eco-chic design

underwear with a social conscience

An article in the WSJ caught my eye a few weeks ago since it mentioned that more M.B.A.s are emerging nowadays with a focus towards social entrepreneurship. One of them is Jeff Denby who co-launched the very cool company PACT organic underwear with Jason Kibbey. What got my attention was that they teamed up with Yves Behar whose humanistic designs I admire. And the eco-modern designs for PACT are really fun.

PACT organic underwear has a socially and environmentally responsible supply chain that ranges from fair labor employment to the use of dyes and inks that are low-impact and free of heavy metals. All underwear is made of 95% organic cotton and 5% elastane to make sure the designs keep their shape. What I love the most is the concept that each pattern on the stylish underwear designs matches with a cause. Basically you can choose between 3 fits for men or women, 3 colors or 3 causes. For example you can pick the cause Oceana that protects oceans and marine life and match it with the bikini or the cause Forest Ethics that protects endangered forest around the world and combine it with the boxer. It’s an eco-chic way of giving 10% of your underwear purchase to your favorite charity. PACT’s motto is that “change starts with your underwear” which I can’t argue with since it’s the first thing you put on in the morning. It’s a great reminder to make a pact with yourself to make responsible and sustainable choices on a daily basis.

stylish and sustainable coffee sleeves

Occasionally I still use disposable paper cups for coffee or tea but I make it a point to opt out of the cardboard sleeves to reduce my eco-guilt. Megan Auman’s cozy/cuffs made out of wool felt are a great eco-modern alternative. Not only are they reusable and keep your fingers from getting burnt but they also double as eco-chic bracelets. I’ve raved about the sustainability of wool felt in pillows before and I’m glad to see the eco-friendly material used in a multifunctional application. It’s another way to reduce waste.

The design of the cozy/cuffs is inspired by Megan’s jewelry and sculptural objects that explore floral patterns found in textiles and decorative ironwork. They are laser cut and made of 100% wool felt imported from Germany. All designs are locally manufactured at her studio in Jonestown, Pennsylvania. I love the modern take on floral designs and the contemporary use of colors like light green, turquoise blue or simply grey and black. Not only can you color coordinate the eco-chic accessories to any outfit, but they also make a statement that you care about the environment. The eco-friendly cozy/cuffs are a great conversation starter about wasteful paper consumption. Maybe next time you’ll pick up more than fair-trade organic coffee at your favorite coffee shop.

a big step towards sustainable office design

The Natural Step framework developed by the Swedish oncologist Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt inspired many companies to become more sustainable such as IKEA or Interface. I even used the same principles to green my own life earlier this year. They offer a great structure on how to green an office and the eco-friendly carpet system by Interface is a contemporary way to put the sustainable principles to good use. Interface has a long history within the commercial carpet space and is the parent company to FLOR launched in 2003. FLOR is a line of design-inspired carpet squares with a focus on stylish yet responsible designs for mostly eco-conscious homes. But since I love modern design I do like their less corporate looking choices for a contemporary eco-office. The modular designs adapt to any space and are eco-friendly with some of the lowest VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound emissions) in the industry. Simply connect the FLOR squares to build eco-chic area rugs, runners or wall-to-wall carpeting. FLOR’s environmental efforts are endless ranging from their eco-friendly material selection that includes recycled polyester or carpet fiber made from renewable resources to reclaiming discarded tiles to be recycled into a new product to close the loop. I love that the modular squares allow for flooring flexibility and scalability. This makes them perfect for sustainable start-ups and our current economic climate. And the best part is that you can grow a company without the eco-guilt.

designed with sunlight in mind

The lack of sunlight at many light-deprived offices in Manhattan can be quite depressing especially when it’s beautiful outside. Not only is it a waste of energy but also of human productivity. Swedish company Parans states that exchanging half of a building’s electrical lighting to their fiber optic solar lighting system can lower energy costs by 20% – 25%. Who wouldn’t want to run their office more efficiently while saving money and the environment?

The technology combines my love for modern design and nature since nothing beats natural light when it comes to lighting. First Parans Solar Panels that can be installed on roofs or facades collect the sunlight. It then travels through fiber optic cables to Parans Luminaires that are specifically designed lighting fixtures to recreate the feeling of sunlight. The designs range from spotlight to ambient light and look great at any modern eco-office. There’s even a hybrid fixture available that combines natural light with electric light for buildings with not sufficient sun exposure. The collected sunlight can travel 20 meters from the outside of a building to its inside destination. What I love the most about the whole concept is that it elevates the human energy level. Studies have shown that productivity increases up to 6% - 16% when natural light is added to a workplace. And that adds to the happiness index of not only the finance department but also employees.

high-tech, high-touch lighting

Since I’m currently researching how to green an office I wanted to feature Yves Behar’s LEAF lamp even that his most recent sustainable project is the PACT underwear collection. You might want to check out the designs via treehugger, dezeen or inhabitat. Well, at least you’ll know what to wear while sitting in an eco-friendly Aeron office chair working next to the LEAF light designed by fuseproject for Herman Miller.

Fuseproject in an award-winning industrial and branding firm founded by Yves Behar. I’ve always admired the humanistic approach to his iconic designs like the XO laptop for Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization. The development of the LEAF lamp took about 4.5 years and created a completely new experience of lighting. Fuseproject not only designed a new light but also a new light bulb. The user can choose between warm mood light and cool work light that can be adjusted through simple touch sensitive controls. I love how the design brings a human touch to the office environment while taking care of our eco-system through energy-efficient lighting. The LED task light use 40% less energy than an equivalent compact fluorescent for the same light output. The sleek and organic design comes in black, white, red, nickel, or polished aluminum and is designed with a sustainable future in mind. The LEAF light is part of Herman Miller’s Be Collection that uses Herman Miller’s Design for the Environment protocol (DfE) for material selection and product design.