Earth Day enjoys a high profile among environmental happenings, garnering support from more than one billion green-minded individuals this year alone. But one smaller-scale initiative is gaining ground. Earth Hour, a worldwide endeavor to simultaneously switch off the lights, recently united millions in the fight against light pollution. The anti-light-pollution movement continues to surge in support as artistic undertakings draw attention to the cause.
Pharmacy Herbs: In the aftermath of new regulations permitting pharmacies in Madrid to install much brighter signs on their storefronts, guerilla art collective Luz Interruptus staged an artistic protest against the resultant, unearthly green light permeating public and residential spaces throughout the city. Hierbas de Botica, or Pharmacy Herbs, is an installation of fluorescent green nightsticks arranged to resemble outgrowths of “mutant weeds.” The installations were deliberately placed in preexisting patches of neon green light set off by pharmacies’ traditional signage. The temporary work was suggestive of a radioactive garden, highlighting the collective’s conviction that the pervasiveness of unnatural light in urban society will have its consequences.
The Postal Service may be considering cutting Saturday delivery, but the thrill of receiving a package in the mail remains strong. While some prefer handwritten notes, others are signing up for memberships that send surprise monthly packages to their doorsteps. These offerings have evolved past fruit-of-the-month clubs, to everything from hosiery to art, but few have attracted followings quite like that of several new beauty product sampling services.
Birchbox: One of the original beauty-of-the-month clubs, Birchbox set the tone for adventurous makeup addicts. Four to five product samples—all tested and “endorsed” by the company’s team of experts—are shipped to members monthly. Although brands skew mainstream (among them are Benefit, Dermalogica, and NARS), nascent lines sometimes enter the mix. In addition to The Haute Box, an online magazine that offers how-to tips for each month’s haul, Birchbox also has a dedicated shop where satisfied customers can order full-size versions of their samples. Each purchase earns points which can be redeemed towards future orders, ensuring that there’s always a way to keep the mailbox full.
Passionate environmentalists may be known for their willingness to go the extra mile for a greener alternative, but the majority of people who understand the importance of environmental responsibility intellectually still lack the motivation to make an inconvenient or costly adjustment to their life. So, recognizing the power of incentives, companies are finding creative ways to encourage green-minded behavior.
Riding Green: Perhaps the most congested city in the country, Los Angeles is resting its hopes on California’s bullet train project. But with the costly proposition still under debate, less complex and more immediate alternatives are emerging. One of those, Riding Green, is cleverly raising awareness about available public transportation options by leveraging one of LA’s most attractive commodities: its nightlife. The new company partners with local bars and restaurants to provide individuals with food and drink discounts upon proof of public transportation use. We suspect that more than a few creatures of the night will find it quite liberating to not have to designate a sober driver.
It’s true that April showers bring May flowers, but autumnal downpours also have a bright side this year with the advent of intelligent clothing. In one instance, modern raincoats are keeping savvy wearers dry while making use of recycled raindrops. True, erratic weather forecasts may be on the horizon, but these other science-minded slickers stand to make even the most dedicated sun worshippers beam.
Raincatch: This summer’s solar film swimwear left many wondering what other weather-efficient garments would follow. A strong contender to become the Pacific Northwest’s newest fashion commodity, Raincatch is a multipurpose poncho that funnels precipitation through its collar, filters it through a charcoal and chemical purifying system, and then stores the water near the hips where it’s least obstructive, and most figure-flattering. Designed by two students at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, the poncho’s transparent tubing displays the process, while the water reserve remains hidden. As drought stricken locales are reluctantly turning to last resorts—and with clean water concerns at an all-time high—this concept may be just in time.
Even with the ascendant appeal of locally grown organic food, many people live in areas that lack the abundance of fresh goods they crave and are thus forced to default to less nutritious options. Fortunately, in response to the mounting demand for better accessibility, convenience stores, restaurants and markets are finding new ways to bring farm fresh food to anyone, anywhere.
Stockbox Grocers: From its outside appearance, Stockbox may look like any unassuming shipping container but, after stepping inside, shoppers will discover a miniature grocer packed with fresh fruits, vegetables and dry goods. The mobile market was conceived as a solution for “food deserts,” those densely populated, often low-income, neighborhoods that lack pedestrian access to healthy, affordable food. Delridge, Seattle is home to Stockbox’s first location, where more than 300 essential grocery items are available in just 160 square feet of space. With the help of Kickstarter funding, Stockbox hopes to expand into dozens of locations around the country, enabling everyone to have access to food that makes them feel good.
