What do you have under there?

An architect has taken a unique approach to promoting sustainabilty by introducing a line of eco-friendly undewear. The skivvies came out just in time for Earth Day last week, and 10% of the proceeds from the sale of the unmentionables go to various non-profit organizations.

I don't imagine these designs will become part of Casual Friday attire, or at least not on the outside, but it's an interesting way to support your profession and donate to a good cause nonetheless.

What do you think of these? Have you bought any? Do you wish you thought of the idea?

It's Earth Day! Get inspired!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, so we here in The Board Room are looking to do our part to preserve Mother Earth. To that end, and in keeping with the spirit of ingenuity and innovation we see so often in the design industry, I bring to you our second contest. First, a little background on how it was hatched:

Developer Arthur Huang of the Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Co. recently deigned a new expo building in Taipei, Taiwan made from thousands of plastic drink bottles that have been custom-formed with honeycomb fittings to join together and form huge, high-strength, transparent walls. Huang says the project was inspired by the huge numbers of plastic bottles discarded into trash bins. Taiwan's residents are estimated to use and throw away 4.6 billion plastic bottles each year.

So, how does this relate to you? I'm so glad you asked:

We're looking for you - or your firm - to come up with a similar idea and create an actual scale model. Does your office generate a lot of empty bottles? If so, it's time to turn those babies into the inspiration for a new building. It doesn't have to be bottles - it could be anything that isn't getting used and is piling up in a corner.

Let's see what you can do. The best idea gets a Bring TIM Meeting Cost Calculator and Clock. We'll set the deadline for May 28 to get your juices flowing and ideas percolating. Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Coming next week: Our second Board Room contest

For those who missed out on the chance to redesign the hot dog and earn a swanky new wardrobe accompaniment for their troubles, I bring you this announcement: The Board Room will launch its second contest one week from today. Not coincidentally, that's Earth Day, so you can imagine there will be a tie-in to green building and sustainability to this contest. We'll also be putting your Building Information Modeling and Integrated Project Delivery skills to the test, so I hope you're ready for the challenge!

More details to come. Stay tuned to this space for updates.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress ...