A Green-Asthetic Solution

Growing up, my family regularly traveled to Hawai'i and I am always anxious to return. Our favorite island is Maui. We enjoy windsurfing, snorkeling, and golfing.
This past year I visited Maui after being gone for four years and I noticed wind turbines dotting the ridge line.

Now, I am all for alternative forms of energy and it is amazing that Maui is almost 100% self sustaining, but sometimes the sources are not the most appealing to the eye. Conservationist and others are not excited about these turbines and how they diminish the beauty and natural appeal of Maui. I will admit that these are not very appealing and when I saw them I was both excited about the technology, but disheartened by how visible they were from almost any point on the island. As I have I seen wind turbines in various locations I have never felt that they enrich the skyline of the region.
One company has taken a different "twist" on wind turbines. Helix Wind is a company devoted to creating more aesthetically appealing sources of alternative energy. I find it very exciting when designers are able to think outside the ordinary and come up with something revolutionary. These designs can fit in a more confined space and would appear more at home in an urban area than its older brother.

Even though these are not as appealing as some may like, they show promise of more aesthetically appealing sources of alternative energy.

(Helix Wind is not the only maker of helical turbines, so please feel free to share other designs.)

The Future is the Past

Tim Brown is the CEO of the "innovation and design" firm IDEO. He recently expressed what he felt is the future of design. The future of design, as he expressed it, is rooted in the past. For almost the last two decades design has been focused on the next great handheld device. I feel that Brown isn't saying that physical design will necessarily get big again, but the reach of a single design will be broader than the past to create an overall experience for the user. I also believe that as we begin to climb out of a recession, practicing "design thinking" (as Brown calls it) will be necessary to ensure a stable future for companies. As society becomes more integrated with the products and services we use, it will no longer suffice to slap a product together and throw it into the abyss and hope it floats.

These are my thoughts. Listen to Tim Brown and see what you think.