Chinese youth rank health, education as most important life quality factors
Throughout November and December of last year, we collaborated with enovate to gather insights into the minds of China’s socially aware, progressive youth. This was the first nation-wide survey of youth attitudes towards environmental issues and awareness!
Through an online survey of over 400 students and young employees from around China, as well as in-depth interviews in Shanghai, Greennovate and enovate sought to discover what defines a modern quality of life for Chinese youth in 2010, as well as attitudes and perceptions towards green products and brands.
So what were the findings? Put in short, Chinese youth have indicated a desire for a healthier, more environmentally-conscious lifestyle, and have demanded that green brands prove their “greenism” through products – not just marketing!
Special thanks to the Shanghai youth-insights group enovate for all their help!
Click here to see the detailed results!
Mihela poses with David and Renée in front of the Plastiki in SF Bay
The inspiration for MaGiC – showcased as an adventure on the MaGiC Tour and our Chinese blogs to inspire MaGiC participants – is in the water! 12,000 plastic bottles were used to show cradle-to-cradle, innovative material solutions representing a new approach towards waste and design.
In May 2009, this was just a prototype. Now, the Plastiki is a real boat that will sail from San Francisco to Sydney to expose and record the floating plastic waste and islands of trash in the Pacific Ocean. Our director was there in San Francisco Bay to check out the scene! To see more pictures, click here.
Check out what the Plastiki Expedition is all about at www.theplastiki.com. Congratulations and good luck to David and the crew!
The results are in from the first round of MaGiC Design Competition. These prototypes from Chinese university students impressed us with their creativity, beauty and functionality, and more than anything else, they show a different way of looking at waste – as a resource! Choosing from the many great entries was a challenge, so we brought in our friends from frog Design and Super Nature to help us out. With the talent, dedication and green sense that these young designers have shown, we are thrilled to invite all 5 to join us for MaGiC Experience, a green design internship. So, without further ado, here are the 5 winning prototypes:
1st Place: Chopstick Lamp by Tee
Tee decided she could create a romantic atmosphere out of used disposable chopsticks, some old wire and a CFL bulb. Put it altogether and you have beautiful lamp that casts a mysterious glow while saving trees, aluminum and electricity!
2nd Place: Hello Kitty Bag by Kaya Lee
Kaya took a broken umbrella and some old fabric and fashioned them together to make this darling Hello Kitty Bag. Now you don’t need to cry when the wind destroys your favorite umbrella; it can have a stylish new life!
3rd Place: Corn-Husk Flowerpot by Emma
What should you do with your corn husks: trash them or compost them? Well, Emma had a better idea: turn them into a cute flowerpot. If you follow this nifty step-by-step guide she included, you can even make your own. Thanks Emma!
4th Place: Color-Grid Plant Holder by Cindy, Alison and Carolyn
This design team used packaging and water bottles as the inspiration and materials for their prototype of a Rubix Cubist Flowerpot.
5th Place: Jeans Bag by Rachel
Rachel found a way to give her old jeans some new life, in the form of both bag and wallet.
Dear MaGiC fans,
I hope you all had a great new year. After a short break, MaGiC is back in action for 2010! Click here to check out what we’ve done in 2009 and what we plan for the year ahead!
Dear MaGiC fans,
As the year comes to a close, we are finalizing our MaGiC activities. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in January with new plans and new fun! We spent great time with some of you at your universities and we are hoping that next year we get even more invitations;)
The MaGiC Survey is finished and we will post the results in early January. We are also in the final stages of the MaGiC Design Competition – stay tuned for the winners at the end of December! If you have any suggestions for next MaGiCal year, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at info@greennovate.net. Thank you!
The Greennovate Team
