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Swedish fashion label Filippa K is promoting a longer life for its products by letting customers sell them in its very own secondhand store, which just opened in Stockholm. While Filippa K came up with the concept for a branded secondhand shop, the day-to-day business will be run by the founder of Judit Second Hand, a popular destination for vintage finds from the sixties and seventies. Situated next door to Judit's, at Hornsgatan 77, Filippa K Second Hand sells women's and men's clothing, and accessories. Items brought in by customers are sold on commission. In addition to used items, the boutique will also sell collection samples, which should help bring in the fashionistas. The shop is part of a larger effort to become more environmentally aware, and Filippa K doesn't aim to make any money reselling their garments. Filippa K's creative director, Filippa Knutsson, stated that the concept is fully in line with what the brand stands for, pointing out that resales are made possible by Filippa K's high quality and timeless design. While brands like Patagonia and Uniqlo have programs in place that either recycle fabric from used items or donate them to charity, we like Filippa K's emphasis on reusing clothing, stressing its longevity and creating a healthy antidote to fast fashion. If you run a well-regarded secondhand store, now's the time to contact local brands that might be interested in following in Filippa K's footsteps. And the concept could be applied to other products, too. How about a branded bookstore dedicated to selling used Penguin books? Website: www.filippa-k.se Spotted by: Pastan via MZ
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Shoppers at IKEA furniture stores in Denmark now have a new option for bringing their large, bulky purchases home: a fleet of Velorbis bikes with trailers that are available for loan at (virtually) no charge. IKEA launched the program last month after market research found that 20 percent of its Danish customers ride their bikes to the store. It then partnered with Danish Freetrailer, an organization that loans out free trailers for both bikes and cars, to establish the service, which has already begun at IKEA's Gentofte store. To borrow a bike and trailer, customers must put down a deposit of about USD 100 and then either pay USD 7 for insurance or be liable in case the bike is damaged or stolen, according to a report in Treehugger. The trailers may be kept overnight and returned the next day. Since the program's launch at the Gentofte store, IKEA representatives from Sweden, Germany and China have flown in to see it in action, according to Copenhagenize. Recognizing—and celebrating—the preferences of eco-minded consumers makes good sense for IKEA, which is bound to share in the eco-iconic glory. Next, it needs to start selling those bikes and trailers! One to emulate in bicycle-friendly cities around the world. (Related: Cargo bikes for greener business deliveries.) Website: www.freetrailer.dk Spotted by: Copenhagenize via RK
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Today's high gas prices are already forcing changes in the way many consumers live, but it's a pretty safe bet they won't look so bad in a year or two. A new service from MyGallons.com lets consumers prepurchase gas and lock in today's gas prices for the future. Consumers who sign up for a MyGallons Card begin by paying an annual membership fee of USD 29.95. Up to three cards can be linked to one account, and the membership fee is backed by a 100 percent money-back guarantee if the consumer doesn't save money on at least one redemption during the year. Members can then monitor their current MyGallons price—a fluctuating quote that's good for purchase of unleaded gas at a particular point in time, including estimated local taxes—and prepurchase gas when they deem the price worth locking in. Purchasing gas is simply a matter of visiting a participating gas station, where the MyGallons Card is accepted much like a debit card, complete with four-digit PIN. The number of gallons pumped is deducted from the consumer's MyGallons account balance, with adjustments automatically made for more expensive grades or types of fuel and price differences caused by tax discrepancies or other local variations. If the consumer pumps fuel from a filling station for less than the lower end of the MyGallons range on that day, he or she will receive a credit, in gallons, to his or her account. More than 80 percent of the prepurchase money consumers spend through MyGallons is placed in an escrow account and invested in money markets and US government-backed notes; the remainder is used for financial transactions to accommodate gasoline price changes, MyGallons says. There are no time limits on using the prepurchased gas, so consumers can save it for as long as they want, provided they maintain their MyGallons membership. After a pilot program beginning in April, MyGallons.com just recently underwent a public launch. Due to an unexpected, last-minute pull-out by US Bank, it is in the process of negotiating with other payment networks to allow the MyGallons Card to be accepted at most stations in the US that already accept credit cards. Nevertheless, the service promises to be a taste of what's to come. Website: www.mygallons.com Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz
