To quote John Goodman’s character (Hound) from the film Transformers: Age of Extinction, “That’s a bad idea — but I’m all about bad ideas.”
Design
What Can Sustainability Be?
We think sustainability is evolving – what do you think? It’s time for the next generation of critical thinkers to design, develop, and create positive change. We want YOU to show us what sustainability can be.
It’s a Wrap! A Non-Toxic Substitute for Plastic Wrap, That Is
Summer is sadly drawing to a close and visions of leftover potato salad and backyard BBQs are fading away into the distant past – much like the toothsome memories of taut plastic wrap protecting my leftovers and potentially poisoning me with its unique mix of toxins and endocrine disrupters.
Lateral Thinking in the Arctic
How can contemporary design adapt to the unique physical climatic conditions, tectonic traditions and rich local cultures of Canada’s Arctic? And how can the fragile threads of indigenous knowledge and tradition entwine with our collective modern lust for seductive new technologies, shiny objects and addictive processed foods without long-term damage […]
Wine and Cheese: Sustainable Sustenance from Ontario
Sustainable design is often narrowly construed as only the environmentally conscious design of objects. Broader considerations for what design can be should also embrace services, experiences and even behaviors. But it takes a large leap to get people to see examples of sustainable design beyond the typical re-usable shopping bags […]
The Birchbark Canoe, A Sustainable Design Classic
Like the beaver, maple syrup, politeness and hockey, the canoe has sadly descended from valued cultural icon to pure kitsch for those who peddle Canadiana kitsch. So it was refreshing to see the canoe in its proper light in Peterborough, Ontario at the Canadian Canoe Museum. The museum’s diverse collection […]
Quebec’s Badass Electric Motorcycle
A “cool” and affordable high performance electric vehicle has been as elusive as sighting a snow leopard in the Himalayas. We have seen so many hybrids and hybrid versions of the same old auto models in the marketplace of late that we have all but lost interest entirely in the […]
Tar and Feathers
In the future, the pragmatic goals of survival, balance and sustainability will govern all design decisions, either by regulation or to remain competitive and win clients and commissions. It is within this climate of calculated trade-offs that the design of the expanded Fort McMurray airport by Vancouver’s Office of McFarlane […]
Sustainable Architecture is Localized Architecture
Within today’s instantaneously disposable culture, buildings are often thoughtlessly constructed using mass-produced curtain wall and structural systems while capitalizing on consumers’ fleeting needs for ephemerality and ambiguity of space and place. Given the demands of the marketplace, how and why would anyone ever design an architectural program based on localized […]
Green Hair Rocks
A new generation of conscientious hair salons is cropping up across Canada, offering a breath of fresh air in a usually toxic industry. Here’s how salons and their customers can – pardon the pun – join the cutting edge of sustainability.
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