Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:55:13 +0000

Regardless of whether it is a dramatic modern landscape design or english landscaping, a well-planned, well-maintained property says something about the owner. The well thought-out landscape plan and profession landscape service conveys a message about who you are and can make the property stand out among all the others on the street.

Professional Landscape Service: Design

Landscaping has proven itself as a means of increasing your property’s value, both residential and commercial. In creating a memorable landscape, you can benefit from the services of experienced professional landscape designers or landscape architects. A competent landscape professional helps you develop a plan and walks you through the entire design process that includes consultation, program development, analysis of the site, conceptual landscaping design, construction documentation and dealing with permitting issues.

Professional Landscape Service: Residential Maintenance

Once you have invested in a landscape design and installation, it only makes sense to care for it, protect it and make sure it develops as planned. And that’s where a landscape maintenance program comes in.

The key elements of a professional landscape service program for your home include the care of shrubs, ground cover, vines, lawn and flower beds. For example, hedges, shrubs and bushes need to be trimmed regularly to maintain the desired shape. Ground cover and vines should be edged for a neat effect. The lawn needs to be mowed, edged, watered and fed. Flower beds need to be weeded weekly. Also mulch should be turned every two weeks to make sure that the exchange of air and water into the soil flows properly. For optimal growth and bloom cycles for your seasonal flowers, they need to be pruned and fertilized regularly.

Trees, valuable assets all by themselves, need attention, too. Small trees should be trimmed as necessary. It is also a good idea to schedule deep root fertilization on an annual basis. Before you undertake any new construction or remodeling, a tree preservation program should be developed.

Regularly scheduled landscape service ensures that all the plant material is healthy, looks good and conforms to the original design.

Professional Landscape Service: Commercial Maintenance

For commercial properties, the same maintenance duties are required as for residential properties. Additionally, most commercial establishments have landscape lighting since it is such a good way to give the property 24/7 visibility. Landscape lighting creates a memorable and dramatic nighttime effect for the property.

Lighting is a big crime deterrent, making safety one of the most important benefits that landscape lighting delivers. It is particularly invaluable to establishments that conduct business at night, such as hotels, restaurants, social clubs, country clubs, colleges, schools and museums. Regardless of its sophistication, a landscape lighting system needs to be regularly looked after and properly maintained as part of your landscape service.

Irrigation systems are another common feature of commercial properties. The end goals with such systems are money savings, time savings and convenience. Irrigation systems separate the grass, beds and color areas into different zones, each requiring different water amounts due to the different plant types, sunlight conditions and weather. A well-run irrigation system supplies the appropriate amount of water to the right area.

With Houston’s heavy soils, low-lying areas and torrential rains, drainage systems are essential. They protect the property from flooding. They protect the foundation of the building(s) from cracking and uneven shrinkage or swelling. And they properly drain roofs and landscaped areas to avoid standing water that can cause breeding grounds for mosquitoes, slick surfaces or flooded landscaping. A landscape drainage system should be developed, installed and maintained as a whole, therefore it is necessary that all the fixtures work together. This way you are ensured that you’re getting the full benefit of the system.

Per the above definition, ECO-ICONIC is not about all green products, it’s about those products that through their distinct appearance or stories actually show that they’re green, or at least invoke some curiosity from onlookers, and thus help their owners/users attract recognition from their peers. How ‘new’ is this? Well, just take a look around: a surprisingly high number of green products and services, imagined and designed in a distant past when green was seen as a compromise, still try to hide their sustainable superiority by looking as much like ‘normal’, ‘non-green’ products as possible.

Now, ECO-ICONIC works both in the world of traditional status symbols (build a green brand/product, advertise the hell out of it and make it recognizable by the masses, which in turn makes it easy for buyers to get respect from strangers) and as part of the STATUS STORIES phenomenon, which involves providing buyers of little known/niche eco-brands with conversation starters and story details to get a status fix from their peers.

