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The Secret of Happiness

Sarah Hay — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:49:06 +0000

Last week sustainability + food was on my radar. This week, it's happiness. Maybe because of Coca Cola's massive Open Happiness campaign for the 2010 Games, maybe because spring has come early and the cherry blossams make everything cheery. The Happiness Project recounts the author's daily adventures in pursuit of happiness, and a NY Times bestseller, while the Future Well is a new design firm specializing in health and happiness. I'm thinking that the secret of happiness is simply discovering the things in the world that make us smile. For example this public poster series by the Dopludo Collective!

Arriving at 0

Sarah Hay — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:11:05 +0000

Bill Gates TED talk is being called one of the most important speeches of the year. It is about climate change. Although we cannot see the talk yet online, Alex Steffan from World Changing has kindly summed it up for us, with some added critical analysis and links to supporting articles. Anyone interested in sustainability and climate change should read it and talk about what it means on a more local level with friends and family. To me, this is big news because the political has been removed. It's neither right nor left, conservative nor liberal. It's real. It's human.

Gates spoke about his commitment to using his massive philanthropic resources (the Gates Foundation is the world's largest) to make life better for people through public health and poverty alleviation ("vaccines and seeds" as he put it). Then he said something he's never said before: that is it because he's committed to improving life for the world's vulnerable people that he now believes that climate change is the most important challenge on the planet.

On the consumer level, the solution to achieving zero emissions is through net zero buildings (buildings account for up to 30% of emissions). NetZeroLiving.ca is a project that was recently launched by our friends at LightHouse. Ci was hired to come up with the creative concept and copy writing for the campaign – Make an Impression Without Leaving One. You can download the PDF brochure here, or visit the site to learn more – design principles, case studies and incentive programs surrounding net zero homes in British Columbia and Canada.

The vision of a Pragmatic Believer

Sandra Gomezanda — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:32:06 +0000

The first Olympic weekend just passed in Vancouver and what I am loving most of it is the warm feeling that happiness is bringing with this celebration. I think it's really amazing to see how one huge business like the Olympics, has brought so many great things to this city. Tons of Cultural things to do and enjoy and a reminder that no matter where you are from, there are still ways to bring us all together. It makes you feel like you belong to an amazing time and moment in life, even when the news talk about money or war, hunger or global warming, to me what matters the most is how you feel at this very moment and how you relate to the people who are close to you, the people that you live with, the people that you share a moment with.

As we learned from the SHIFT Report Sustainability Passion Index (SPI), 19% of the North American population is considered as a Pragmatic Believer. Someone who likes to treat others ethically and with respect, someone who searches for spiritual contentment and support instead of material contentment and support, and who thinks that feeling connected with family, friends and community and a sense of well being are the biggest Sustainable Issues. There are still some barriers for the Pragmatic Believer, like price and knowledge, in order to complete it's sustainable pad, but at least happiness and respect has no price at all!

Here are some pictures I took over the weekend while I enjoyed from some of the free activities that happened throughout the weekend!

Olympic Fever, Village Culture

Sarah Hay — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:47:15 +0000

With only two more days until the opening of the 2010 Olympic Games, Vancouver is an exciting place to be (so long as you are not in a car). The buzz, mounting as people flood into the pedestrian friendly streets full of art installations and photo opportunities. I think I am most excited about the people watching, to witness the city transform and of course all of the (free) cultural events. The world is here.

It was announced that the Olympics have won the bronze medal for their efforts in environmental sustainability efforts. The David Suzuki Foundation praised organizers for building energy-efficient venues, using clean-energy sources, relying on public transit during the Games, and offsetting part of the event's emissions. The first Olympics to take such an integrated approach. They fell short in communicating these efforts: To date the 2010 Olympic organisers haven't made the most of their opportunities to tell the story of their climate initiatives to Canadians and the world.

Riding past the Olympic Village is a beautiful feeling as I now sense the huge accomplishment felt by all those involved, thousands of workers poured their blood and sweat into the development. The Olympic Village represents so much of what is possible in the realm of building and community. So much was learned. Segue to The Challenge Series, an educational publication about the planning, designing and building of the Village. Broken into seven chapters that each cover a different topic, the narratives focus on the challenges we face in light of climate change and in pursuit of sustainability (including all pillars). It focuses not only the urban design strategies and technological innovations (eg. district energy, rain water catchment, radiant heating and cooling) but also on the people who were involved in the project.

Of course more could have been done in terms of communicating all of the sustainability efforts, and it still can. Measuring or quantifying sustainability is like aiming at a moving target and is something that can only emerge over time. I am, like so many others, curious to see how the city recovers after all is said and done. These 12 short days have changed so much already.

On another note, not to be missed is work by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – Vectorial Elevation:

Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork that allows participants to transform the sky over Vancouver, Canada. Using a three-dimensional interface, this web site lets you design huge light sculptures by directing 20 robotic searchlights located around English Bay. A web page is made for each participant with photos of their design from four cameras located around the city.

