The Adnostic

Ever wonder how recycling works? Did you think, like I did, that when we send our recyclables off with the magic dump truck that people sort through our trash by hand, making it a dirty and high cost environmental labor? Apparently, this isn't the case. It's actually completely automated.

The recycling of electronics is of course completely different. It's much more labor intensive and far dirtier, hence why a lot of it is sent overseas.

I've been doing some research on this lately and I'll probably write another blog post about how companies can become more recycling friendly. Some examples of brands that are making strides are Britta, Dell, and Sony. There are a lot more smaller brands, but those are a few majors.

I think that there are a lot of green movements that can be spearheaded by companies, or at least be given some support once started, but I think recycling is at the point where consumers need to pick up some of the slack. We need to start selecting products based on how much post-consumer waste is used in the actual product or packaging. Consumers need to start generating more demand for this, especially in products where quality doesn't need to be pristine - toilet paper, paper towels, general office paper, disposable plates and utensils for example. Why not demand that things intended to be garbage be made out of garbage? The supply is there, but where is the demand?

The recycling ball seems to be rolling, but I think it's time for consumers to start providing some extra momentum.

A friend invited me to help out at a TrendUnion presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown LA last week. All I had to do was watch their merchandise in between the presentations and I could listen and take notes for free. Not a bad deal.

Even though the presentation was primarily fashion oriented, I was able to walk away with a few interesting notes on cultural trends in general:

- We've had 20 years of fear and now its time for 20 years of optimism.
-- Times may be tough, but we have our heads and our hands and we're going to be okay.
-- Even through all the doom and gloom fashion is showing intense creativity and bold colors.

- Spring/Summer 2008 - We were tired of black and white and it was time for shades of gray. Same held true for politics. We were tired of the polarization and ready for the middle of the road.
- Fall/Winter 2009 - Fear came back with the recession. We started to cover more and wear more layers. We started to reconsider bartering as opposed to credit.
- Spring/Summer 2009 - We'll be getting back to basics. Unplugging, folklore, country music. We're going to see a lot more home manufacturing and craft. Let's sacrifice, get back to work and do it ourselves.
- Fall/Winter 2009 - We will find ourselves rejecting reality and indulging fantasy.
- Spring/Summer 2010 - Will be all about the imagination. We will be confused and needing to focus back in on ourselves and be creative. There will be less focus on our identities, how the world sees us.

The presentation was very interesting and very well executed. It still seems odd to me that statements can be so definitive and vague at the same time.

Thanks Wendy!

It's that time of year again. The time of year where we stress and fret about what we will give our loved ones and not so loved obligations a gift that will rest on their shelves and collect dust until the day they think you won't notice and throw it in the pile that goes to Goodwill.

I'm almost done with my shopping. I have two more gifts to get and one of them is a birthday gift. I'll be going to Unique LA on Saturday to see what the local independent design community has to offer, and if you're in the area and have the time I suggest you do the same. The line up looks great. Maybe I'll get a chickenpants to match Carly's menagerie.

But for those of you with friends and family who are impossible to find gifts for, I implore you once again, don't waste your money. Donate to a charity they care about in their name. Even if they don't get it, think you're joking, and ask you where the real present is, then maybe they'll learn a lesson and be less hard to buy for in the future or at least get better at pretending they like what you get them. Besides, charities are having a real hard time in this economy and they need our help way more than Aunt Edna needs a new pair of slippers.

I'll be giving my mother a donation to Greyhound Pets of America because she loves greyhounds and there is no way that I will ever give money to a charity endorsed by anyone willing to show their face on Fox News. She was very touched by that for her birthday and I doubt her feelings have changed. Especially since she won't tell me what she wants and she forbids anyone from guessing.

Other suggestions are Oxfam Unwrapped and Changing the Present.

[via PSFK]

Give the gift that says you give a damn.