Is it "green"? Ikea's products on Treehugger

Hi everybody,
Finally I have a bit of time to dedicate to my squared blog (this post is written today afternoon and finished tonight)... sometimes I stay a little bit longer in my office, at this time of the day, after the right time to go home... just to take a look on environmental and design blogs, answer to the friend's messages and why not, just relaxing with a non-stress surfing on the web... and today, I will spent it to discuss a little bit about an article that I read on the big "environmentalist" website Treehugger. (Tomorrow, I will do a big relaxing walk, I promise! better "sustainable" for my body and mind! eheh).

The "accused" entry is this one: 10 Great, Green Design Products From Ikea
For the slideshow, take a look here.

I was very disappointed when I saw it. Why? Because they are showing very bad examples about how to recognize the sustainability of a forniture company! For example:

- A natural material is not necessary a sustainable solution, we should look also where the wood comes from, how is worked, etc..
- Selling plants doesn't matter that a company has concerns for the environment. AT ALL! Selling stereotipate plants cultivated in a massive way, and that the company stocks in closed places for days while waiting for consumers doesn't seems that much ambientalist.
- Sunnan Solar Desk Lamp? Ask to who bought it about this total fail :)
- I'm not going to say anithing about the textiles that the website itself calls firstable sustainable while describing their big production impacts on the environment...
- Handmade products produced by a multinational company not seem to be so sustainable as well! The only sust handicraft is the one that you do yourself  :)

I will talk more in the future about all those issues. 
The only product that you can find there and that I appreciate is the Norden Birch Table.
I liked also the description, here they got the point: beautiful, useful, practical, sustainable.

Ikea shows off the Norden birch series -- including this gateleg table -- as an example of forward-thinking design, claiming that the initial production of these tables marked "probably the first time anyone had thought of making furniture from the knotty top part of the birch tree instead of burning it as firewood or grinding it for chipboard production." With six drawers and two drop-leaf sides, this is also the kind of table that will stay with you from college drinking games to arts and crafts with the kids; the versatility of this piece means its less likely to end up in the trash next time you move. ($179)


The debate about the environmental and social sustainability of Ikea is HUGE (the economical sustainability, at least for young consumers, is real: nowadays Ikea's forniture have a good quality and usually the right price), but I think everybody should inform themselves better than looking at that pretty ridicoulous slideshow, and then have an own opinion, and do choices while buying stuffs, instead of just buy blindly.In the future I will explain better the concept of Greenwashing (sustainable appereance of products, with no real contents), and analyze how a big company that sells stuffs with low prices could be dangerous to the environment while conquering the love and wallets of european consumers.

My aim with this post is not judging Ikea's work but show how a website that should diffuse the information about sustainability can do mistakes. And this slideshow seems to me more a padding, not to say a mere advertise. It is not showing us why really choose an Ikea product that is good for the environment, or why not.

By now, you can take a look on this Inhabitat in-depth analysis, keeping in mind that IKEA may be mindful of the environment, but it is not sustainable. And take a look about the sustainable steps that Ikea is claiming.

Hereinafter I will try to say my opinion about why choosing Ikea and why not :)

Live the solution: the graphic adventure of Jane Genovese

The first input that I want to share with you today is the amazing work of Jane Genovese, that you can find here:
Live The Solution 

Jane, illustrator and psychologist, was tired of arguing with skeptics about Global Warming and in general the effects that human actions have over the Earth.
So, she decided to focus her energy on educating people who were willing to listen and make a difference.

She did it throught the realization of some funny and instructive Mind Maps. You can see one of them in this post - my favourite! I can see a printed version every day in front of me at my office... it helps a lot in remembering what is important, and is beautiful. Who says that learn and talk about sustainability should be boring? This is just the first of a lot of times that I will repeat this sentence :)
You can find more maps here: http://live-the-solution.com/mindmaps/

Furthermore, she did an amazing ebook called Global Warming: A Mind Mapper’s Guide to the Science and Solutions; I suggest everybody to dowload a copy and take a look. The first chapter talks about the "wake up call"... her aim is to start many little calls, to let the people understand that there is something wrong going on, before is too late. And rethink our way to see the world and our life.
I can't wait to have more time to finish this colorful and inspiring reading :)

The website has a blog too, and a fast roll suggested me that over there there are a lot of interesting topics. For example, how about  Talking to teenagers about climate change?

Let me know what do you think about this project. And spread. Maybe you can put your favourite mindmap on your office too, or at home. I'm sure that those beautiful graphic expressions would let also the most skeptical think about the issue :)

Adorable illustrated smiles, 
Agnese


ps: don't forget to make a donation if you can. There is just one thing better that a free resource: a donation to a good free project!

A big, warm and sustainable welcome!

This is just the first post attemp in my new blog... welcome!

I must warn you, my english is a kind of handmade "itanglish" :)
But I hope you will appreciate my choice of writing in a language that almost everybody will understand.

I am a young product designer, graduated at Politecnico di Milano in 2009.

Since the begin of 2007, I started develop an interest about designing with criteria of environmental, social, economical sustainability... thanks to an amazing project experience that I did at the Bauhaus University of Weimar, while I was spending an erasmus semester :)

That year, I was thinking about a good application for biodegradable materials... and after, many things happened. Firstable, I was unable to think about product without  etical concern :)  That's a big illness nowadays, indeed! Then, I started with more and more interest and curiosity to look for sustainable project and experience, than practices, and the obviously... work career. And now I'm glad to say that I am on my (difficult, long and exhausting) way in the field of sustainable development, expecially in the field of product and service design.

During the last years I started feeling the needing of spread what I was learning and understanding about how we can produce, use, travel, and so on... in a way that will not left ourselves and our sons living in a compromised world. And maybe how to love ourselves, the othger people and our world. And maybe also create working and friendship contact with other people with the same crazyness. And.... :D

It's easy to understand, I was not able to decide where to focus my attention.
Now I have a good chance, because this year I will work in an job environment that will allow and invite me to inform myself about sustainable practice and living, and so: how about sharing all the meaningful information that I am filtering in this big slop that is Internet?

That's what I will try to do. Sharing the best of what I know, and expecially what I am learning. My aim is not just putting news found on other websites here, but express my ideas and critics, and create a connection between me and other people and designer who are involved in the same topics... or that just want to learn something about what is "good", "bad" or just "unknow" about human being and environment, especially in the field of design.
I hope you will appreciate my contributions, and that you'll contribute as well, because often there will be doubts and situation where there are topic that involves issues that aren't totally good or totally wrong. 


Feel free to write me and share your suggestions :-)

Happiness and smiles,
Agnese