annie leonard video

Wow that is a lot of information, twenty minutes seemed to go by in a flash. I have never heard someone speak so broadly yet so succinctly on the subject. Annie Leonard brings up a lot of facts and comparisons that really surprised me. To hear the massive differences from only 30 years ago is amazing. Every now and then you hear a fact, which makes you think "things are pretty bad" with our planet, but it never stays with me for more than a few days.Annie, through her extensive research has pulled the most important facts and laid them out cold for all to see. However, more than that, she explains the far reaching implications and what can be done. When explained so concisely its hard not to notice and consider what you could be doing to help. 

At first i thought,  "oh great, here's a naive greeny" but i was wrong. Annie Leonard comes across as well researched, unbiased and thoughtful. After watching the video i have a lot of questions (she would be a good guest speaker) and i truly want to do more slow the affect we our having on our one and only earth. I wish more people could see this.

Experience Enrichment: Grater

I have redesigned the grater for my experience enrichment project. I decided that my target market would we mid to late age women. I defined this market as women between the age bracket of 35-60 yrs. These women that i have designed for are not short of money, and status is important to them. The first and most important thing they consider when buying is the appearance of the item and second they consider the functionality.
This grater was not made to be folded up and stuffed in a drawer. it has been specifically been made to be a center piece in the kitchen never to be hidden (my target market have spacious kitchens so a lack of counter top space is not an issue). When i designed this grater i wanted to make the monotonous task of grating more enjoyable. Having not done much grating before, i went home and experimented with different graters and grating techniques. I noted what i liked and disliked from each of the graters i trailed. I found that all graters are hard to hold and unstable when you need the stability the most, to combat this i began the design with a wide sturdy base. The next major thing i noticed is that graters are either flat (horizontal) or nearly vertical, neither was comfortable to use. I positioned the face of my grater at an angle (approx 60 deg.) ,which allows the most natural movement of the arm and shoulder, making the grating easier for the operator. I shaped the handle so the user could keep a firm grip at all times, the handle was designed specifically for smaller hands (my my hands it doesn't quite fit), it works for both left and right handers. To avoid slipping the handle is made of rubber.
I was primarily inspired by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, i thought it was intriguing to see his curvaceous and dynamic designs. For the form i wanted the grater to look simple, intriguing and feminine. I wanted my grater to be a sculpture centerpiece first, and a functional grater second.
I think that when people see the grater they are interested. " what is that?", "it's so wild" i think that it is a definite talking piece in the kitchen plus i believe that its is an improvement on the existing grater.