As I reach out to my partners in the world of corporate sustainability directors, we are all asking how we can provide our corporations with truly ROI-driven sustainable programs. And, how can we bring these projects to our companies in a timely manner to yield immediate returns in the form of corporate profits.
Traditionally, the role of the sustainability director has been to help create efficiencies within the business model. Especially with today’s economy as it is, now we are being asked along with everyone in the organization to more directly align ourselves with income-producing activity.
So, when sustainability is aligned to marketing and sales it can help a company better position themselves in a down market. Heck, in any market. In today’s business world, a company who is not actively embracing new ways to save money through sustainable initiatives is quickly being left in the competitive dust. AND a company who is not actively embracing this not-so-subtle change toward a realigned and sustainable world is most certainly going to be disengaged from its desired audience.
Green efforts and programs have not gone away because budgets for marketing have been cut. So what do we do as business innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders? We look for direct ways to engage these partners in change. We ask our customers and other partners about their needs, immediate and long-term. Where are they living, working, developing and building? We ask them HOW we can better align with those needs. And then we adapt to those needs. It is truly that easy. We ask, we review, we adapt, we develop and then we spend wisely to create partnerships that realign our businesses to more sustainable programs for future security and growth.
In a previous blog posting I discussed EcoScorecard.This technology has been embraced by the building/ interiors finishes community as a great way to tailor LEED and other environmental rating system searches to a company’s product offerings.It is a tool which directly impacts the customers’ needs, on a project-by-project basis.
The Beverage Industry has always been a leader in responding to product needs with both product development and packaging.So have big-box retailers.Wal-Mart, for example, worked with Radio Flyer to change the design of their tricycle to eliminate parts, time to construct and overall package waste.This partnership was developed because a Wal-Mart executive was aware of the amount of waste and shelf space produced by the old design.Another win-win for sustainability.
So change is upon us as we get into the minds of our partners.Get ready folks, for it is sure to be a bumpy and interesting ride. And if you choose to approach you this innovation from a place of joy, you’ll have a lot of fun in the process.
January launched many new beginnings for our country. One I want to highlight today is the launch of theMother Nature Network (www.mnn.com), a website created by marketing guru and veteran Joel Babbit, and tree farmer and music industry legendChuck Leavell(keyboardist for the Rolling Stones).
But it’s more than just a Web site. MNN has received significant press so far and I don’t want to simply repeat what’s already been said, but rather begin to talk about the importance of this site as a strong way for us all to story-tell as we message about change to new audiences. For years now, I have been waiting for an online source like MNN.
Babbit and his team set out to create the very online tool and community we need to further advance information and knowledge sharing about our current retooling of our world. It’s a true best of breed for the new media audience. In the same week where I learned Plenty and Domino Magazines have shuttered their traditional print publications, we have to ask: is this a trend? Will online magazines and media replace the old school format? Indeed, I believe we all know that the answer to both questions are “yes.” Will this create an influx of online clutter? Probably.
What MNN does is take all of the online resources out there and present them in a very reader friendly/ engaging new media or web2.0 experiential format with videos, blogs, advice columns and more. As Babbit says, there was no one place to gather information on thegreen movementlikeWebMDwas for Medical information when it first emerged. MNN is like theUSA Todayof Sustainability.
My interest in having a site like this goes back a ways. Several years ago, I stumbled upon a GREAT site byDaryl HannahcalledDaryl Hannah Love Life(www.dhlovelife.com). This site houses web broadcasts capturing Daryl’s messages about various environmental-related scenarios, from bio-diesel to an organic mushroom farm toRichard Branson’s Necker Island. Not long after, I stumbled upon another terrific site,Treehugger.com, an exhaustive resource for green design, sustainability and other environmental information. It’s great in many ways and certainly the best information source that existed, until MNN was launched three weeks ago. I’ve met the Treehugger founder,Graham Hill, and admire his foresight with getting his vision online in this way (and for getting bought by theDiscovery Channel).
