Speaking of bioplastics...

Check out these new biodegradable Samsung phones! Only in South Korea for now, but we could certainly use more biodegradable consumables over here.

Bioplastics!

With petroleum prices accelerating at unimaginable rates and plastics the topic of green protests everywhere, bioplastics may be the answer! And the business world is listening.

This interesting BusinessWeek article showcases a manufacturer of the new material called Metabolix and includes a video interview with founder Oliver Peoples.

"His [Peoples'] Cambridge (Mass.) company, Metabolix (MBLX), has harnessed the complex genetics of plant-cell metabolism and collected hundreds of patents on a process for manufacturing "bioplastics" in large vats of microbes. A $200million factory is under construction and could start producing Metabolix's bioplastic, called Mirel, early next year."

12 Big Ideas from Biology

Watch Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry Guild, discuss her design revolution at TED.

1. Self Assembly
2. CO2 as a Feedstock
3. Solar Transformation
4. The Power of Shape
5. Quenching Thirst
6. Metals without Mining
   
7. Green Chemistry
8. Timed Degradation
9. Resilience and Healing
   
10. Sensing and Responding
11. Growing Fertility
    
12. Life Creates Conditions Conducive to Life
    

A Novel Approach

Each day we see shocking headlines and about the crisis du jour. Photos of Kenyan violence tear at the heartstrings. The latest global warming statistics leave us in awe. But the global issues we face are bigger than the sum of these instances. There's something wrong with our approaches to economic development, crisis relief, and environmental degradation. We know that aid money is misappropriated and the developed world is largely fixed in its habits. A desperate rural world is flocking to broken cities. Overabundance and overpopulation are degrading the environment. All of these issues are connected, and those who "care" struggle to find effective outlets to help fix the world. Why should it be so difficult, we ask ourselves.

The answer is: it isn't. It just takes a bit of design ingenuity. Applying design to technology and business strategy has already made it's mark. From Worldchanging to Design for the Other 90%, efforts are being made to bring these spectacular innovations to the spotlight. Industrial design and engineering have made huge advances in rethinking appropriate technology. Microfinance is generating a wave of developing world entrepreneurs. BoP strategy has shown us that charity can be profitable - incredibly profitable. Wind, solar, and hydro are becoming more efficient and are aiding in sustainable development.

We are entering a new age where social entrepreneurship is hot, and creative thinkers are generating a wave of new solutions to global issues. Design has saved developed world industry from innovative decay, and now it is paving the way towards untapped opportunities to be globally conscious.

This blog will attempt to explore and clarify the role of design and technology in creative solutions to problems of a massive scale. It will also provide a sneak peek into the goings on of our upcoming 3-day conference extravaganza, A Better World by Design. The conference is being planned by a number of partners at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design and will feature the world's leading thinkers and practicers of globally conscious design.