To refresh your memory:

“An icon is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the monitor used to signify a command, file or record; by extension, icon is also used, particularly in modern popular culture, in the general sense of symbol — i.e. a name, face, picture, edifice or even a person readily recognized as having some well-known significance or embodying certain qualities.” (Source: Wikipedia.)

In brand and design terms: the iPod, the Mini, Coca-Cola bottles and Havaianas flip-flops
Or, as StepInsideDesign puts it:

“Icons offer people idealization and identification. They are the ultimate manifestation of our collective desires. Modern icons are products of our culture, coming out of our desires and going on to pave the way for everyone else to follow — becoming the benchmarks by which we judge all other brands.”

Now translate the above to the eco-sphere. To create eco-icons, creating a eco-friendly version of an existing product and sticking a ‘hybrid’ or green label on it may work in some cases, but will most likely prove problematic, as it will either be (literally) invisible, or will still be associated with the polluting version. The Volkswagen Golf Hybrid—more on that later—is a good example. Instead, the solution is to make it new, bold and above all, to make it look very different from existing non-green offerings. Like, yes, wait for it: the Prius. Want examples that aren’t as overused? Scroll down. But first:

We can’t point out often enough that hundreds and hundreds of millions of consumers, from the poor to the somewhat rich to the truly rich, don’t really care that much about the environment. Either because they don’t have the luxury of fretting over carbon emissions while trying to survive, or because they are too addicted to living large, from SUVs to McMansions to jetsetting around the globe. Take cars: the only thing that seems to (somewhat) influence the prosperous eco-unwilling is high fuel prices. But even then:

• In 2007, US sales of small SUVs totaled 301,625 year-to-date through November, an increase of 22.7% vs the year-ago period, according to AutoData.
• BMW saw its 2007 profits up by 9%, in part because of higher sales of its popular X5 SUV.
• In 2007, 341,798 SUVs were sold in China, up 49.1 percent compared to the 229,182 SUVs sold in 2006. And in the first two months of 2008, sales of sport utility vehicles in China were up 38 percent, while sales of luxury cars climbed 30 percent compared with the corresponding period a year ago.
• In Australia, sales of new SUVs jumped 4.6% in October 2007 compared to September 2007.

Last but not least, many consumers are deeply skeptical about large corporations claiming to go green, as very few companies are seen as honest to begin with. However, as stated before, a large enough eco-conscious audience now exists to make it worthwhile for brands to join the ECO-ICONIC fray. Just seek out the eco-minded middle classes around the world and you will be off to a good start. For the next 12 months, at least

As promised, let’s move on to the examples. Here’s how brands from around the world are already making the most of ECO-ICONIC, as well as a few examples of brands that aren’t getting it (yet).

Note: we picked a few sectors that we think are setting the ECO-ICONIC tone right now. From real estate to automotive to utilities to detergents. Had we also included examples from airlines, hotels, furniture and so on, we would have ended up with a 120-page briefing. So please just add your own (industry-specific) examples if you’d like to turn this briefing into an in-house brainstorming session. And learn from cross-industry thinking. Remember the EXPECTATION ECONOMY?

Cleaning | In an ECO-ICONIC world, visibility counts, for big and small products alike. Which, in the case of cleaning products, means exposure will start the moment others check out your shopping basket or cart. Will that bottle of washing-up liquid scream ‘green!’? Some examples:

• New-Zealand-based Beauty Engineered Forever produces a range of environmentally-friendly household cleaning products from natural ingredients and essential oils that are not harmful to the environment and safe for consumers. The packaging has been designed to connect with the customer on a personal level with playful and cheeky pick-up lines, such as “I’ll do your dirty work” and “I’ll make it all white.” And yes, it’s different enough to be easily recognizable to visitors of one’s kitchen

• Belgium-based Ecover makes a range of domestic and professional cleaning products like washing-up liquid, laundry detergents and bleach. As a matter of policy, all ingredients are from renewable sources and of the “highest possible biodegradability.”