But the best of breed is truly MNN (thank you, by the way, for not calling it GREEN something-or-other…). I have had the privilege of meeting with Joel Babbit and his team to learn about their plans for this site. With weekly advice from filmmaker, activist and organic gardener, Vanessa Vadim, an upcoming partnership withCaptain Planet(if you have read my previous blogs, you KNOW what I fan I am), a cast of dozens reporting on all aspects of the movement (from Daron Joffe, Richard Branson’s organic farmer, to Josh Dorfman, the Lazy Environmentalist), plus even more exciting news Joel has yet to share, this site is sure to take us all by storm. And what perfect timing with a new administration that promises more programming for the media world on sustainability. We need to talk, we need to share and we most certainly need to highlight the many ways people are getting on board and making change in this world to save our planet and re-tool our companies in the process.
Heck, they even have a farmer video blogging. Now that’s cool! I’ve been saying that the organic farmer is the new rock star.
Regardless of political leanings, for most of us, we agree that this has undoubtedly been a significant week in history.I have contemplated all week about how I could speak about this momentous transition and not just be one more blog entry about Barack Obama. Clearly, our country is poised for change. Yet, this change does not simply surround financial stimulus or halting terrorism or overhauling healthcare. Yes, these are mission critical endeavors, but so is the change we will begin to see around innovation and design as we all embrace a new perspective on our current situation, and apply hope and human potential.
Last night, I had the benefit of attending an event hosted by Metropolis Magazine and Steelcase called: Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism.The session was led by Susan Szenasy, Editor-in-chief of Metropolis -- an award winning New York-based magazine focused on architecture, culture and design, and Bryan Bell, author of the book Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism.Bell is also the founder of Design Corps, whose mission is to create positive change in communities by providing architecture and planning services.
I was very interested in Bell’s wisdom as he addressed the many of the same issues in his discussion of design and architecture as I have in previous blog entries on business.It is the shift from working for one goal of profit to a larger goal of solving social and environmental issues through our work.And as Szenasy said, “here we begin to use wisdom and logic to create change.”
A question posed to the Expanding Architecture panel and one that I continue to ponder is this: how will the new Obama administration affect design and innovation?Our future, it seems, is rooted in history.
Consider Roosevelt’s’ New Deal and the WPA (Workers Progress Administration).The goal of the WPA was to employ most of the unemployed people on relief until the economy recovered. Over$11 billion was spent on highways, roads, bridges, street projects, and public buildings, and publicly owned utilities.Design and innovation solving socials issues.A movement that created jobs.That sounds recent and familiar. Look to the work of Van Jones and his Green For All organization.Van Jones, as many of you are familiar, has proposed that the “green” movement is poised to create thousands of jobs (green collar jobs) each year.
There is another precedent with the Kennedy administration, which established the Peace Corp Act of 1961.The Peace Corps sends volunteers around the globe, to more than 70 countries, to work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and entrepreneurs in the areas of education, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment.Creation of jobs, innovative design, ability to solve social and environmental issues.We’ve been here before and moved forward with great success.
As Bell explained some of the architecture and design projects outlined in his book, he spoke of design that addresses climate issues, natural disasters, issues of water scarcity and safety.We are already seeing great stride in our own countries embracing the Green Building Movement with LEED Platinum projects in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth ward and in Greensburg, Kansas.If history is any indicator, and is most always is, we will be seeing a large advance in the area of design innovation in this country.I look forward to watching it expand beyond architecture and into all aspects of product and service offerings that face and meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.
In the upcoming first 100 days of the new presidency, the world will be watching our new President and his administration as they tackle many dire issues facing our country.Many of the benefits of this influence will not been seen for a while.I encourage us all to think and move with an innovative spirit but remember that the seeds are being planted today which will springboard a new country for future generations.Each of us can do our part in pushing and encouraging not only innovative design, but also innovative implementation.
From a high-level perspective, partnerships become more sustainable for corporations when the very nature of collaboration is mutually beneficial. No one company has to re-invent the wheel and can also leverage dollars across multiple channels. Partnerships within industries reinforce the idea that GREEN is not a competitive advantage, but a collective movement where we are all stakeholders in the outcome.
Back in the Fall, I wrote a blog entry encouraging Corporate leaders to continue investing in sustainable initiatives despite – or perhaps it’s in spite of – this tough economy. In this regard, we are at a critical point: as our economy begins the healing process and a new administration begins its work in Washington, both corporate and personal lives will have a tendency to return to “status quo.” Here is where creativity is critical. In the worst – and the best – of times, we must remain committed to sustainability. And in order to engage our customers and employees in a more human approach to how we do business, partnerships and collaboration are more pivotal now than ever before.
