From DesignWeek: Clearsilver, a Leeds-based branding company is designing the new website for children’s charity Variety Club. Variety Club benefits disabled children through celebrity and company endorsements and has to date raised over 200m pounds with the help of stars such as Michael Caine; Kenneth Brannagh and Ricky Gervais. The new site by Clearsilver will mark Variety Club’s 60th anniversary and have a focus on where funds are going so patrons can see how the money is being spent.
The San Jose Climate Clock initiative is a lovely example of what I like to see- creativity and usefulness from artists trying to inspire good social change. The idea of the clock is thus: incorporating artists’ visions with Silicon Valley’s technologies to inform and inspire the public to reduce their carbon footprint. The official site informs that it will bring together “media artists, climatologists, psychologists, physicists, statisticians, linguists, anthropologists, programmers, network engineers, industrial designers, and many more.” How exciting is that? And the concepts are pretty sweet-looking too (via inhabitat).
Pardon us while we toot our own horn In keeping with our Good Design month, we’d like to point your attentions to SeyrWeyr’s Spen-spen line of kids clothing. Most Spen-spen designs are featured on EdunLive 100% African-made sustainable fabric. If there’s a SeyrWeyr or Spen-spen design you like but isn’t featured on such fabric, you can certainly customize it as such to order.
New to SeyrWeyr is the First Words tees available in english or french and you can get free shipping on them when you order $45 or more by entering code ESHIPZAZZLE by 1st February, 12am PST.
Okay, we’re a little biased to this local, home-grown company but in the years since Airheads Balloon Art took off, we’re amazed at how these guys have grown.
Owned by Leigh-Anne and Dave Weiss, Airheads not only comes up with unique and exciting designs (you have to stop by their South Side shop and have a look at the ever-changing window) but also has an environmental concious in their materials use, gives back to charity and makes free balloon sculptures at Max and Erma’s (Monroeville- Tuesdays from 6-8) and Wholey’s (Strip- Saturdays, 12-3)every week.
Personally, my husband and I were amazed and delighted at all the work Airheads did at our wedding so give them a try for your next event (psst- Valentine’s Day is coming up…). Shop located at 130 South 18th Street, 15203
President of Zen Design Group had become frustrated with products reliant on batteries (we hear ya. The Energizer Bunny’s days are long past). So his firm began experimenting with other energy sources to make toys that are environmentally friendly. This design-turned toy making company employs 12 people and was a runner up for innovative toy of the year. They are now looking into expansion.
I first heard of Band from TV in connection with Hugh Laurie and say no more, I’m interested. Band from TV, which includes tv actors from several popular shows right now (House, Desperate Housewives, Heroes and the Bachelor) combines sexy castmembers with cool music for a cause. Their album sales support charities Epilepsy Foundation, Save the Children, Guitar Centre Music Foundation, NCADV, Starlight Starbright, The Conservation Fund, CAPP and the IU-Kenya Partnership. Band from TV was seen on Jay Leno and you can catch their reviews on the official site.
MiniWiz makes cute little solar panels packaged in cardboard to charge up your pods and whatnot (as well as wind and crank-powered versions) and solar LED lamps (these look awesome- IKEA would be jealous). So that’s cool but their newest gadget the Pollibrick is aimed to make the world a better place by making a lightweight bottle-brick that can interlock for building. Notcot.com has a great illustrated article about the Pollibrick.
This is a battle I unfortunately got sucked into unwittingly as a third party- what’s the best for the environment and the child in diapering? Having myself changed hundreds of diapers of every brand in a daycare, I myself have to prefer cloth. But cloth diapers can me made of harmful stuff too or at least materials that aren’t as good as they could be for everyone all round. So, Wired has done an in-depth article ‘the poop in eco-friendly diapers’ to set us all straight as to the entire manufacturing process and hazards of both types.
They do mention that for the effects on the child and landfills cloth seem to be better (for male sperm count mainly- you want that area to be as cool and loose as possibly guys). This article also busts the bubble on biodegradable diapers, saying that nothing will degrade in a packed landfil as landfills are not designed to compost. Good info- as for the biodegradables, 7th Generation and Nature Boy and Girl seem to be the best picks. For cloth, there wasn’t really a brand name dropped but we’ve heard good things about Gdiapers- which are neither!
You can still get 10% off your order at SeyrWeyr and free shipping til Wednesday 12PST entering code EMAILOFFER4U
Want more savings? t-shirts TODAY ONLY are $4.40 off- entre code 440SHIRTSALE
In keeping with our Good Design month, we’d like to point your attentions to 