Amazing photos of the interactive installation can be seen at vancouverisawesome.com, while the offical CODE live website where you can add your own design is here.

The Week in Food

Sarah Hay — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:39:11 +0000

Food in the media is at the top of my radar these days. I've been cooking a lot of great recipes at home and with such mild weather, I am getting excited to start planting some seeds in the earth. I was most impressed to see Michael Pollan on Oprah a few days ago. Delighted and hopeful in thinking just how many people across North America were tuned in to his brilliance and concern. The average American eats fast food four times a day, he reports, while we have inversed our food to healthcare spending. No wonder organic food is not at the top of mind as a sustainability issue for most, according to The SHIFT Report. However we do know that 60% of North Americans have made changes for the better when it comes to food, and 20% plan to make some healthy changes.

A recent peer reviewed study demonstrates that there are indeed harmful pesticides found in everyday food products. Chensheng Lu, the principal author of the study writes: "Once you switch from conventional food to organic, the pesticides (malathion and chlorpyrifos) that we can measure. The level returns immediately when you go back to the conventional diets." The study is yet another wake up call for people to make more conscious choices related to food.

From Food Inc. raising questions about where our food comes from, Julia and Juliet bringing love back into the kitchen, to Chipotle changing the nature of fast food in the USA, to Pollan's new book Food Rules, to the rise of urban agriculture and people spending more time in their kitchens, signs are pointing to the fact that North Americans are waking up and asking the questions about what we are putting in our bodies and how it effects us.

Also noted:

Our friends at Spud! would be happy to know that they were featured on Trendcentral's daily feed – Farm To (Your) Table: Fresh, local fare can now be delivered as you like it.

And for those of us in Vancouver who read the New York Times, a very complimentary and flavourful review of our culinary offerings as the world comes to pay us a visit.

Bon Apetit!

When Vocal Globalists Are Also Artists

Sarah Hay — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:12:05 +0000

Part of the fun about Twitter, I’m finally discovering, is that you get to ‘follow’ people you only ever get to see on TED talks, or by reading their books and magazines. John Maeda, President of Rhode Island School of Design, has an extremely refreshing and optimistic outlook on life which makes him that much more enjoyable to follow! One of his latest tweets that caught my attention was a quote by author Palolo Coelho "Art and storytelling are the only bridges we have left in a world that is collapsing." From Ci’s perspective, this is especially pertinent (in a strategic / romantic / Alchemist kind of way).

So what happens when our Vocal Globalists* are also Artists and Storytellers? Good things. For example: Challenge Your World 20/20 is a partnership between Challenge Your World and Motionographer. 20 video artists create 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. They believe “If we’re going to transform the world we have to push ourselves to think differently.” You can see the videos here. My favourite has to be Recycle Invaders by Thiago Maia!

* Vocal Globalists are passionate about social and environmental issues and make up 34 percent of the population. They are more concerned about Global Warming than any other group. They are very much connected with their community, talking amongst friends and writing blogs. They take the time to be aware of the issues, and are simultaneously anxious and confident about the future (SHIFT Report Sustainability Passion Index (SPI)).

A Desire To Communicate

Sarah Hay — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:04:13 +0000

Dr. Ron Burnett, President of Emily Carr University, and former teacher of mine shares his optimistic view of the Literate Future:

“The beauty of language is its flexibility and adaptability. The various modes of conversation to which we have become accustomed over centuries have a textured and rich quality that depends on our desire to communicate. That desire crosses nearly every cultural and political boundary on this shrinking earth. Rather than worry about whether text messaging will undermine literacy, we need to examine how to use all of the new modalities of communications now available to us to enhance the relationships we have with each other. That is the real challenge, quality of exchange, what we say and why and how all of that translates into modes of expression that can be understood and analyzed.”

What I take away from his closing paragraph is by simply having an open mind to our now multi modal existence, we may be able to better cherish and appreciate conversations, share knowledge and strengthen relationships; that the real challenge is to not waste our time and energy with mindless distraction. After all, feeling connected to family, friends and communities is the top sustainability issue for North Americans. Today, there have never been more ways to stay connected with one another.

I will be posting here more frequently, and am looking forward to it. Garnering information from multiple channels – feeds, tweets, newspapers, blogs and the SHIFT Report findings – to record and support the cultural shift to sustainability. It is happening, friends.

SHIFT 2010: A look at sustainability, brands, media, and lifestyle in one hand

Jason McCormick — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:36 +0000

SHIFT 2010 is the most cohesive set of intelligence on attitudes/ perceptions/ behaviors around sustainability and social responsibility – and the impact this has on lifestyle choices, brand relationships and purchase decisions.