A great example of a company leading collaboration for the benefit of sustainability is EcoScorecard (http://ecoscorecard.com).This technology was developed by a group of innovators who saw the need for an online solution to make environmental building much easier.In fact, this tool is a calculator of sorts, which quickly reviews an architect or designers’ products and project needs.It then calculates and lists all available products and their environmental specifications across multiple “green” rating system – the most significant one being the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
This tool was born out of a need for interior finishing manufacturers (furniture, flooring, lighting, etc…) to easily access a simple tool to help make life easier – their own and that of their customers.It reduces sample production and shipping.It reduces multiple phone calls for sales reps.It reduces paperwork.And it saves time and money.The collaborative nature of the tool brings all players in the interiors space into a collective “green” world – providing one-stop shopping for specifying “green” for sustainable building projects.Eventually, we would love to see this tool expand across all product needs for the green building architect.
A new year for many is a time for reflection, but also a time to look forward to a fresh start. I’m sure you share in my hope that 2009 brings health, happiness and wealth for all. I encourage each of us to look at how we can incite our partners (both internal and external) to transition our core business operations to become more sustainable – decreasing a dependency on materials and increasing our time.In these types of partnerships, we offer solutions to maximize efficiency, and efficiency means less time and less money.This is sustainability.Additionally, when costs are shared and not taken on entirely by one side of the equations, we all win. But when the economy rights itself and all is good in the world again, our sustainable initiatives shouldn’t stop or even lessen – they should continue to grow. Our future depends on it.
How do we make the world work for 100 percent of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?This is a question Buckminster Fuller posed to the world in 1983. And it’s a question that has not yet been answered nearly 30 years later.The solution I present is one of partnership, collaboration and open architecture.We are only going to approach our end goal if we all work together; meaning, the competitive nature of sustainability does not always serve the greater good.We need thought leaders who are willing to open their good work beyond their corporation’s walls to that of their industry.
This blog is about corporate leaders (big and small) in the environmental movement, and Ted’s Montana Grill is a clear example.Ted’s was first opened in 2002 by Ted Turner and veteran restaurateur George McKerrow.And perhaps given that this restaurant chain boasts a namesake synonymous with environmental stewardship, we should not be surprised to learn that Ted’s Montana Grill leads the way in its sustainable practices across its 50 national restaurants as well as the hospitality industry.
I could list dozens of “green” practices at Ted’s (low voltage lighting and CFL light-bulbs, corn polymer “to go” cups and containers, water efficient toilets, solar panels, used cooking oil that fuels the biodiesel fleet), but you can visit the company website to learn about all of that. http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/eco.html
Where I find this company to have even greater impact is under the direction of its president and CEO, George McKerrow. I am honored to know George personally and he continues to grow and expand my business and environmental awareness whenever I am with him.
When I first went to Ted’s several years ago, I learned that much of the Bison comes from Ted Turner’s property in Montana where it is free range and grass fed.In recent times, we are all learning about the poor environmental impact of the meat industry, whether it’s the negative impacts of methane, modified corn feed, or the transportation.I may be opening myself to criticism, but I believe that the sustainable movement happens when we don’t make drastic life or behavioral changes, but when we embrace new ways to accomplish the same end goals with less impact on the planet, our health and a sustained or increase level of financial success.Ted’s understands this, offering their customers with a product they want in a sustainable delivery.Not to mention, their efforts are actually saving the American Bison by increasing demand.
Where Ted’s distinguishes itself is by opening its best practices up to their competitors. During the past year, George and Ted embarked on a five-city tour to present to restaurant associations and other hospitality industry leadership to discuss their company’s environmental practices. During their presentations, they spoke to local restaurateurs, caterers, though leaders, etc… about ways the industry can come together to do better for the environment. They also met with hospitality and culinary students in each city to talk and brainstorm about ways these future industry leaders can have a more positive impact on the planet. Another way Ted’s have reached a wider audience is by producing and posting the "Green RestaurantRevolution" podcasts on both their website and on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqMcw8YfiI
Turner has also put his foundation dollars behind significant grants to the National Restaurant Association to build stronger education programs about conservation.The most noticeable result of these grants is a new website called www.conserve.restaurant.org which shares conservation practices and information with the industry.