• Daub & Bauble hand wash, hand lotion and dish detergent comes in three scents: Sorrento Lemon & Ginger, Mission Fig & Thyme and Tarocco Orange & Clove. Packaging features limited-edition patterns designed by Wink (of Target, Macy’s, American Eagle Outfitters and The Limited fame, among others). Daub & Bauble products use only natural ingredients and the bottles are fully recyclable. Prices: between USD 8 and 10. Tagline: “Aesthetics with Ethics.”

• And no, we didn’t forget about Method, which was started in 1999 and whose eco cleaning products line now extends to laundry, specialty surfaces, dish, hand & body wash and all-purpose cleaners. Method’s very recognizable design makes it the leader in ECO-ICONIC cleaning.

• Not so iconic: Clorox Green Works is at least 99 percent natural and made from ingredients derived from coconuts and lemon oil, and the products are formulated to be biodegradable, non-allergenic, packaged in recyclable bottles and not tested on animals. However, the design is far from different, and worse, the Clorox name will forever be associated with chlorine bleach.

Transportation | Now, chances are that when asked to name iconic products, green or not, cars will come to mind first, with (for now) Toyota’s Prius taking the ECO-ICONIC prize. As The New York Times put it: “Why are Prius sales surging when other hybrids are slumping? Because buyers want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid.”

Source: CNW Marketing Research

No wonder then, that most other car manufacturers are keen to give their ‘clean(er)’ cars a distinctive, if not iconic look. First, let’s look at two, by now well-publicized, ECO-ICONIC runner-ups:

• Honda’s FCX Clarity is a fuel cell vehicle that runs on electricity powered by hydrogen, and emits only water vapor and heat. Honda is also developing a Home Energy Station for refueling the FCX Clarity, which it has been testing in Torrance, California, since 2003. A modest roll-out in the US is scheduled for this summer, with Japan following in the fall. Honda is supposedly also working on a dedicated ‘global hybrid’ family car (meaning that like the Toyota Prius, there won’t be a non-hybrid version) which is scheduled for launch in 2009.

• First unveiled as a prototype in July 2006, Tesla Motors began regular production of its electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in March 2008. The 2008 model is already sold out and Tesla is currently taking reservations for the 2009 model. The 2008 Tesla Roadster accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, has a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) (limited for safety) and has a base price of USD 98,000. There are already plans to introduce a sedan, competing with the likes of the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6.

• For more electrical sports cars and sedans in the making: check out 2008 Electrum Spyder and the Venturi Fétish. And sedan-wise, let’s not forget the 2008 Dodge Zeo (Zero Emission Operation) concept car, the Chevrolet Volt, the Loremo… Oh well, you get the point.

But ECO-ICONIC isn’t restricted to flashy or big: the market is witnessing an ‘innovation overload’ in smaller, funky looking electric, hybrid, trybid and what have you cars. In a city near you (soon):

• Myers Motors all-electric NmG (No More Gas) has a range of about 30 miles and can be fully recharged in six to eight hours on any standard 110-volt outlet. The fully enclosed, single-passenger vehicle sports two front wheels and a single drive wheel in the rear.

• Designed in California and manufactured in India, GoinGreen’s G-Wiz electric cars are a hit in London, where the company has sold over 1,000 units, making London the electric car capital of the world.
• The Subaru R1e is a battery-electric micro car undergoing development. Subaru hopes to start selling the car to consumers in 2010.

• The all-electric version of the Aptera is priced at about USD 27,000, and will go 120 miles on a charge. Its jet-shaped appearance is nothing short of, well, iconic

• Another zero-emission car with iconic potential is the Mitsubishi iMiEV, first exhibited at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show last September. From the brochure: “The ‘fastback’ exterior design expresses the quickness of the car with an appearance that is pleasing and lively.” The iMiEV’s release date in Japan might be moved up to 2009 (from 2010), with 1,000 vehicles possibly ready for sale at EUR 17,000 (USD 24,800) next year. (Source: Autoblog Green.)

• The Nissan Pivo is a concept car by Nissan and is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The car is essentially a 360 degree rotating cabin on a chassis of 4 wheels, and hence eliminates the need for reversing and makes parking easier. The car’s futuristic design incorporates large doors for easy access to the cabin and large windscreens and windows for high visibility. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Next? Chinese car makers going eco-friendly or at least eco-friendlier. We’ll save that one for a future briefing, but to get started, here’s an excellent overview on Treehugger.com.