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There are plenty of schools out there with green practices among their goals, but a new school opening this fall in Bali will be entrepreneurially green from top to bottom. The Green School, which will offer preschool through year eight, aims to provide a place where students can become more curious and more passionate about their education and the planet. The school's eight-hectare campus in Sibang Kaja is divided by the Ayung River, on whose western bank are the school's classrooms, libraries, laboratories and kitchens. Aquaculture ponds, organic vegetable gardens, edible mazes and permacultural gardens are interspersed throughout the vast campus, which is built entirely of low-impact and environmentally conscious materials such as bamboo, alang-alang grass and traditional Balinese mud walls. For energy supplies, the school is experimenting with micro-hydro power generation as well as producing methane from cow manure to fuel stoves and developing a gasification unit that will use rice husks and other organic materials to produce electricity. A working organic chocolate factory, large sports fields, gymnasium, high ropes course and a network of bicycle paths are also part of the campus. The Green School's curriculum, meanwhile, combines demanding academic content taught through a holistic approach that aims to inspire and enhance all of a child’s capacities. The school's Learning Village, for example, gives students a chance to apply lessons to specific disciplines and real business situations, making abstract ideas come to practical life. Students are involved in everything from manufacturing their own chocolate to helping manage the organic fields, bamboo plantations and rice paddies that are integral to the campus. The Green School is open to children from all over the world, with boarding available starting next year for those in seventh grade and up. Villas are available for international families whose children attend the school. Tuition ranges from roughly USD 4,000 to USD 9,000 per year, depending on grade. It doesn't get much more eco-iconic than a thoroughly green school, and eco-minded consumers with the means to afford it will surely find the Green School compelling. Of course, the concept seems like one that could also work in other parts of the world. One to watch! Website: www.greenschool.org Spotted by: Caramel
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We've already written about several ride-sharing sites that help match up people in need of a ride with drivers heading in the same direction. Now French site Colis-Voiturage is bringing a similar service to the local transport of packages. Individuals who need to send packages across drivable distances typically must make the trip themselves or pay expensive shipping charges. In the hopes of creating a more economical and eco-friendly solution, Colis-Voiturage aims to bring together those with a package to send and drivers who are already planning a trip to a similar destination. Members of the site register with their name, address, birthdate and contact information, and indicate whether they have a package to send or whether they're planning to drive to a particular destination—or both. Those with packages to send provide details of their shipment and search for those planning trips in the same direction; if there isn't one at the moment, they'll be sent an e-mail when one is added. Once a match is found, the parties arrange the details and financial contribution independently. Using the site is free for package senders. Drivers get a year free if they sign up before Oct. 2; thereafter, subscriptions cost EUR 5 per year. Among the benefits Colis-Voiturage cites are saved gas, reduced costs and a minimized carbon footprint. The company currently operates only within France. In many ways, Colis-Voiturage's service is similar to that offered by uShip—which we covered last year and which works mainly with professional shippers—but on a smaller and more personal scale. Given the greater need for personal trust at this level, logical enhancements to the site would be to beef up user profiles and add social networking features like member reviews and reputation statistics. With concern over gas prices and global warming increasing every day, however, there's no doubt the idea is good. One to roll out in the rest of the world? Website: www.colis-voiturage.fr