Too often we see sustainability used as a competitive advantage within corporations. Until we all join together to solve issues we are cannibalizing our greater good. Industries must come together on green practices and share best of breed operations with one another in order to tackle our major issues of today with the urgency and innovation needed. Ted Turner and George McKerrow could have kept many of their internal or back-end practices secret, forcing competitors to send in moles to learn about what goes on behind the curtain (or in this case, the kitchen). Eventually, other restaurants would have implemented similar or other green practices, and Ted’s would no longer have that competitive advantage; their story would end. Instead, these men truly understand that the planet and the preservation of the human race is the greater need here and we must all join together in our efforts. Now Ted’s enjoys being an industry leader, takes pride in knowing that their efforts will be shifting the way restaurants, bars and eventually hotels operate in a more sustainable tomorrow.
I encourage you all to consider the hundreds of decisions you make every week in your professional lives.And then consider how each decision is helping to retool our world. Are you part of the forward movement or are you holding your company, your industry and our world back?
Last week I had the benefit of spending two and a half days with roughly 150 other “green” marketers, sustainability officers and other champions of our environmental movement. The event, called Good and Green, was organized by the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green and countless other agencies and service providers in the new green marketing space. Our missions may be different; yet many of us (as evidenced in questions and conversation) felt a strong pull to a common place: a position of change. The themes were similar to events I have attended over the past 12 months – the growing consumer base green purchasers, need for an ROI focused environmental strategy, and authenticity in messaging – but something was more critical and more dire. And perhaps we can attribute this to feeling a bit like Sisyphus (rolling our rocks up the hill and losing ground), particularly given the recent and severe economic downturn in our country.
As representatives from The Coca Cola Company (April Crow, Sustainable Packaging Manager) and the Ocean Conservancy (Vikki Spruill, President and CEO) were discussing their ongoing joint venture to clean up the waste of our treasured oceans and waterways (much of which Coca Cola recognizes to come from their product packaging which ends up downstream), I realized that ultimately we must have the support and buy in of our chiefs, our executives, our chairmen or our boards. Someone at the top must simply “get it.” We can quote statistics of other corporations who have seen increased return on investment and we can sing the praises of the Good to Great companies but only to realize that even honor does not protect you (as is the case of Circuit City and Fannie Mae). We can create revenue models, financial ROI driven strategies and attempt to prove that doing right and creating programs that honor our employees, customers, communities, and mother earth will ultimately make us a fiscally stronger and more beloved corporation whose products and services will be purchased at higher rates. But, we ‘really’ know that even with all the financial modeling and quoted statistics, we still need that leader who gets it and takes the risk – the leap of faith. The leader who understands that the worse thing a corporation could do over the next predicted 18-24 months of financial chaos is to slow down or eliminate that company’s commitment to society and the environment.
Many of you read my previous blog entry on the shift from shareholder centric to stakeholder centric corporate models. This shift only occurs when our leaders are visionaries. Investment does not always have to mean financial. It means creating an environment within the corporation where experimentation and risk are embraced; where people bring their used electronics into the office for recycling, where volunteer days are not only encouraged but created by the company. Where commute alternatives, flexible work hours and reimbursement of public transportation is a small but significant showing of a corporation who understands that our lives are vital to the success of the company and that WE as employees and THEY as our customers are the life blood of the almighty profits. The holy grail called market share.
During my week at Good and Green, I met so many people who are investing their vocations and avocations on making a change in this world and understanding that their role within their respective companies is the best and most signification place for them to make this change. We are all living in a little bit of fear that budgets don’t dry up for our missions and that our jobs are sacrificed out of decisions made under the old fearful paradigm of shareholder first. More than ever, we must place our trust in our leaders, but we must also understand the role each of us plays in carrying that message to the CEOs. As Michelle Moore of the USGBC said to us during her presentation, “in Revolutions, people get hurt, not physically, but in other ways.” What Michelle meant I believe is that it is never safe and easy on the front line. Warriors for change never have it easy. If it was, we would already be there. It comes through hard work and determination. Stay the course, my fellow revolutionaries.
