Viridian Note 00433: Treehugger
- Key concepts:
- Treehugger website, product reviews,
design writing, commercial demarginalization
- Attention Conservation Notice:
- Offers actual pay
and publication room to qualified people
who like to write about Viridian topics.
Entries in the Viridian Visionary Contest:
http://www.viridianrepository.com
Links:
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/
(((Okay, "Visionary in Residence" contestants, check
this out: this week I am blogging the work of my
students in the ACCD Index Futures class! Do you
wonder what a "Visionary in Residence" at a
design school actually does with his time
and energy? Check it out!)))
Link:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/02/johnny_applelee.php
(((Look at this. I am writing reviews for Treehugger.
I didn't even get paid! I took it out in trade! Free
solar review swag!)))
(((I urge Viridians to think seriously about
writing for Treehugger – for the simple, pressing
reason that Treehugger demarginalizes green stuff.
REAL HUMAN BEINGS NEED TO ACTUALLY PURCHASE
GENUINELY GREEN PRODUCTS. These wares frankly and
baldly need to be promoted and sold, in vast,
postindustrial quantities that this niche market
has never yet achieved. You should help in this
worthy effort, even if you DESPISE CAPITALISM
and the effort DOES NOT MAKE YOU PERSONALLY RICH.)))
(((Besides which, I am an "eco/design
savvy international writer," as you
well know.)))
From: Graham Hill, Treehugger editor.
"TreeHugger.com looking for eco/design savvy international writers.
"TreeHugger.com is a new, rapidly growing blog that
focuses on the modern+green lifestyle. See below for
more.
"Must Haves:
- excellent, informative, entertaining writing ability
- modern design eye. excellent curatorial skills.
- green design, eco-knowledge
- self-motivation
- research skills and desire
- located in europe, asia, africa, central/south america
- computer skills
Nice to Haves:
- particular expertise in plants/gardening,
design schooling, food, fashion and business
- blogging experience
- design or category-relevant education
Details:
- part-time contract work
- start within next month
- $10/post plus bonuses. 1-4 posts/weekday.
- telecommuting only
"Interested?
"Please pick 5 things that you think would be good
TreeHugger posts. Send me small unzipped jpegs/gifs,
corresponding links and a one liner for each on why
the selection would be good for TreeHugger to graham
at treehugger dot com. Check the following 2 sites
for an understanding of the aesthetic (not enviro
aspects) that I am after:
http://homepage.mac.com/graham.hill/exceptionlab_projs./PhotoAlbum36.html
http://homepage.mac.com/graham.hill/exceptionlab_projs./PhotoAlbum37.html
And check this page for what I am not after:
http://homepage.mac.com/graham.hill/exceptionlab_projs./PhotoAlbum38.html
(((This hate page is the best Treehugger page ever!
Check that out, and marvel!)))
"What is TreeHugger?
"TreeHugger is an online magazine/blog featuring
10+ posts/day on the modern+green lifestyle (design,
architecture, fashion, food, travel, transportation
etc..). Our aim is to help bring sustainability
mainstream by aggregating the well designed
products and services thereby making it convenient
for you to shift your lifestyle in a greener
direction. TreeHugger has or is being featured
by CNN, Fortune, ReadyMade, 34 and the New York
Times.
"Press Release
"TREEHUGGER. The future is green. Find it here.
"Who says saving the planet can't be sexy? Not us.
Welcome to TreeHugger.com, a modern, design-savvy,
online guide for people (like you!) who think
that destroying the Earth is a bad idea. The site
is the definitive modern-green filter, an e-zine
that aims to improve the world around us by
de-marginalizing the environmental movement
while celebrating the convergence of environmental
awareness and super-cool contemporary design.
"Updated daily, TreeHugger travels to the
manufacturing facilities of Detroit, runways
of London, furniture showrooms of New York,
beaches of Sydney, villages of Africa, and
bamboo forests of Asia to provide you with
relevant news and information. With precise
and witty contributors from around the globe,
TreeHugger is more hip than hippy. We're a
searchable showcase for ground-breaking design,
services, furniture, fashions, architecture,
vehicles, travel, food, and more.
"We know we can't shop our way to a greener
planet, but we also know that everybody needs
stuff. TreeHugger believes that people would
shift their buying decisions if it were easy
to access aesthetically pleasing, environmentally
responsible products and services. That's one
of the reasons we're here.
"We're also all for choosing second-hand items,
minimizing purchases, recycling, and consuming
long-lasting goods, but we also think we can do
even better. Let's move on up the evolutionary
ladder. Let's use Product Service Systems (PSS),
whereby vendors provide the service of a product
instead of a product itself, allowing us to use
things without actually owning them. Let's go to
a tool, car, or sports equipment 'library,' where
we can check stuff out without having to deal
with storage or repairs. The added bonus? By
sharing stuff, we create less manufacturing
and landfill waste.
"Referring to concepts like these, TreeHugger
wishes to be a paradigm for the next industrial
revolution – we believe that nurturing the
environment, making a shift to renewable resources,
and creating materials that can be infinitely
recycled are all essential elements to avoiding
a global energy crisis. At the same time, we
know that digging through mountains of information
just to buy a new chair is simply unrealistic.
And so our goal is not only to help consumers
easily shift their habits, but also to further
educate designers, manufacturers, and retailers,
because, hey, we're all in this together.
"We need to change and minimize materials, design
in a timeless fashion, make things multi-functional/
durable/repairable, efficient, and easy to ship.
We need to shop locally. We need products that
biodegrade. We need to be more TreeHugger.
We can do it.
"So who says saving the planet can't be sexy?
You won't.
"TreeHugger is the brainchild of New York City-based
Designpreneur Graham Hill. Other recent projects
include a ceramic version of the ubiquitous 'We
Are Happy To Serve You' paper coffee cup
( http://www.wearehappytoserveyou.com).
"He can be reached at graham@treehugger.com."
++ graham hill
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
WRITE IT
READ IT
BUY IT
PERSONIFY IT
O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
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