designers
product: Noon Solar Handbags
designers: Jane Palmer and Marianne Fairbanks
about
The two founders of Noon Solar, Jane Palmer and Marianne Fairbanks, have backgrounds in fibers and textiles. They met in the graduate MFA program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Their company began as an art project in early spring of 2002 as a response to the impending war in Iraq. They were feeling powerless in the country’s decision making process and felt the US was largely going to war for oil. They came up with a solution to give people not only personal power, but to integrate renewable solar power into daily life.
reclaimable/recyclable
The solar panels, battery and cables can be safely recycled. The antique brass hardware and zippers can be reclaimed and reused or recycled.
solar panel
On the outside of your bag, there is a paper thin, flexible solar panel. This solar panel charges a battery pack located inside the bag to supply power for your cell phone or iPod, day or night. Simply place the solar panel in the bag towards the sun to collect usable energy.
Put it in your window at work, home, car, or on public transit; face it towards the sun at a cafe; or walk/bike around town with the panel exposed. Even on cloudy or rainy days, energy is collected through the UV light of the sun.
On a bright, sunny day the battery should be fully charged in 6-8 hours. On a cloudy day the battery will require a bit more time. The battery pack will hold the sun’s energy for several days.
Included with each Noon Solar bag is a user manual explaining the specifics of solar energy and how to access and use it.
product: Chilote House
designers: Stiven Kerestegian and Francisca Apparcel
about
This multiple award winning design from Chilote House redefines the concept of “made fair” by creating shared value and synergy between guided craftmanship, noble renewable material from the Patagonia (Chile) and a highly inclusive manufacturing eco-system.
Featuring 100% Natural Materials
The “Chilote House Shoe” is a mash-up design, incorporating several sustainable principles that create synergy between the local culture and resources in the Chilean Patagonia.
This simple yet beautiful product which is both culturally beneficial and environmentally responsible.
The Chilote Shoe was designed to stimulate and help evolve local craft, in spite of the encroaching new industries in the region. Only local renewable resources and simple traditional techniques are used to produce the product, which has broad universal appeal.
Local wool from free range Patagonian sheep and tanned natural salmon skin are the only materials used to manufacture this product. The simplicity of the design is inspired by the amazing qualities of the materials used.