some other way. "It doesn't have to be the primary theme for your project - we just want to encourage green thinking at all stages of a project, no matter how small," Instructables says. The winner receives a Zing laser cutter from Epilog.
The new Salomon Ghost ski boots represent the first worldwide commercial use of Dupont's Hytrel RS thermoplastic polyester elastomer, which is partly made with corn derivatives. The Hytrel material, which is used in the boot collar, contains 27 percent corn-based material, though Dupont is able to make it with anywhere from 20-60 percent.
The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising is asking product makers and packaging companies to submit examples of packaging that are part of company efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their products. The London-based museum is taking any past, present or planned design for its "Packaging our Sustainable Future" exhibit, which opens March 31 and will include seminars and a design competition.
Worldstudio and Adobe Youth Voices launched Design Ignites Change, a program to inspire high school and college students to use design to tackle social issues. Projects already developed include Vital Jeans, an initiative in Detroit to redistribute unused jeans to people in poverty, and A Bar of Soap Can Make a Difference, a series of posters and flyers to convey the importance of donations like soap and toothpaste to charities.
Luggage maker Ricardo Beverly Hills has partnered with the Sierra Club to make a new luggage line that will include recycled and renewable materials in its packaging and products. The line, Muir Pass, will be available this fall and include suitcases, backpacks, carry-ons and duffle bags. A portion of the sales will go towards the Sierra Club.
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