Green grow the options

In 2005, IKEA® and Zipcar® teamed up in Boston to make it greener to get to IKEA® in Stoughton for non car-owning folks in the Boston area. UNC Chapel Hill has had Zipcars® since 2004, and Zipcar® has now arrived on campus at Duke, with two Toyota Prius and two Toyota Matrix models available.

Where am I going with this?

Hypothetical case: say you’re in Durham and want to get some products from the IKEA® Charlotte store.To use the Zipcar® service, here’s what it would cost (Note: we’re using Atlanta rates b/c we don’t have access to Durham rates right now):

• $25 application fee (if 1st time user)
• $50 annual fee (if 1st time user)
• $70+/- if hourly rate, assuming 6 hour driving, 2 hours shopping or
• $66 if daily rate
• $54 +/- extra mileage fee (180 miles are free, out of 300 round trip, so fee is additional$0.45 x 120 miles)
• Total Zipcar® IKEA® run scenario: $124. That’s if you’re already a Zipcar member. Add another $75 to that if you’re a 1st time user.

It’s Do-able, but is it Optimal?

The above scenario assumes you can get everything you want into a Prius or Matrix. And if you’ve never been to an IKEA® store, you can very easily spend 4 hours or more there on a first trip. The store is 365,000 square feet! And all the creature comforts are there:

• a place for kids to play while you shop
• a restaurant
• bathrooms

Meanwhile, the Zipcar® clock is ticking, especially if you go hourly.

When is Ecomod a better option?

• if you already know what you want from IKEA® Charlotte &
• if you don’t have time or desire to go get it
• if you are over the initial magic that is IKEA® shopping
• if you’re ordering bulky products like furniture
• if you want things that are unavailable for online purchase
• if you want to minimize your shipping and handling costs.

IKEA® Charlotte opens next month. We’re ready. Are you?

Your time is valuable. So is the planet. We pick up multiple orders on a single run, which is certainly better than multiple cars making individual trips. We’re friendly, we offer a convenient service, and we’re insured. We can even assemble and install for you if you like.

What’s not to love?

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Eat the View: Turn the White House Lawn into and Organic Garden!

Firstly, if I didn’t already say it, Happy New Year!

2008 was a good first year for us: despite the economic atmosphere we managed to get our name out there & slowly but steadily build both our design & runner services for IKEA® products.

We’ve met some fantastic people on all fronts, both clients and associates (Hi Nick & Ray @ Modernash!). Who knew of the utter coolness that bonds IKEA® fans together?!

Secondly,  a big fat HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY to EcoMod!

Though we’d been working toward it for several months, Eco-modernism was officially born in January of 2008. We’re 1 year old! And going strong. In keeping with our flexibility as we grow and adapt to what folks want in the market, we’ll be making some changes to our website.

When we implement sometime next month, it will be much easier for you guys to see which way you want to go for our services. We’ve had a blast with the blog format as the home page, and it won’t go away entirely. We’ll still bring the eco-news goodness with RSS feed and linky love.

Onward into 2009 we forge. The calendar so far:

• January 24: Carolina Rollergirl Event! (we’re an official sponsor for the 2009 season:) Stop by for a useful freebie!
• February 14: EcoMod open house. Come see some IKEA® installations and get to know us!
• February 18: IKEA® Charlotte grand opening!
• February 20: 1st 2009 IKEA® run!
• April 4: We’re a sponsor for NCSU SOD 60th Anniversary Modern home Tour with Triangle Modernist Homes

Stay tuned! As always, feel free to give us a shout with any questions.

We bake our own bread fairly often. It’s tastier, we can play with the recipes, makes the house smell great, & we can freeze it if we don’t eat it all at once. Or at least before the furry stuff attacks, or it turns into our own homemade bricks. Apparently, putting bread in the fridge accelerates staleness, since it speeds up crystallization of starch molecules. But keeping it in a plastic bag can quicken molding.

Happy medium?

A bread box. Just enough air at room temp should keep a loaf moist enough to slow the staling, but dry enough not to mold. This one’s a departure from the average selection. A simple drum and includes a bamboo cutting board.

A tad spendy, but complimentary to a modern kitchen. It could be stored on an open shelf to free up counter space, or in a drawer. Available from Uncommon Goods. [via productdose]

Work with what you have

Susan over at the IKEAFans blog posted about an article in the International Herald Tribune about how design thrives during tough economic times. As Susan so aptly puts it: “Necessity is the Mother of Invention, no?”.

There’s no doubt that constraint breeds creativity, whether it’s lack of space, material, money, or time. And it *is* possible to create good, durable design under those conditions, which are all present in a depression.

Modern is already green

What I love about modern, simple design, is that it lends itself so easily to being responsible to the planet. Heck, minimalism is one of the modern design camp’s most very favorite words! And so should responsible be.

Generally speaking, modern = clean lines = less materials for detailing. And less materials means less energy to fabricate. It also means less weight to ship, especially if it’s flat packed.

Lucky for us, IKEA® embodies all of those aspects of design at an affordable price. Unsurprising, since its roots are in frugality without sacrificing culture.

Soft spot for the pre-cursors

Susan also brings to light a book called Livable Modernism, by Kristina Wilson, about how interior designers responded during the depression. Early pioneers of American modernist designers combined the avant garde with middle class taste to create products for the middle class during the depression. (Also, I had no idea that the buffet party was a Depression-era invention!)

This book is totally on my wishlist, since it recognizes designers like Russel Wright and Donald Deskey – designers who preceeded the usual attention hogs like Frank Lloyd Wright and Corbusier, but are equally deserving of recognition.  Color me crazy, but I have a soft spot for folks who set the stage for the credit grabbers after them. (Like Eileen Gray, for example, before Corbu.)

What if?

Wonder how it would have fared had IKEA® (it was founded in 1943) been around during the depression?

Clutter = Bad. Useful = good. Recycled Useful = better.

How about a recycled freebie that’s actually useful? We’re picky. We’d been looking for a promo item that could be smartly made and have a purpose. Something that didn’t just get tossed back into the waste stream. Badges and stickers weren’t up our alley. But then Ecopreneurist turned us on to these great retread jar openers – so you can remember us while you’re doing something useful! There’s a nice recycle reminder on the front and our logo on the back. Simple.

One for the kitchen, one for the shop

Beginning in late January, we’ll have these guys on hand, free to folks who order IKEA® goodies through our runner service, and at events like Carolina Rollergirls Bouts, and an open house event in February. These grips are made from 100% post consumer tires, and come in handy in a bunch of ways:

• hot plate
• peeling garlic
• loosening jar & bottle lids
• lightweight & they store flat

We can also mail them, so if you’re dying to get your hands on one, pop us a note.

Reduce • Re-Use • Recycle • Retread!

Eco-modernism gets a nice mention on Positive Fanatic Unofficial IKEA® Web Journal