I was pleased to see Metropolis Magazine again discuss the platform of sustainable design in the online article called Whirlwind Tour. This courageous town is Greensburg, Kansas whose citizens have embarked on a forward journey toward renewable energy, green buildings and overall advancement. READ MORE HERE:
This past week, I was in Boston for the GREENBUILD show and had the benefit of joining USGBC President, Rick Fedrizzi and This Old House host Kevin O’Connor for a reception at a current This Old House home in Weston, Massachusetts.This eco-friendly home reminiscent of barns built centuries ago, is actually NOT old.In fact, this house is NEW and pre-fabricated off-site.It is a modular craftsman style home which utilizes old timber and other reclaimed parts (such as dilapidated barns, faded road signs, and yellowing photographs).I had the benefit of being there as Fedrizzi present the architects and homeowners with the USGBC LEED Silver plaque.
I recently posted about cheap and fast materials designed for second and third lives, or made to completely biodegrade.The history of creating building materials from organic means is not new, and there is so much conversation about bio-based polymers and renewable resources. Plastics from corn, energy from sugar…When linoleum was first introduced in the U.K. around 1860, it was made using linseed oil, cork dust and a natural fiber canvas primary coat.This material was 100 percent biodegradable, and one of the first sustainable manufactured flooring systems. In the last 60 years, the majority of flooring coverings (carpet and many hard surfaces) have been petroleum-based.I applaud the flooring industry from increasing levels of renewable and recycled content in their products, and I also applaud the move to a world where all synthetic fiber flooring is reused for a second life.We are well on our way.
If you want to learn more about the origins of cheap and easy materials, pick up a copy of Dr. Pamela Simpson’s book called Cheap, Quick, and Easy: Imitative Architectural Materials, 1870 – 1930.Here Simpson examines the use of faux materials in construction, including the rock face concrete block and linoleum.In today’s world of LEED® certified buildings, we are once again looking for our materials to be cheap and easy and NOW, more than ever before, incorporate recycled content.
Dr. Simpson was my professor at Washington and Lee University.Under her direction, I studied Architecture – taking 3 classes on the subject from her.A memorable learning was about the turn of the century (does that still mean 1900?) practice of the prefabricated home, a lesson recently renewed when I first visited Greensburg, Kansas earlier this summer and again when I met with designer Todd Oldham in New York City just a few weeks ago.
In the early 1900s, the Sears Roebuck catalogue order department store distributed a craft house (also known as a Kit House). Buyers would call and order an entire house, right down to the last nail, directly from the catalogue. Enjoying the convenience and affordability of pre-fabricated dwellings, buyers would receive all of the necessary supplies in shipments by rail car (a typical house could fit into two boxcars) for assembly either by the new homeowner or a local contractor. These houses came in a wide variety of styles, designs and prices. An Internet search tells us that more than 100,000 kit houses were built in the United States between 1908 and 1940.
Enter sustainability and the evolution of design. The town of Greensburg, Kansas was devastated in 2007 by a tornado that flattened the town and reduced its population from 1,800 to 900. Committed to rebuilding their town, citizens embarked on a sustainable rebuilding effort. And last May, it celebrated the opening of its first LEED® Platinum building – the 5.4.7 Arts Center (Mohawk was pleased to be involved by providing the carpeting for this project and we look forward to being involved in the Greensburg School in 2009).The importance of this building is significant in many ways, but one major point of interest is that is was designed and built by the graduate architecture students at the University of Kansas. And perhaps even more interesting still is that the Arts Center was assembled in an airplane hanger outside Lawrence, Kansas (home of the University) and shipped via truck down to Greensburg.A LEED® certified pre-fabricated building…
When I met with Todd Oldham and Tony Longoria last week at Todd’s studio, I learned that he is involved in creating pre-fabricated and sustainable apartments.Todd is currently working with a design home developer to create a pre-fabricated apartment where you can actually “plug in” the bathrooms or kitchens. Designed with all aspects of environmental responsibility, these units will be cheap, easy and sustainable.
Pre-fabricated dwellings are making a come back. From the art center in Greensburg, Kansas to entire apartments, pre-fabrication is affordable, sustainable and proving their value in helping make the “going green” process much easier and accessible to your average American.
During this week after such an historic presidential election, many are commenting, predicting and posting about what the next four years might hold. Let me share mine … A very strong conversation is going to build upon its fledging roots – the conversation of sustainability.Over the past eight years, we have not spoken often about the environment. Today, we have a new leader who will throw down the gauntlet. And this is not meant to be a political or biased statement of any kind: it is simply the truth. Corporations will now be expected not only demonstrate, but also articulate their strategies around how we re-tool our world.
