by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Is it too late for cucumbers? When should the celery go in? SproutRobot takes the guesswork out of gardening by sending seeds and reminders when it’s time to plant. Gardeners enter their zip code to get a regionally optimized planting calendar. They can either register for free email reminders and [...]
by Sarah Fazio Dark green Control FreakSM that I am, I appreciate that my utility bills show my home usage relative to past months and also my neighbors’ numbers. Each month, the bills raise questions from the mundane (did I leave a basement light on all month?) to the existential (do my neighbors, perhaps, enjoy [...]
by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING For its next move as a green giant, Sam’s Club will be the first U.S. retailer to run a store with its own wind power. They’ll generate juice with 17 micro wind turbines mounted on light posts in a Palmdale, CA, store’s parking lot. Sam’s picked a particularly windy plot [...]
by Rebecca Kolls What is it with Americans and their lawns? As a group, we’re obsessed with perfecting our yard and its terrific turf. From broad expanses of green carpet stretching from curb to front door to those perfectly groomed checkerboard backyards, lawns are high art for some homeowners. We spend hours working, watering, and [...]
by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING Philadelphia’s Fresh Grocer chain teamed up with the city’s Streets Department and RecycleBank to support a recycling incentive partnership that earns residents points that are redeemable at local retailers and restaurants (ProgressiveGrocer.com 2.7.10). Over the first six months of 2010, the Recycle Rewards program will roll out by neighborhood. Residents [...]
February 2, 2010 – 1:14 pm
by Sarah Fazio What’s good for the earth isn’t always fun for your dinner party — hosting green friends can sometimes feel more like a guilt trip than a pleasure cruise. And the pressure from the environmentally sensitive Joneses is well documented. But now greener-than-thou tension is moving from interpersonal to intimate with reports of [...]
January 8, 2010 – 3:01 am
by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING For most dinner party hosts, the evening requires a trip (or three) to the grocery store. But for Doomer Dinner Parties there’s no shopping required — actually, it’s forbidden. The entire meal must be prepared from what’s on hand in the host’s fridge, pantry or garden. Doomers (a.k.a. peakniks) say [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumers
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Tagged Best of 2009, Consumer trends, Crunchy Chicken, Doomer dinner parties, Green, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Peak oil, Peakniks, Prep practice, Sarah Fazio
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December 24, 2009 – 8:17 am
by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING As an alternative to felled foliage, some West Coast consumers are renting live, potted Christmas trees. The service started in Portland, OR, by the aptly named Original Living Christmas Tree Co. Eighty bucks brings a tree home with delivery and pick-up via Zipcars (LATimesBlogs.LATimes.com 11.30.09). Last year we told you [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumer Trend
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Tagged Adopt a Christmas Tree, Consumer trends, Friends of the Urban Forest, Green Christmas, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Ikea Seattle, Living Christmast Company, Original Living Christmas Tree Company, Renting Christmas trees, Sarah Fazio
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December 15, 2009 – 2:33 pm
-A self-proclaimed overly simplified—but admittedly welcome—cheat sheet for the climate conference. -Yesterday’s news from the U.N.’s official site. -Interactive tools: Google Earth shows climate change scenarios and “tours” the world; CNN and YouTube launched the COP15 channel taking questions from around the globe for a panel in Copenhagen to answer live today. -President Obama has [...]
December 3, 2009 – 5:29 am
by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING Consumers wondering how much power is blowing in the wind now have an iPhone app from Mariah Power, maker of the Windspire turbine. Users simply hold the phone skyward and the app measures wind speed and calculates how much CO2 could be offset if a small wind turbine were installed [...]
August 20, 2009 – 6:00 am
by Lisa Leonard WHAT’S HAPPENING In June 2009, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory recycling and composting law in the nation — part of the city’s effort to achieve zero waste by 2020 (SFGate.com 6.10.09). Beginning in fall 2009, every household and business must sort refuse into [...]
Listen to packaging guru David Luttenberger talk about sustainability, the “green gap” and packaging’s moment of truth in our most recent podcast, Product Packaging and the Green Gap. Iconoculture’s Global Packaging Advisory Service delivers packaging-specific knowledge in context with consumer insights, providing a holistic concept-to-consumer perspective. Download the podcast here: Product Packaging and the Green [...]
by Josh Kimball WHAT’S HAPPENING Earthaid.net gives consumers a one-stop spot online to see how much juice their homes are using. The new service helps consumers monitor their home’s patterns, then pays them when they save energy. Using the motto “Smart for Your Wallet. Smart for the World,” Earth Aid Enterprises also sells Earth Aid [...]
by Lisa Leonard WHAT’S HAPPENING Fidgety feet? Now consumers can turn nervous energy into electricity with the help of the YoGen MaxT. The device, from Easy Energy, sits conveniently under the user’s desk, harnessing foot-tapping power into electricity with a pedal that’s ergonomically optimized to prevent tootsies from tiring (Easy-Energy.biz 3.09). People-powered energy sources for [...]
By Iconoculture
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Also posted in Consumer Trend, Sustainability, Technology
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Tagged Millennials, Iconoculture, Iconowatch, Consumer trends, Boomers, Gen Xers, Matures, Lisa Leonard, people-powered energy
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