The ability for the internet to directly connect people across the globe has begun a unique form of alleviating poverty called micro-lending. Leading this revolution is San Francisco based Kiva.org, which provides person-to-person lending in the developing world. This means that anyone can provide a loan of as little as $25 to a farmer is Cambodia or a grocery store owner in Samoa. By harnessing the power of the internet Kiva has been able to attack poverty and global economic imbalances by providing direct economic stimulus to small business and entrepreneurs within the developing world.
It’s exciting to see artist and designers break the boundaries of traditional media. These new and creative ideas do more than just entertain us they help humanity evolve. Ideas and creativity are at the center of what makes a society unique.
Recently I came across two videos that break through traditional barriers. The artist who created these pieces blurred and then broke through the lines that normally limit the medium they we’re working in. Both videos got my creative juices flowing and I’m hoping they will do the same to you.
Bottled water is the new Hummer. Environmentalists are focusing in on the industry, Alice Waters and others are banning it from their restaurants, and the biggest brands are owned by Pepsi Co. and other multi-national corporations. But is the industry all bad? I consider myself an environmentally conscience individual; I recycle and compost (when my bin has not gone missing - but that’s a story for another blog post), buy organic/sustainable foods + products whenever possible and generally try to minimize my footprint on this earth.
An article in last months Fast Company by Charles Fishman explored the dilemma faced by first world consumers in a global economy. Every story has two sides and Fishman did an excellent job presenting the two positions with bottle water. I was left intrigued and slightly more open to the industry after reading the article. In particular Fiji Water and a new wave of ethical bottle water has made me consider that if done correctly bottled water may have something to contribute outside of corporate profits.
At 2 Out Of Three our desire for aesthetically pleasing and functional design extends outside our television screens and computer monitors and into the world around us. More specifically it extends into the building that surrounds us as our San Francisco studio recently went through a bathroom remodel. Built in 1909 our studio contains high ceilings, original hardwood floors, period molding as well as other classic elements that make San Francisco apartments unique. Our goal in the bathroom remodel was to maintain the classic look of the apartment while bringing it up to date using as many “green” and sustainable materials as possible.
