Green Needham is happy to stay in touch with the dedicated Olin College students who have volunteered their talents for environmental causes. One of our most active student volunteers, Ollie Haas, was involved with several sustainability initiatives in Needham and, most notably, created the unique interactive design of My Plan — Green Needham’s 10% Energy Challenge website which has been used by 900 households to make a personal plan to cut down energy use.
Ollie graduated recently and, along with fellow graduate Jake Felser, has founded a product design studio called LittleBonsai. Ollie and Jake aim to change the way the world thinks about everyday consumer products by promoting craftsmanship and environmental responsibility in their designs.
Their first product, the Clip, was announced in early November on the online funding platform, Kickstarter, where it will be featured for preordering until December 14, 2011. The Clip, crafted from a single piece of recyclable stainless steel, is a creatively designed multi-use gadget that is sold as a “dependable and capable daily companion.” Within 50 hours, customers from all over the world had preordered over $5000 worth of Clips.
Ecodesign strategies for the Clip include design for product durability, recyclability and local production. The Clip Environmental Report includes more information about the strategies used to reduce the product’s life-cycle impact.
Green Needham wishes Ollie and Jake the best of luck in their endeavors and looks forward to seeing more of their environmentally-inspired designs.