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Thousands of bicycles are scrapped each year in Denmark because their owners can't be bothered to have them fixed, or would rather buy a new bike instead. A new initiative from Copenhagen-based Baisikeli aims to reclaim those discarded bikes to help the disadvantaged both in Africa and at home. Similar to Bikes for Africa, which we wrote about several years ago, Baisikeli (named for the Swahili word for "bicycle") collects second-hand bikes from all around Denmark and sends them to Africa, where they create work, education and transportation. The group has set up projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, and it ships bicycles to workshops it has established there to train local people in bicycle repair. Financing for the project comes from bike rentals back in Copenhagen, and unemployed people who have been out of a job for three years or more do the handling of the bikes on the Danish end. In Africa, local mechanics then work with apprentices to repair the bicycles and sell them to local distributors. Many are sold to the local population—offering a better-quality yet lower-priced alternative to the bicycles commonly available there—while others are converted into specially adapted bicycles that can serve as local ambulances and cargo bikes. Baisikeli also donates some bikes to rural Ghanaian children who depend on them to get to school. Profits from the fixed-up bikes that get sold are invested in local projects, while a portion is put back into developing the workshops. Ultimately, the group hopes to offer local mechanics micro-loans so they can start their own businesses, as well as to develop a Fair Trade Baisikeli bike that will be built in Africa and returned to Denmark for rental to tourists there starting next year, according to Copenhagenize. A video on YouTube illustrates the project's goals. So many projects intended to help Africa's poor are essentially just donations and produce only short-term effects. By developing a sustainable bicycle industry there, however, Baisikeli hopes to give Africans a better future. One to sponsor or partner with! (Related: Microfinance meets mentoring.) Website: www.cph-bike-rental.dk — www.baisikeli.dk Spotted by: Copenhagenize via RK
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We've written about supermarkets, wellness stores and driving services for seniors, but it wasn't until recently that we came across a Chicago-area chain of cafés for senior citizens that has actually been around for several years. Originally launched back in 2004, Mather's—More Than a Café is a chain of three Chicagoland cafes operated by Illinois-based Mather LifeWays, a nonprofit dedicated to helping seniors age well. Offering a combination of restaurant, gathering place, fitness and educational center, each Mather's locale is essentially a neighbourhood being space for seniors that aims to help older adults remain connected to the community while living at home. The modern cafés serve free coffee and reasonably priced food, and aim to provide a vibrant alternative to large, regional senior's community centres. Services designed for older adults include cardiovascular and weight lifting machines, health screenings, walking groups, computer workshops, wellness seminars and more than 116 low-cost fitness classes per month. A variety of social and cultural lectures and programs are also held at the internet-connected cafés, making for a schedule that's packed with offerings ranging from pilates to digital photography. Senior citizens represent a demographic that's exploding in size, as we've noted before, creating a wide range of opportunities to serve them well—and not just as a nonprofit. One to roll out in cities around the globe? And since brands have created plenty of being spaces for other demographics, why not jump on the opportunities for building branded spaces for the boomer generation? (Related: Brain gyms for baby boomers.) Website: www.matherlifeways.com
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Online auctions for goods are plentiful, thanks to eBay and all the others it has inspired. It was only a matter of time before experiences got an auction of their very own. To be fair, American Express tried out an auction for experiences a few years ago that was known as Blue Play, but that's since been disbanded. Instead, we now have Sweemo, a brand-new UK-based site that allows users to buy, sell, swap and request exciting experiences—or "sweet moments," after which it's named. Sweemo lets those with access to exclusive experiences open those experiences up to everyone, connectinge—as the site puts it—"those who have with those who want to." Experiences are listed in five main categories—entertainment, adrenaline, lifestyle, travel and groups—and they range from a beauty makeover with TV presenter Sarah Cawood (priced starting at GBP 56) to a day of extreme speed sailing on the Hugo Boss for GBP 12,000. Shopping for experiences is free, and users get a profile page where they can track details about experiences that have interested them as well as leave comments and rate experiences they have already won. For those with experiences to offer, listing fees are based on the starting price and begin at GBP 1.50; closing fees range from 1.5 percent to 5 percent of the final selling price. Sellers can also rate those who have bought from them. Jay Nguyen, managing director of Sweemo, explains: "Sweemo gives everyone the opportunity to access special experiences that simply aren't available in any other marketplace. We are motivating and inspiring people to recognise the incredible experiences within their own lives and making them available to others. They can be weird, wild or wonderful—so long as they can be enjoyed." Yet another business idea that should appeal to consumers who are driven by experiences, also known as transumers. (Related: Experience stores.) Website: www.sweemo.com Spotted by: Brand Republic via Alice Feith