We are thrilled to say that the next installment of SHIFT – another 5,000 North American study and Sustainability Passion Index consumer segmentation – is currently in the field and we will have data in the next 2 weeks or so.

SHIFT makes up the backbone of all the work we do, and in addition to all the cultural analysis and marketplace intelligence gathering we complete throughout the year, it’s crucial to get a very robust pulse on what everyday people make of this thing called ‘sustainability’, and its relationship with brands, lifestyle choices and purchase decisions.

What’s more, this year’s study will dig even deeper into the following areas:

Political affiliations: What relationship do Republicans have with sustainability? How does this compare with Democrats? Or in Canada, on the eve of the Liberals no-confidence vote in Canada, are Conservative voters any different than NDP or Liberal supporters.
Sustainable consumption categories: In 2008 we looked at which macro categories people said they had made or planned to make sustainable lifestyle choices and purchase decisions: My Home Energy, My Clothing, My Children, My Financial Investments and much more (click here for list). This year we’re going micro, looking at the myriad decisions for each category. For people making sustainable decisions related to their children, we’re taking a deeper look at food, clothing or toys. For Home Energy, is it appliances? Lightbulbs? etc. For food, is it meats? Produce? Dairy? etc… We’ll find out.
Personal banking: who is making socially responsible and sustainable choices related to personal banking? And within that, is it credit cards, mortgages or day-to-day banking?
Google search terms: what search terms are people using when searching for information on a brand’s sustainability ‘credibility’?
Product labeling: What specific labeling characteristics are people looking for? Do they want to see Certified Organic? Or do they want to see Produced Locally?
Product packaging: What actual packaging materials are people looking for? Local? Organic? Toxin-free?
Social media (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter). For people who rank Fair Trade as a top sustainability issue, what’s their relationship with Facebook or Twitter? Alternatively, people who are using Facebook, or Twitter frequently, what’s their relationship with sustainability?

Access to this intelligence starts at $1,000.

Look for exclusive early findings from SHIFT 2010 on Matter Network. Matter will be sharing exclusive findings from the energy and digital technology sections of SHIFT as the data rolls in via their website, Twitter and Facebook page.

www.matternetwork.com

Twitter @matternetwork

Facebook page

SHIFT has been put to work for a number of great companies including Worldchanging, Adidas, The Ethical Funds Company, The North Face, Keen Footwear, Starbucks, Lowe Worldwide, Droga5, Butler Shine & Stern, Publicis, and GSD&M’s Idea City to name a few… if you’re interested in learning more, email kierstin [at] ci-shift [dot] com, or call + 1 604 877 1277.

"Many people trying to market sustainability efforts barely know what the word means, and have no new ideas for how to explore and explain it -- that's what makes Ci and their SHIFT Report so refreshing.

They combine deep, grounded knowledge of the sustainability landscape with fresh thinking and hot insights about how to actually get through to people about what your business is doing for the planet and humanity. SHIFT is about changing your thinking, not just the buzzwords in your pamphlets.”

- Alex Steffan CEO and Executive Editor, Worldchanging Author, Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century

Are you LoCo?

Jason McCormick — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:03:22 +0000

OK… so it’s not The League of Gentlemen – thankfully - but Kierstin will be speaking at the launch of LoCo BC today and will be sharing some insights from Ci’s SHIFT Report on the relationship with ‘local’, and where it fits into the overall sustainability equation.

If you’re in Vancouver this evening, check out the info here.

Personal Sustainability in a Culture of More.

Jason McCormick — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:41:22 +0000

“I've tried more. It's awful. I want less, and I want it now.” Consumed with too much stuff and overwhelmed by too many things to do, The Guardian’s Charlie Brooker nails it with this terrific article… Time for a Cultural diet!

Sustainable Fashion making sound

Sandra Gomezanda — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:21:23 +0000

I've never been too involved with the fashion world even though sometimes I would love to. Specially when I give a glance at magazines and see all the trends coming and going, the pictures of the hip models, all the glamorous shoes and bags, jackets, etc... And lately even more since I've been noticing that more and more is happening in the fashion industry towards a more sustainable life style. Fashion is appearing to have taken steps into a more conscious way to help the earth; more ethical and sustainable solutions join together with the creativity of the designers all around the world.

First we have the the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris which is a much anticipated fall event that will feature over 100 international designers dedicated to showing off all that is sustainable, chic and innovative from October 1st to 4th 2009. They "strive to publicize the ethical fashion which includes economical, human and environmental aspects". The EFS makes sure that the designers stick to the rules of the International Labour Organization, also that they respect the environment while working, they increase local jobs in the area they are based and that their work shows all the aspects in the diversity of this world. The EFS was in New York this past month and it will tour around France, Brazil, Germany, Spain and Italy. On the opening day there will be a Green Showroom. Basically the Green Showroom shares the green fairs' vision, but as they say on their website their "distinct collection didn´t fit in the picture between yoga clothes and bio cotton bags. In the high-end section the fashionable aspects were liked, but understanding of the sustainable materials and politically correct manufacturing standards was lacking" so they came up with this revolutionary concept. It takes place annually during the summer season in Berlin and Paris during the Fashion Weeks, they are going to grow it so it goes around for all the seasons.