Spot the differences.

• P.S. Not so ECO-ECONIC: Volkswagen’s diesel-electric hybrid version of their Golf hatchback. Whatever you do, don’t make it look like the old, polluting version of what you’ve been doing. This may have made sense a few years ago, when hybrid meant lower performance and less coolness, but those days are gone. But these days, owners of a ‘hidden’ hybrid simply miss out on a big chunk of ’status’. Oh wait… Volkswagen just canceled it…

• And let’s not forget eco two-wheelers: check out Suzuki and Intelligent Energy’s collaboration, which resulted in the Suzuki Crosscage, a prototype hydrogen-fuelled concept motorcycle.
• From Oregon-based Brammo Motorsports comes the Enertia Bike, a fully electric bike with a top speed of 50 mph and a range of 45 miles. It can fully recharge via a standard plug in 3 hours. A standard model, said to be available soon, will cost USD 11,995.

Yes, we know, there are plenty of other vehicles and modes of transport going green and iconic, too. Three more examples, just for the fun of it:

• The SunRay golf cart recharges its own batteries in the sun through solar panels mounted on the roof. The company now also has a ‘Sunray Solar Roof Kit’ available for other popular golf cart models.
• Australian Solar Sailor has developed a ‘solar wing’ for ferries or yachts, which harvests both sun and wind energy. Like a large sail, the (very iconic) solar wing can be manipulated into different rotating positions, as well as folding flat in high winds. The vessels can reach speeds of 10 to 13 knots, the same maximum speed as conventional ferries. Even on a cloudy day, enough energy is generated to charge the vessel’s main batteries and keep the boat running. Solar Sailor-powered vessels are already in service in Sydney Harbor, and the first of these “green ferries” in America could be launched in New York Harbor by Circle Line, which has partnered with Solar Sailor to build a USD 8 million, 115-foot hybrid ferry for its Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island route. And San Francisco announced that it will replace its ferries to Alcatraz with sun- and wind-powered ferries. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, London, Stockholm, Rio and dozens of others to follow? (Tip of the hat to the New York Post and Wikipedia.)

• Here’s one of our favorites from the pedal sector: French La Petite Reine, which maintains a fleet of about 60 Cargocycles for hire by businesses that need to make small to medium-sized urban deliveries over a distance of up to 30 km. Weighing only 80 kg (as opposed to 1,000 kg or more for most delivery vans), each Cargocycle can transport about 180 kg of merchandise in its 1,400-liter cargo space, with the help of an electric assist motor. Cargocycle deliveries are faster than those made via traditional truck, and also 10 to 20 percent less expensive, La Petite Reine says. It makes some 2,500 less-polluting deliveries every day for clients including DHL, ColiPoste and Monoprix.

Bags and shoes | Enough automotive. What could be more visible than the stuff consumers wear or carry, day in, day out? There are plenty of ECO-ICONIC opportunities in the world of haute couture and fast fashion. Check out:

• Ecoist’s bags are made from misprinted or discontinued snack bags, pull tabs and candy wrappers. Material that would otherwise end up in landfills is folded into straps and woven into bags and clutches by Mexican artisans and Brazilian women’s cooperatives. Yup, it’s been around for a while but it’s one of those eco-conversation starters that should provide you with inspiration even if you don’t work in fashion.

• Adidas Originals’ eco collection—the Grün Collection—offers a range of products, including classic silhouettes like the Forum basketball sneaker and the ZX 500 runner, all made from recycled and natural materials. More importantly, the earth tones and fabrics get the message across to other eco-conscious sneaker freaks.

• And one more shoe example, to illustrate a missed opportunity: in February Nike introduced its Trash Talk shoes. From the sole to the shoelaces, this shoe is produced not only from ‘environmentally preferred’ materials but also recycled waste, with much of the latter coming from Nike’s own production facilities—scraps that would otherwise have been discarded. It’s a great idea, but the shoes don’t exactly tout their eco-credentials, looking too much like Nike’s other shoes. Same for Nike’s eco-friendly Considered line. Pity.