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A few weeks ago we wrote about Pubeco, a French effort to tame the mass-mailing clutter that afflicts most consumer mailboxes, and now another initiative also out of France aims to make those mass-mailings greener to begin with. Earlier this month, Paris-based direct marketing agency TBWA\Excel launched its Mailing Vert service in partnership with envelope maker Manuparis, Vincent Printers, Groupe Moselle Vieillemard printers and direct marketing/sales logistics firm Diffusion Plus. Designed with nonprofits' fundraising efforts in mind, the Mailing Vert service goes far beyond the simple use of recycled paper to engage all members of the production chain in a greener, cleaner direct-mailing process. Partners in Mailing Vert adhere to a charter including four principles: to protect the environment, such as by purifying all waste water and using vegetable-based inks, solvents and cleaning agents; to preserve raw materials and protect natural resources through the use of paper that's either recycled or derived from sustainably managed forests; to track waste and minimize energy consumption, such as by optimizing transportation networks; and to measure and offset the ecological impact of each phase of the direct-mailing process. One major organization—Frères des Hommes—has already signed up, Excel says. Nonprofit organizations are particularly vulnerable to the criticisms of consumers who want to see their donations put to good use—not further environmental destruction—so any effort that can demonstrate their eco-mindedness visibly will only improve good will. One to roll out on a global scale to for-profits and nonprofits alike! (Related: Reusable envelopes for reply mail.) Website: www.mailingvert.fr Spotted by: Baris Bakir
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Who would have thought dancing could become such a widespread force in combating global warming? After covering a Dutch dance-powered nightclub back in 2006, we wrote just the other day about the Orange Dance Charge for charging cellphones. Now, dance energy has popped up again in the form of an eco nightclub that's slated to open next week in London. On July 10, Club4Climate, an eco group led by real-estate magnate Andrew Charalambous, will launch a new sustainable nightclub at Bar Surya in King’s Cross. In addition to using a dance floor that captures enough energy to supply 60 percent of its power needs, the club will require that all patrons sign a pledge to help fight global warming; it will also waive the GBP 10 admission fee for those who can prove they travelled there by foot, bicycle or public transport. Low-voltage lighting and recyclable materials will be used throughout the club, which will reportedly also serve organic spirits in polycarbon cups and employ a recycled-water system for flushing the toilets. Club4Climate hopes to open similar sustainable dance clubs in New York, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, and has partnered with gap year organization Projects Abroad for the manpower to do that, according to its site. Part of Club4Climate's profits will be donated to Friends of the Earth, though it should be noted that that connection appears to be tenuous at best: A disclaimer on the site notes that "Friends of the Earth in no way supports or endorses the activities of Club4Climate, but we're going to give them the money anyway." According to the Evening Standard, FoE has turned down Club4Climate's donations in the past because it appeared to encourage international flights. Air-travel issues notwithstanding, Club4Climate's sustainable nightclub will be well-worth watching as yet another example of the dance-powered trend. One to partner with—or emulate? Website: www.club4climate.com Spotted by: Daily Mail via RK
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We love seeing a good idea take hold, so we were happy that one of our spotters came across Netherlands-based GreenGraffiti. Much like UK-based Street Advertising Services, which we wrote about last year, GreenGraffiti creates advertising on dirty city streets and walls using the clean, green power of plain water. Armed with just a template and a high-pressure water sprayer, the company has "cleaned" advertising messages out of the dirt on behalf of clients including Elle, Telfort and Universal Music. No paper, no ink, no printing process—GreenGraffiti's ads are completely carbon-neutral, it says. They last up to six months, depending on foot traffic, and cost a fraction of the price of traditional outdoor media, the company asserts. GreenGraffiti was launched in 2006 by sustainable brand design firm Hemshaven and creative guerilla marketing bureau Jack Liberties, and is available to conduct campaigns of any size throughout Europe and North America. One to test out on the dirty streets near you...? Website: www.greengraffiti.nl Spotted by: Lieke Voermans
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