A few weeks back, I picked up an issue of Wallpaper* magazine at the Los Angeles airport. I had been travelling too much and to my magazine-weary eyes it seemed like the only interesting thing on the rack, mainly because of the attractive formatting and graphics. After thumbing through, I was impressed with the aesthetic, so I visited the mag's website, where I was pleased to find the Wallpaper* EcoEdit, an online-only flash display of 101 green products and designs. They range from architecture, to cosmetics, to clothing, to food, to travel.
At first, I didn't like the fact that there are no pictures of the featured items, or the shallow treatment some items are given. However, I soon forgot about wanting photos and got used to the graphics, which were themselves a means of conserving the resouces that travelling photographers or deliveries would have devoured. And although some items get short shrift, every item featured has a link to the propagator's website if you want further info.
Wallpaper* poses this question as "the most important debate in contemporary design": "Can environmentally friendly design be good design? Or rather, can design that doesn't have environmental impact as a key concern ever be considered good design?" The jury may still officially be out, but my feeling is that the EcoEdit provides ample evidence in the affirmative.
My interest in things waste-related led me to admire the biodegradable tablewear and bubble wrap, as well as the hybrid garbage truck (imagine quiet idling!). But I think there is something here for everybody, especially in the fact that not one shred of paper was used in the distribution.