Clean DIY power | Not only is consumer-generated solar and wind power ‘hot’, it can also be a very visible, iconic activity. Hey, personal windmills or solar panels are the new green accessory Learn from:

• First, more bags: made of Bavarian leather, Noon Solar’s Corland Solar Powered Bag incorporates a flexible solar panel into the body of each bag, which allows for charging a cell phone or iPod. Collecting energy with the bag is simple. The bag can be placed in a window with the panel facing towards the sun at work, home, at a café, or while walking/biking around town. Even on cloudy or rainy days, energy is collected through the UV light of the sun. The battery pack has a green indicator that lights up when it’s charging. The current Fall 2008 collection of the Corland Solar bag retails for USD 383, but is already sold out. Other solar bags from Noon Solar are the Willow (USD 274) and the Logan (USD 412). Check out these other solar bag makers, too: Reware, Eclipse, Picard and Voltaic.

• Italian design house Zegna created the ZegnaSport Solar Jacket with built-in solar cells in its collar to charge the wearer’s iPod and mobile phone. The electricity is transferred via conducting textile cables to a small Li-ion storage battery, or directly to a device.

• HYmini is a hand-held universal power charger that uses wind and solar energy to top up most gadgets, and it comes with miniSOLAR panels and extra batteries to store even more power. Twenty minutes of stiff breeze will provide 30 minutes of iPod time. The HYmini can be attached to bike handlebars or car windows. The basic HYmini device costs USD 49.99. Also check out competing Solio, whose hand charger was voted Best of Adventure Gear by National Geographic.

• Sometime this year, Citizenrē REnU will allow consumers to rent a solar energy system (the REnU) for 1, 5 or 25 years, instead of having to make significant investments by buying one, and having to deal with maintenance. At the end of each month, Citizenrē will send a bill showing how much electricity the REnU system has generated that month. The company claims to have signed up 30,000 people who are interested in participating. However, as the site warns: “We want to make very clear that the location of Citizenrē’s manufacturing facility is still in negotiation. And, as with all scheduling, delays can occur.” Also, keep an eye on SolarCity, a California-based solar installer, whose SolarLease leasing program offers a similar promise. Hey, visibly decking out roofs with solar panels is as ECO-ICONIC as it gets!
• Edinburgh-based Renewable Devices’ Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System has been on the market since 2004. The ‘Swift’ roof-mounted wind turbine has a power output of 1.5 kW, and has been installed on hundreds of buildings (residential, and on Tesco supermarkets and BP gas stations) across the UK. The price is around GBP 2,000 including installation.
• Mariah Power’s Windspire is a wind power appliance that provides a safe method for harnessing power from the wind. At 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide, Windspire sports a propeller-free design, and sells for USD 3,995.
• In the US, Arizona-based Southwest Windpower rustled up USD 8 million in venture capital for development of its new 1.8 KW Skystream 3.7 turbine. The Skystream produces usable energy in exceptionally low winds and will provide up to 100% of the energy needs for a home or small business. Any extra energy is fed into the utility grid, spinning the customer’s meter backwards. The price is approximately USD 13,000, which includes installation costs.
• Canadian WINDTERRA is targeting the residential market with its vertical axis wind turbine, the Eco 1200, designed to operate in micro-winds of as low as 3 meters per second (about 10.8 kilometers per hour). The Windterra costs USD 7,000 including installation.

Commercial real estate | Last but not least, green trophy buildings are all the rage, and like cars, they offer a fun, almost indulgent starting point for anyone trying to spruce up their ECO-ICONIC offerings. Consider the exhibitionist glee with which these buildings expose their vast green roofs, towering windmills and glimmering acres of solar panels.

• The Bahrain World Trade Center is the world’s first commercial building to incorporate large-scale wind turbines into its initial design. It has three massive wind turbines that measure 29 meters in diameter and are supported on bridges between the BWTC’s two 240-meter-high towers. The turbines generate approximately 11–15% of the BWTC’s total energy needs.

