Storm Tussey Just a few thoughts

According to Feeding America for 1 in 8 Americans, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different.

Due to the current economic crisis, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. We all know and are in contact with people affected by hunger, even though we might not be aware of it.  The poverty level is expanding and individuals who may have been the working middle class are now finding the need for a little extra help. The Obama administration recently said that Food Banks across America has had an increase of about 30% over the past six months.

Hunger is real. Hunger is the proverbial Canary in a coal mine.

However the Community Bank of New Jersey is doing something a little more creative to draw attention to the problem while collecting food. Bridging the gap between good design and giving back to the community, Canstruction, the annual international design/build competition where architects, engineers, designers, and students compete to design and build gigantic structures made entirely from full cans of food, is coming to New Jersey in October!

Sponsored by the Society for Design Administration , an affiliate of the American Institute of Architects , the 11th annual New Jersey Canstruction competition will take 8 to 12 weeks from start to finish and will use thousands of cans of food to create the towering structures. Built during an eight-hour “Build Day” on Friday, November 13th, the canstructions will be on display in the Prudential Center concourse.

Follow the links above to see some of the amazing pieces of art and if you find yourself with a couple extra dollars or cans of food, please consider donating to your local food bank.

Take a look at this brilliant idea – your message or logo etched right onto a real leaf, no paint necessary! The resulting leaves are simple, stunning when looked at against the sunlight, and the best part is that if they are thrown away, there is no adverse effect on the environment. Design Firm Tatil Design of Brazil came up with the elegant marketing idea, which they recently used in 2008 during the 55th Cannes Advertising Festival to promote their “Designing Naturally” workshop.

Check out more of their work and an article at one of my FAVORITE websites Inhabitat.

I was browsing the information super highway the other day looking for something to inspire me when I ran across a really great program that enriches both the community and the environment. A program that speaks to me on so many levels and ties in perfectly with my current reading material : Farm City: The education of an Urban Farmer.

A program that asks participants to come together and ask themseleves “What do I want my urban life to be like?”  The group is called Urban Re:Vision and its a “diverse group of people focused on changing the urban landscape by re-imagining all the components that make up a city block. From energy to transportation to commerce to community, we believe that by finding innovative, healthy and sustainable ideas to help revitalize one urban block, we can create a blueprint for better cities everywhere.” The site has conversations, contests and art. Oh, the art is FANTASTIC. Check out their site at http://www.urbanrevision.com

Some of the art is below:

This FABULOUS collection consists of twelve ring designs which are made from textured white paper. It’s a collaboration between Tithi Kutchamuch and Nutre Arayavanish.

The entire range of fold-out paper jewelry consists of:

January – Carnation
February – Violet
March – Jonquil
April – Daisy
May – Hawthorn
June – Rose
July – Tulip
August – Poppy
September – Morning Glory
October – Cosmos
November – Chrysanthemum
December – Orchid

Buy it here: http://www.tithi.info

As many know, I have really enjoyed the advertising efforts of Burger King lately. My favorite was the Burn Your Friends app they did for Facebook. For those unaware of the application, if you gave up 5 of your friends, Burger King would give you a Free Whopper. It was an amazing and unique way to utilize facebook apps, I was very disappointed when Facebook said it violated their rules. Boo Facebook!

Anyhow, Burger King is now testing mobile applications in New York. If it goes national, Burger King could go from being the #2 Burger joint to #1 by helping their consumers avoid long waits and talking to the consumer in a way they feel is most convienent. See more details here: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/3466.html.

Kudos to Burger King. Keep the innovation coming.

I have recently become  a BIG fan of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, partially because The Roots are the house band.  Recently, Jimmy Fallon did a slow jam about health care reform. It’s hilarious and relevant. If you missed it, check it out below. If you saw it, Watch it again.

Healthcare Reform Slow Jam