Also I just got a newsletter from Inhabitat.com announcing the launch of their brand new eco-fashion website Ecouterre! This will be a great source for all of the best and most innovative eco designs that you should check out.

Finally you should also check out what happend at the London Fashion Week on this post from treehugger.com they launched things like the Ethical Catwalk Show and many sustainable minded designers. Very nice!

Junk that inspire Artists' visions

Sandra Gomezanda — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:43:43 +0000

I really like when someone gives junk a second chance and specially when it turns out to be in a very artistic or practical way.

First is Canadian David Trautrimas had created his very own sort of crazy modern industrial architectural style by taking apart old kitchen mixers, hole punchers, waffle irons, staplers, vacuum cleaners, coffee machines and other household objects; photographs the pieces; and then “reassembles” them digitally to create photographs of modernist high-rise apartment complex, flats and houses. That’s what David Trautrimas did with his amazing series of digital photographs "Habitat Machines”. His body of work is exciting and inspiring with retro lines, cool metal finishes and are the ultimate in recycled materials.

On the other hand we have Junk+ion, which is a group of israeli designers that bealive that there is enough stuff in the world already so they take everyday objects out of context, sometimes attaching them to others unrelated, and at other times just turn them upside down, they love seeing objects in new ways, stuff that make them think, stuff that make them act, stuff that make them laugh. You can check out their very clever creations at their website. My favorites are the kitchen lamp and the rocking chair.

ANOTHER example of the forgotten culture of Sustainability

Jason McCormick — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:41:26 +0000

Yet another example that Sustainability - whether it's focused on the environment, or otherwise - is not new! Simply something we have to remember, not learn.

Incidentally, when it comes to determining whether there is more value in the term 'Global Warming' OR 'Climate Change' we plugged both terms into last year's SHIFT report. Guess what? There's zero difference, 58% of North Americans ranked 'Global Warming' as an important sustainability issue AND 58% of North Americans ranked 'Climate Change' as an important sustainability issue.

The Lorax - my hero - makes a comeback

Jason McCormick — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:10:39 +0000

Forget Bob Willard’s ‘Sustainability Advantage’ or Paul Hawken’s ‘Ecology of Commerce’ – both great books in their own right– but when it comes to sustainability, I always refer people to Dr Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’.

For me, it’s the ultimate example of how you talk about sustainability in a way that’s unique to you and your brand. There’s no mention of words ‘sustainability’ or ‘pollution’, ‘eco’ or ‘environmentalism’. Just a simple, colourful and captivating story.

And though it’s been a while since his debut in ‘71, I’m pleased to see the Lorax take centre stage in Energystar’s latest campaign.

The power of community.

Sandra Gomezanda — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:51:51 +0000

I liked that title for my blog after learning it from the cover of a DVD that got my attention recently. It’s a documentary made few years ago that describes how Cubans survived a peak oil crisis back in 1990. This film is highly recommended! It shows what is possible. Will we go back to horses and oxen for farming? It seems unlikely and hopefully our transition away from oil will be more gradual with more planning than Cuba could afford by then. There are important lessons from Cuba for the rest of the world.

In the early 1990's Cuba experienced a sudden and dramatic loss of petroleum much worse than the developed world has seen so far from Peak Oil. The Soviet Union collapsed and suddenly ceased shipments of oil, food, goods, spare parts, fertilizers, etc. Shortly after the collapse, in 1992, the U.S. tightened the embargo against Cuba by stating that any ship found to be delivering goods to Cuba would be prohibited from entering a U.S. port for 6 months. Even more goods and capital were choked off from the small, island nation just 90 miles off of the coast of Florida.

What happened? People would have starved were it not for quick action by the government to ration food (calorie amounts were established based on United Nations research). The government encouraged food to be planted anywhere there was vacant land, which was the beginning of what we now know as urban gardens. Havana now produces over 50% of their food from within the city. Less densely populated towns are producing from 80-100% of their own food. Since chemical fertilizers were no longer used, Cuba sought guidance from organic farming experts from Australia and now they have re-built once depleted soils. People are much healthier now from all of the walking and biking that is now the norm.

This nice documentary proves necessity is the mother of invention. Cuba now produces 90% organic farming, and has many solutions to deal with the paucity of oil. This movie is fascinating, educational and empowering. Whether you view peak oil as real and inevitable, or as just a `market creation,' I think that you will still find this film interesting and insightful maybe inspiring, plus the music is great. You can buy the DVD online or watch it on you tube.