Inspiring evolution through eco design? What does that mean?

Last week, we finally selected a phrase that describes our Company; Inspiring evolution through eco design. Knowing that this type of phrase has the ability to excite as well as turn-off, I thought I’d take a moment to help define what we mean.

Of course, any phrase like this needs to be rooted in a philosophy. We have one: people, product, planet, and we wrestled with how to convert the practices we utilize in operating our business, into a different statement that describes what that process means for the Brand and for the consumer.

Our Brand lives in a world of products that we think up, produce and sell. Through that process, we’ve created a certain set of “new” considerations as to what we are willing to create and what we are willing to produce. That process is what constitutes our whole people, product, planet philosophy. Adding this layer to our already long design consideration of what is possible, reasonable, realistic and sellable, makes the process somewhat more cumbersome. It also becomes more exhilarating, knowing we’re working harder to create even more deeply thoughtful products. This is the essence of eco design – design with an awareness of the eco consequences, both social and environmental, of the decisions inherent in the design.



We see this as the evolution of the process of design. This process is most vividly seen in LEED certifications of buildings. Take the concept of landscaped roofs as seen on the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Putting pots with plants on a roof is a wonderful idea and has been done for centuries. Integrating a full landscape on a roof for all the energy and other possible advantages is a very different story. Just accommodating the added weight, ongoing maintenance, overall roof access, is a significant change to standard considerations for a roof.

And if the design is strong, and the execution is done well, that building will serve to inspire people who visit or even see it. Not that they go home and re-think their roof, that’s extreme. But, maybe they come away with a greater appreciation of what is possible. Maybe a solar panel, maybe a rain barrel, maybe they think differently about storm drain runoff. Who knows, but, the point is, by stretching the boundaries of design, the building acts as a longstanding symbol of changing norms.

Changing norms are what evolution is all about. We do the same thing with our bags. Twenty years ago, who would have thought we could grind up plastic, make it into fabric and make great looking products? Twenty years ago, I bet there weren’t even enough plastic bottles to matter. Now, the volume of bottles staggers the mind, not just in the U.S. either.

Twenty years ago, who would have said Google (what started as a search engine only) would turn out to be part of an online evolution (and a verb, no less). They accomplished that task through design, not just what we see, but, the code they wrote to make it happen. GreenSmart is writing that same type of code, in the work that we do, for bags. We’re applying different thought processes to how we source and create, how we execute and manufacture and finally, how we tell our story. We sincerely hope our work inspires others. It inspires us, and maybe that’s all that matters.

Tom
President
GreenSmart

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Tom Larsen
posted 2009-10-27 12:06:57

Unconventionally.

I've recently graduated with a NutriSci Physiology and Metabolism degree from Cal and found this blog to be a great opportunity to share the adventures and triumphs as an alumni. I had this freshman fantasy in which I'd announce to the world that I'd be going to a top medical school in the nation-after finding some type of cure for diabetes of course- and I'd invite every one I know to the white coat ceremony. (These daydreams tended to happen in Organic Chem lecture, at 8 am) But alas, sometimes, things don't go exactly as planned, or the way you plan them in your decaffeineted, sleep-deprived mind. Among the many things I've learned at Cal, I've learned that it's acceptable to be unconventional. With that said, instead of having found a cure for diabetes (without a lack for trying, mind you!), I'm taking a year/year and a half "off", as I study for MCATs, and find ways to give back to my community while working locally to save up for a dream that's still very much embedded in my heart. And though I can't offer you a front row seat to my white coat ceremony (just yet!), what I can offer is a view in this transitional phase as a Cal alum, in an adventure that's frightening and exciting, and lessons that we can learn together at the same time. Not to mention the lessons I've learned while I was there such as to NOT take more than 2 labs per semester! So, I hope you stay tuned. As of right now, I'm in the long process of signing paper work to finally start my position at UCLA's lab, and I'm so excited and grateful to have been given such a position. For those of you looking for scientific or lab based jobs after graduation, or as an in-between job before any professional school, I've learned in my experience that it helps if you have lab experience: assays, administrative, the works! Your colorful experience in multiple lab settings is beneficial. One of the best ways to get research and lab work is to go to a professor that's done research in things your interested in, knock on their door, and politely ask to be free labor. Your enthusiasm about the material will set you apart. There are also multiple research program opportunities on campus such as URAP that you can take advantage of, so put yourself out there! Like I said, for many of us, the adventure starts right now-whether it be looking for a job, applying to graduate/professional school, or even if you're just trying to figure out telebears as a freshman, I'm glad we're here together. I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to share with you the ups and downs of this post undergraduate life, and to hear your stories and lessons as well!

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Aimmee Chin
posted 2009-07-22 17:16:55

Feels Like Home


Tom and I enjoy traveling. Road trips are a little slice of heaven. Train rides and backpacking are even more delightful. There are places that we stayed along the way for a few brief months, days (or even hours) where we felt immediately at home and would love to return. A list of these...

