Companies are exploring green design for environmentally conscious consumers
According to Wal-Mart’s Live Better Index (March 2007) which measures customer attitudes and shopping behavior, 43% of Americans want to adopt an “extremely green” lifestyle in the next five years. While only 11% of Americans consider themselves green today, it is clear that consumers are placing a higher importance on the environment than ever before.
This movement towards green forces companies to take a look at their products and services and how it fits into this consumer mind-set. One way they are doing this is by exploring green design, which is designing in a way that complies with the principles of ecological sustainability.
“We are seeing more and more companies practice green design,” said Steve McPhilliamy, director of design at Insight. “And it is more than materials; it is about the life cycle of the product, the engineering, the use and more. It may have started as a trend, but it is becoming a necessity.”
Insight first experienced green design when working on a project for Herman Miller’s voice-privacy product Babble. Herman Miller, well known for their ecologically-friendly business practices, wanted the product to be designed in a way that minimized waste. “It is one way of being more conscious of the environment, thinking about the product from production to how it will be disposed of,” said McPhilliamy.
Insight designed the plastic parts for easy disassembly, and the parts are molded with information on recycling; an important feature as many new technology products are quickly replaced.
“Babble was one of our first environmentally conscious products that we worked on,” said McPhilliamy. “It was inspiring to work with Herman Miller on this product because they truly practice what they preach about being green.”
Cleaner trash
Seahorse Power, the company behind the groundbreaking solar-powered trash compactor the Big Belly, worked with Insight to advance their already successful product.
The Big Belly made news as mayors of major cities replaced regular outdoor trash cans with the Big Belly to kick off environmental initiatives. This one step in going green actually helps the environment in multiple ways.
Garbage trucks burn over 1 billion gallons of diesel a year, wreaking havoc on the environment. Using solar power, the Big Belly compacts trash to a quarter of its original size so collection trips can be reduced by 75%. Trash overflow and litter are also reduced with the Big Belly.
“We know from research and testing that the Big Belly can make cities cleaner and more energy efficient,” said James Poss, CEO of Seahorse Power.
Insight helped Seahorse make the Big Belly more cost-effective to manufacture and improved the overall aesthetics. The new model, the Big Belly 3, is 30% smaller than the previous model and can compact the same amount of trash. Its streamlined design is attractive and fits on narrow city sidewalks.
The Big Belly 3 is made with steel and recycled plastic and is providing cities a great way to be environmentally friendly and economically sound. New York, Boston, Chicago and Portland are just a few of the cities using the Big Belly, and Poss said many more cities are looking into the benefits the Big Belly can provide.
Promoting Green at Insight
Insight recently won a Red Dot award in the green category of design concept for the Verdi Lawnscaping System. It is an environmentally conscious system that transforms any space into a customizable, eco-sensitive landscape. Insight’s design of the Verdi System reduces the need for high-pollution mowers and inefficient water usage.
“Winning the Red Dot award for the Verdi system really encourages us to learn more about green design and explore ways we can help our clients think about the design process,” said Craig Scherer, senior partner.
Taking a cue from Herman Miller, Insight is looking at the internal practices of the company and how it can be green. Scherer started a task force across offices dedicated to this.
“We know it is important for our company to be conscious of the environment,” said Scherer. “We look forward to integrating green practices as a company and with our clients.”