Now is the time when corporations must invest in innovation and in people more than ever. These innovations should be directly tied to solving problems in our world.An obvious example would include pharmaceutical companies investing in R&D to help solve health crises in third world countries; the less obvious example is of Duke Energy creating an online tool allowing individuals to calculate the environmental impact of their communities and providing resources to take action to reduce their footprints.
As the world is resetting itself (and I could speak about this on economic, social and spiritual levels), corporations have a tremendous opportunity to be part of the change forward.GE Chairman and CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, says that his role is to turn FEAR into CONFIDENCE.This is the paradigm shift that our social philosophers and modern day prophets say the new millennium is all about:from the corporeal to the incorporeal.In this light, sustainability moves from being a separate entity within corporations to a core component of the larger business model.Sustainability and corporate social responsibility must become main stream, and become a strategic part of corporations’ modus operandi –central to how we make money and create an abundant world for the citizens of the planet.How else will we be able to support the 9 billion people expected to dwell on the earth by 2050?GE is to be commended for the momentum they have begun with Ecomagination. http://ge.ecomagination.com/
Where Jeffrey Immelt and I differ is that his very first tenant of corporate social responsibility is to create competitiveness and win the corporate war of my products/ services versus yours. Mr. Immelt speaks more about a long-term dedication to competitiveness in order to support, innovation, strategic programs, productivity and technology. I respect that. However, if we are to truly advance our world, putting the goal to WIN at the heart of a corporate social responsibility strategy means that someone must lose.In fact, many must lose, and when corporations lose, abundance is lost.After all, isn’t the purpose of human life to grow and create abundance for yourself and others?I believe we are all here to advance the next generation and they the next.Now, I know my argument has many holes and you can certainly argue against this view.But if only one wins, can we depend on that one to embrace and advance social responsibility?In a socialist state, that role belongs to the government.In a Capitalist state then would it not be the role of the Corporation?
Now, where I do agree with Mr. Immelt is on the remaining three tenants of corporate social responsibility as he defines them for GE.Again, number one is to create competitiveness and win.Number two: Run the company with Trust. Number three: Create a long- term dedication to people (education and training). And number four: Orient the company to solve social problems (such as technologies which benefit communities or society as a whole). This last point in particular is encouraging. When corporations understand that through technology, innovations and people, they can provide solutions for larger social issues (such as famine, climate change, disease, etc.), we will truly live in a world, which has INDEED retooled itself to embrace the new millennium.And it is then that we will get our people and our planet back on track.
Since my last post, I am still thinking a lot about the importance of HOW we design products and develop materials that have a life above and beyond its first.Many expound the virtues of the closed loop design (also known as a cradle to cradle concept), but often the most affordable and sustainable use for a product is in a second life that does not mirror the first. Take the lifecycle of carpeting for example: Mohawk Industries recycles billions of plastic soda and water bottles (PET) every year as the primary content for polyester carpet fiber. In turn, Mohawk takes post-consumer carpet, or used carpet, and reclaims and recycles it through advanced technologies that break down the carpet fiber into densified nylon pellets. These pellets are then used by the automobile and aeronautics industries.
Over the past few weeks, I have had several impactful conversations regarding design and product lifecycle. Just this past week,I had the benefit of spending time with Todd Oldham in his Manhattan design studio.Many of you might know Todd from his HGTV program Handmade Modern and Bravo’s Top Design. A longtime champion of smart, sustainable design on Handmade Modern, he frequently demonstrates his work with found materials and employs multiple uses for products – making his designs not only sustainable but extremely practical and frugal.
When Todd first began working with Target Stores in 2001 to design a line of products for dorm rooms, he encouraged the use of creative boxes, which would double both as packaging for the kitchen utensil kit (marketed to college students with first time kitchens, limited space and limited budgets!) and storage.Years later when Todd designed for FTD, he again created the flower box to double as an attractive storage box, thereby reducing waste and creating a second life for the packaging –a brilliant reflectionof Todd’s understanding of and commitment to sustainable design and second-life products.
As we continue our evolution of – and momentum toward – truly smart, sustainable design, there is clearly a need for more designers like Todd Oldham who are willing to carry this theme in fresh and creative ways throughout their work and partnerships.