Pictured: Light House / Castle House / Pearl River

• The Castle House, a 42-storey apartment tower under construction at Elephant and Castle in London, will feature a roof with an array of integrated wind turbines, each nine meters in diameter.
• The Lighthouse is currently being designed by international consultants Atkins (who also designed the aforementioned Bahrain WTC), and is envisioned as a 360-meter, 55-storey luxury low-carbon office tower in Dubai. Quite a lot of the structure’s energy will be gained from three huge 225-kilowatt wind turbines and 4000 photovoltaic panels. Plans are still in the development phase, but the building is slated to be completed by 2010.
• The 309-meter-tall Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, aims to be one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the world. Slated for completion in 2009, it too features turbines that turn wind into energy for the building’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning.

• More Dubai: the 370-meter, 92-floor Wave Tower, designed by the Spanish architectural group A-cero, will be located right on the water. The “seascraper” is designed to be a green building: interior gardens or ’sky gardens’ will be located in common zones, improving the air quality and working as natural temperature regulators. The building’s silk-screened glass skin will assist with controlling heat from the sun. Wave Tower will also contain a water purification plant, which will desalinate and purify the surrounding sea water to be used as drinking water and for landscape maintenance and sewage. (Source: MetaEfficient.)

• The Solstice on the Park, a 26-storey residential tower in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, to be completed in September 2010, is literally shaped by solar access. Its surface is designed to precisely the optimum angle for 41.5 degrees north (Chicago), which allows the sun to enter the apartments during winter for passive solar warming and keeps it out during the summer to reduce air-conditioning usage. The saw-tooth design creates balconies that block direct midday sun, decreasing the need for power-hungry air conditioning. In winter, when the sun is lower, rays pass through the windows to warm the interior. Quote from the architects: “By making latitude into a visible feature for the façade and its reason-to-be, the project challenges the current notion of pure iconography and symbolism in tall buildings.”

• The Agro-Housing concept by Israeli Knafo Klimor Architects is a combination of housing and urban agriculture. The building is composed of two parts: an apartment tower and a vertical greenhouse. The greenhouse is a multi-level structure for cultivating crops such as vegetables, fruits, flowers and spices. It’s equipped with a drip-irrigation system, heating system and natural ventilation. Knafo Klimor Architects developed this concept with concern for predictions that 50% of China’s citizens will eventually live in its cities, a trend mirrored in many developing countries in the world.

• South Beach is a planned commercial and residential complex to be located on Beach Road in downtown Singapore. The development will feature two new towers, 45 and 42 stories tall, which house two luxury hotels, offices and apartments. Designed by British architectural firm Foster + Partners, a key feature of the design is a large ‘environmental filter’ canopy that covers open spaces, providing shelter from the elements and drawing air currents to cool the area beneath it. The two towers will have slanting facades to catch wind and direct air flow to ground-level spaces. The buildings’ facades will also incorporate photovoltaic cells. Rainwater will be collected off the towers and the canopy and flow into a holding tank underground, instead of being wasted. South Beach is scheduled for completion in 2012. (Source: Wikipedia.)

• And last but not least, expect many more green roofs and walls to add to the ECO-ICONIC landscape. From GAP’s headquarters in San Bruno, California, to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to the Ann Demeulemeester store in Seoul, to the ACROS building in Fukuoka, Japan. And yes, green roofs will increasingly appeal to households, too. More examples at the aptly named greenroofs.com, and Wikipedia.

This Trend Briefing is just a snapshot of what’s happening out there. For ongoing ECO-ICONIC inspiration, from detergents to motorcycles, check out the following sources:

• Inhabitat
• Treehugger
• Springwise (our sister site)
• Evo
• And our new fave: MetaEfficient

However, make sure you don’t just track other people’s smart innovations, but design and market a few yourself, too! But wait, there’s more:

If there’s one trend that will eventually render ECO-ICONIC 1.0 obsolete, it’s going to be ECO-EMBEDDED: