So when browsing (as I so often do) I came across the Greener Gadgets and competition in conjunction with Core 77. The competition targets green design of household products and electrical goods. The brief is as follows:
‘We invited designers to explore the concept of “Greener Gadgets.” Designs sought to minimize the environmental impact of consumer electronic devices at any stage in the product life cycle. Areas of sustainability to consider included energy, materials/life cycle/recycling, social impact, and educational development. Designers could focus on a particular area of human enterprise (learning, playing, communicating, etc.) or a particular context (work, home, school, etc.), a particular material, or a specific device. Entries could also seek to create new paradigms for products and services.’ http://www.greenergadgets.com/index.php/design-competition/
One entry I found of particular interest was that from Yunwen Hsu. Hsu designed a rice cooker/washing device that stores the water that is used to wash the starch from rice. Traditionally in Asian households, ‘rice water’ is re-used to wash dishes. The starch is particularly good at removing grease and oils from plates. In modern times most households throw away starchy water and use fresh water and detergent instead. This design washes and cooks rice, then stores the water in an easy to access container. Awesome…
Tilly Charles 