Green never looked so good

(Reposted from Metro)

Yegwood throwing a launch party Dec. 17 at DaCapo Cafe for their new line of environmentally-friendly sunglasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Edmonton entrepreneur Joey Hundert started his latest venture, he knew Yegwood (eco-friendly Wayfarer style shades) was a great idea, but he also knew he needed more than an event to spread the word. 


“The frames are all-natural woods, typically cut from one solid block of wood. We choose wood because it tells such a great story, whether it’s a recycled century-old abandoned bar, old maritime ships, or beetle-kill from B.C. This is visible in the constant grain patterns on our glasses, where the rings and sometimes even knots can be distinguished,” Hundert explains. 

While the concept is cool, it’s a mouthful to sell. So Hundert and his team got creative.

Relying on the old adage of a picture being worth a thousand words, the team decided to blend an event with a photo contest in order to test the market.

“We sponsored Sustainival, the eco-friendly carnival that took place at the Fringe Festival and that was our first public outing,” says Hundert. “People truly freaked out over our stuff. We held a photo contest at the Fringe and it sparked a huge wave of viral interest in our online story and story.”

In fact, over 30,000 people viewed the contest website during the 10 day festival.

The contest winner garnered over 500 votes alone.

That was enough evidence to get Hundert to organize a stand-alone event for the new line on Dec. 17 at DaCapo Cafe (8739 109 St.).

“We’re throwing a launch party to celebrate the new line of Yegwood sunglasses.”

In addition to being entertained by one of Edmonton’s most legendary DJ’s (Remo de Janeiro), Yegwood is hosting another photo contest where contestants sport one of the new pairs of shades, style it up, and get their photo snapped in a photo booth by a local pro.

The pics are then uploaded to Facebook and yegwood.com where people will vote for their favourite glam shot.

The winner walks away with a custom pair of wood frames worth over $400 and some cool art from Latitude 53. For more information, visit yegwood.com

Yegwood launch party is Dec. 17 at DaCapo Cafe

EcoAmmo At The SBS May 11, 12 & 13

sbs2010

We are excited to be a pert of this years Sustainable Building Symposium (SBS)!

Both Brandy and Stephani will be presenting on" Solving the Mysteries of Product Specs on LEED Projects" and introducing our team as providers of the LEED Canada for Homes program in Edmonton.

For more information on the SBS and to register, visit www.cagbc.org

Designing our Future

Sustainability in Educationpicture 11

I got a call a few months back from Monika Warzecha of Corporate Knights, a Canadian Magazine that focuses on corporate responsibility.  We had a fantastic chat about my education in Industrial Design and where we think designers fit into sustainability.   To read the report click here.

Here is the interview.

Written by Monika Warzecha, Editorial Assistant

Q&A: Revelations from Brandy Burdeniuk, Industrial Designer

Industrial Design is a mysterious profession; few people outside the design world know exactly what it entails. Essentially, it is about product design, and in our consumer-design world, nearly everything we come into contact with has been shaped by an industrial designer. Part engineer and part artist, industrial designers have the power to ensure that the things we buy (and throw away) won’t harm our health or the environment.

Editorial Assistant Monika Warzecha spoke to Brandy Burdeniuk of EcoAmmo about sustainability and industrial design.

Monika Warzecha: Are you finding more people are becoming interested in greening design?

Brandy Burdeniuk: Absolutely. I have [a colleague] who teaches industrial design at the University of Alberta. Four or five years ago when he talked about green design and sustainability in class, he got a lot of blank stares and rolling eyes. Now he has students finishing his sentences and talking about the projects he’s talking about, nodding, and really, really excited about sustainability.

 

MW: Is sustainability treated as more of a niche issue? If you’re interested in it, you can seek it out, but it isn’t something that everyone should have to take.

BB: Yes, and that is changing. A lot of professors in their day-to-day activities are starting to incorporate it into their courses, whether it’s a comment here or there. It’s not a delinquency for the department, quite honestly. It’s just the time and the resources they have available to put towards these things.

To read the entire report click here.