Carnia, Italy


Cerbere, France


Vienna, Austria


Munich, Germany


Western Montana, USA




And I would love to have an opportunity to show Tom this place that feels like home:

Mo'orea, French Polynesia


We currently live in one of those places we stopped by for a brief visit and felt at home: Southwestern Ohio.
We are at a beautiful but lesser known Ohio public school: Miami University. Founded in 1809, our current school has a rich history and beautiful brick architecture. Tom graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English in 2002, and worked for the Miller Institute at UC Berkeley while I completed my BS in Genetics & Plant Biology. Now he's pursuing his MBA at Miami while I am working toward my MS in Botany. I love my work in Dr. John Kiss' Space Biology Lab where I am studying gravitropism and phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana. We would like to keep moving, keep traveling - it seems every time we get out there, we find a new place we could easily call home - a place of immediate comfort in a sea of foreign confusion. I hope we find many more places where we can feel so at home. Images of the following locations are from the following websites: Carnia - www.mobbing-sisu.com Vienna - www.viennaaustria.co.uk Miami University - www.admin.muohio.edu All other images were taken by Tom Sullivan or Tina Johnson Sullivan

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Christina
posted 2009-07-20 12:10:31

Osteopathic Medicine

Wow. I'm ashamed to say that it took me an entire year to update. Sorry about that. Well, to start off, I've decided to go to medical school and will be attending Touro University in Vallejo. It's an osteopathic medical school which is a little different from your traditional schools. Osteopathic medicine emphasizes the idea of allowing the body to utilize its own mechanisms to maintain health. It also includes an area known as Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (AKA OMM). Another distinction can be that those that graduate from an osteopathic program are rewarded a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). Nevertheless, the curriculum is relatively identical with MD programs and DO's can specializes in the same areas as MD's. At first I was skeptical of the program, but, after doing research, I'm very excited to start school. I particularly love the idea of allowing your own body to take care of itself. It really ties into prevention which is an area that I have interest in (thanks to Berkeley). That's about it for now. Before medical school starts, I plan to go to a camp that my church is hosting and review some science material to refresh my memory. If I have the time, I'll try to update again. Hopefully it won't take me another year to do so. =)

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Rebekah Kim
posted 2009-06-25 01:04:39

Environmental Law via CRS

After graduation (CRS, '99), I worked for Governor Davis for a year doing environmental legislation and land use work. Realizing that I enjoyed working with environmental issues at the state government level but that I was too far from my own native state, I returned to New York for law school at Pace Law School. Pace has one of the best environmental law programs in the country, and it was a great fit for me. Surprisingly, I was the first Cal grad to come through the school. I've been with the New York State Attorney General's office for four years now, in the Environmental Protection Bureau. My job pulls on my science background, as I work with hazardous waste remediation issues, and also the policy background which was part of my curriculum in CRS. If anyone out there is considering a career in environmental law, I'd be happy to chat about it!

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Janice Dean
posted 2009-06-13 20:33:27

From ES to Oxford

Hello interested blog readers. I was asked to give a quick profile of what I've done since graduating. UNDERGRAD

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Josh Fisher
posted 2009-06-09 11:46:52

well being

It's a bit hard to believe that the first year of medical school is beginning to draw to a close, but it definitely is. I am currently in the midst of studying for a series of final exams for the neurology system, which will cover neuroanatomy, psychiatry, gross anatomy, pharmacology, and a whole hodgepodge of pathways and tracts within our bodies. It's an intriguing subject for sure, but also one of the most difficult. Medical school ultimately trains doctors who will take care of patients, but the training is without a doubt intense...so intense that many medical students put their own health and well-being aside to focus on classes and become the best and most successful doctor that one can be. It's especially apparent around an exam, when students stay up until dawn memorizing just one more neuro pathway, or one more drug name and its mechanism of action. It seems like a small price to pay when that knowledge may come back to help you save a life a few years down the line. It's also painfully ironic when I've studied blood pressure medications while munching on calorie-dense vending machine food or reading about how lack of sleep can affect our lifestyles while burning the midnight oil. With that in mind, I hope to be able to invest more time into diet and exercise. I do believe that living the lifestyle that one preaches to patients is important. I'll get around to that, once I memorize this list of sympatholytic drugs.

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Alex Lau
posted 2009-04-26 21:25:07

Does Reusable = Green? What do you think?

There is a lot of marketing going on that spins products that are reusable as being green by virtue of the reusability. I'm wondering, how anyone feels about whether products where simply being reusable (or recyclable or natural) qualifies the product to pass the "that makes it green" test. In case you need an example or three: These are just the beginning. I'm wondering, what is your perspective on this murky area? None of these products are necessarily any different today than 10 or 20 years ago, yet all can or are being marketed as green or eco-friendly. Is that OK with you? If any of these marketing positions overstep your line, who plays the role of the green-police to call the marketers on it? It's a survey, so post your opinion in a comment at my blog, Tom Larsen, or send me an email. I'll read them all.

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Tom Larsen
posted 2009-04-11 22:06:45

A Funky Gymnosperm

Highlighting my favorite gymnosperm today. Nope, it's not a redwood! Can you guess what it might be? It's... Welwitschia mirabilis Native to the Namibian desert, here's a funky plant that only produces two leaves its entire life - they just grow very, very long. This specimen is growing in the arid house at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. You can see in this first photo that it's starting to produce little red buds which will develop into cone-like structures. This second photo helps you to see the general size of this young specimen. Here's how large they become when they're hundreds of years old. In this image, Dr. Chelsea Specht is posing with a specimen at the Paris Herbarium. There are some funky, fun plants out there that bear naked seeds. Welwitschia just happens to be my favorite. Photos by Tom Sullivan and Tina Johnson.

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Christina
posted 2009-04-07 08:57:13

Bryophytes!

I'm a teaching assistant for a beginning Botany lab course at Miami University Ohio. Today was our lecture on bryophytes - I snapped some photos of the great specimens that my friend and fellow TA Steve Rybczynski collected. The students had a great time observing them with dissecting scopes. One sample viewed from above Capsule and calyptra of a mature sporophyte

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Christina
posted 2009-04-07 08:39:46