Imagine this: You never have to go to the gas station again...and instead you’re charging your electric car at work, at home, or at the park while the kids are playing.  This is exactly what GE+fuseproject are presenting today - an electric vehicle charging station called the GE WattStation.

The WattStation integrates in to the urban landscape more like greenery than a machine: lower profile, smooth and rounded in form with a welcoming interface angled-up towards the user, it is resistant to the tough weather and streets, while still looking and feeling friendly.  

Did we mention it charges your EV in 4-8 hours versus the usual 12-18?  And with an LED light-ring indicating its availability from afar, parking has never been this friendly.  more...

Bored with mass-production? Scared of cultural globalization? Emotionally disconnected from your consumption?  Designers around the world are using technology to fight back and create a new economy based on craft, individualization and your participation in the process of creation.

After 12 months of work, our first curatorial project opens today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts till October 3rd.  We are showing more than 800 pieces by over 40 artists: selected works span the spectrum from intentionally collaborative (such as “platforms” and “crowd-sourcing” where individuals collaborate and customize), to outsider “hacks” where manufactured products are adapted or modified by you.   Do come experience how the boundaries between the role of the designer and the consumer are disappearing...we’ll be there ready to play and make together!

We have never blogged about awards, but this time it’s big, as one of the fusers said: "it’s like winning the World Cup of design!”.  With 15 awards from the IDSA and Fast Company, fuseproject finds itself in the #1 spot of global design firms.

Ok...we hear the music starting, but a shout out to our talented and hardworking designers, the fuse team, our visionary clients, to Mom, Dad, IDSA, Fast Company and the Academy!

 http://www.fastcodesign.com/1661794/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2010-idea-awards

Today is the historical launch of the Green Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization founded on the Cradle to Cradle principles and certification program defined by architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart.  We are eager to participate in this ground-breaking institution backed by Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, and bring our experience and passion to GPII.  “Cradle to Cradle reconciles the notion of business growth WITH the health of the world and it’s people. It is simply THE future opportunity for change on a scale never achieved by the design profession, and the only reason big business, governments and consumers will be moved to a new way of making and consuming.” Yves Behar, founding member of GPII.

The Green Products Innovation Institute, based in California, focuses on transforming the making and consumption of things into a regenerative force for the planet. Rather than focusing on how industry can become “less bad,” the Institute is set up to be a resource for those who aspire to achieve new levels of environmental and human health and safety for all products sold in California. The Institute will engage key stakeholders worldwide, resulting in a transparent, independently verified framework that can be trusted and looked to for innovation and guidance as we move toward a Cradle to Cradle economy.

To find out more information, and how you can get involved, visit the Green Products Innovation Institute at http://gpinnovation.org/

P.S. We designed the GPII identity...

"See Better to Learn Better" is a free eyeglasses program in partnership with the Mexican government, and our latest design effort in both education and design for good.

11% of kids in Mexico don't learn because they can't see, and the problem is compounded by the stigma of glasses as a handicap.

To solve both problems, the design of the frames provides kids with numerous colors and shape configurations.  5 different frame options in 7 different colors, that means a lot of unique new smiling faces!

The frames are made from an advanced plastic, Grilamid, that is almost unbreakable, and the two-part design allows for lenses to be easily inserted in the field when new prescriptions are filled.

This new program plans to give away 300,000 glasses every year. More...

Our latest PACT collaboration is with architect David Adjaye and the Green Belt Movement, just in time for Earth Day. The print is created for Nobel prize winner Wangari Maathai's foundation, Green Belt Movement, which fights deforestation, soil erosion and water scarcity in Kenya and empowers women in the process.

100% of the purchase price goes to the Green Belt Movement.  Which means if you buy one pair, we will plant 20 trees, buy 10 pairs and that's 200 trees!  Outfit your whole family, and that's a forest!

So do good, plant wood....get started now at www.wearpact.com

For our 4th collaboration with Swarovski Crystal Palace in Milan, we wanted to try something a bit different…sustainable crystal.  Traditional chandeliers are made of numerous lights and crystals, we wanted to change this equation: 1 crystal + 1 low energy LED light + a faceted paper shade = AMPLIFY.  Resulting in multiple beautiful reflections and rainbow color bursts…Just what is expected from crystal, but this time the effect is amplified to get the most out of just one crystal.

6 different shapes, each one carefully crafted to maximize refractions on the inner surfaces, can be grouped or shown individually. This effect can be seen on the faceted shade material, thus emulating the cut and reflective nature of the crystal inside. Each chandelier becomes its' own large glowing crystal.

AMPLIFY is a beautiful crystal light, made low-cost, energy efficient and accessible to all.  More...

For the last 21 months we have been thinking about shoeboxes: how to fold them, how to ship them and how to reduce them. In the end, we decided to get rid of them altogether because along the way we discovered a new design solution….a “clever little bag”.

Why so clever? By providing structure to a cardboard sheet, the bag uses 65% less cardboard than the standard shoe box, has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, takes up less space and weighs less in shipping, and replaces the plastic retail bag. Now happy Puma customers will take home the clever little one instead.  Oh, and that little bag is non-woven which means less work and waste (it is stitched with heat), and after accompanying you in your suitcase wherever you may go, our little friend is even recyclable. 

With our "clever little bag", Puma kicks-off the next pivotal phase of its' sustainability program.  The tens of millions of shoes shipped in our bag will reduce water, energy and diesel consumption on the manufacturing level alone by more than 60% per year. In other words: approximately 8,500 tons less paper consumed, 20 million Megajoules of electricity saved, 1 million liters less fuel oil used and 1 million liters of water conserved. During transport 500,000 liters of diesel is saved and lastly, by replacing traditional shopping bags the difference in weight will save almost 275 tons of plastic.

That such a little bag can have such a big impact...you can see why we called it clever. More...

Video Courtesy of PUMA AG, created by Droga5 & Labour.

The mindset of VUE, our new watch with Issey Miyake, is to experience the mystery of time hour by hour: VUE is a way to feel time’s appearance and disappearance in our lives.  By seeing only the current hour, while the last hour representing the past and the next one representing the future subtly fade in and out, we can live a new view (VUE) of time.

The fifth generation Jawbone is an ICON.  Launching today after an intense year of design and development, the new Jawbone ICON is smaller, packed with more technology than its predecessors and is easier to wear. ICON also introduces an unprecedented suite of choices that reflect your personal style and self-expression.
 
A core design principle of Jawbone is to celebrate materials, textures, color and surfaces; this philosophy is especially apparent with ICON’s six designs being more like a cast of characters in a movie than a line of products. Each is a breakthrough in producing a rich and distinct jewelry-like material...it begs to be seen and touched in person to fully appreciate the whole story.  

Another innovation is myTALK where features and apps for ICON can be downloaded.  Like the ICON design, myTALK is also a vehicle for self-expression: Choose one of six voice personas to deliver status information, caller ID info and more. The personas range from a sexy bombshell to a mysterious rogue.  

The packaging is also the greenest yet for Jawbone, and maybe in the industry. Not only did we eliminate over 2/3 of the plastic content, but the rest is made of paper, the result is a 100% recyclable packaging.

So be who you want to be. Get your ICON on!