Mobility + Innovation

One (1) The BMW Guggenheim Lab project launched this summer with the theme Confronting Comfort, exploring “notions of individual and collective comfort and the urgent need for environmental and social responsibility.“

The interactive game hopes to illustrate "how your comfort in the bath or on the john may eventually become the discomfort of somebody in Brooklyn or the Bronx when the result gets dumped in the river." -Kristian Korman of ZUS (Zone Urbain Sensibles).

Would be great to see conclusions posted online as each Lab Team passes the programming stick to the next Lab Team member. And there’s the Audi Urban Future Initiative.

Two (2) Chevrolet recently joined the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) to participate in FleetWise EV300, TAF's initiative to "encourage commercial vehicle fleets in the GTA to work collaboratively to purchase, drive, charge, evaluate and promote at least 300 plug-in electric vehicles by 2012. Fleet managers from across the GTA were given the opportunity to test drive award-winning electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt."

Three (3) A year ago, the Coalition for Action on Innovation in Canada (CAIC) published a call-to-action report to spur innovation and R&D in Canada.
Tim Dramin, SiG National Executive Director asks if the Federal Review response to the report due this fall, will include social innovation as part of its working definition of “innovation … at a time when social innovation is building global momentum as a necessary lever for substantive and positive social change".

Four (4) Don't miss Videosphere: A New Generation at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo until October 9th. Shown here, still from Peter Sarikisian's Extruded Video Engine #5.

Photo Credit: SB C+D

Energy | Urban Planning

One (1) Was inspired by Architect Francis Kéré, recently in Toronto speaking at the Goethe Institute's Ecology.Design.Synergy lecture series. Kere brought his architectural education back to his village in Burkina Faso where he began to build sustainable buildings from local materials and labour. Kere's 'Bricks for the Gando School' foundation continues to develop buildings that meet the demands of both rainy season and a hot climate.

Two (2) A colleague referenced Partners in Project Green the other day, a partnership initiative between the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). The Eco-Business Zone project focuses on energy and waste management issues and green space improvements, employee health and productivity, and the creation of green jobs in Canada’s largest employment area. Image Source.

Three (3) Also inspired by John Paul Morgan at TreeHouse Talks this June. JP founded Toronto based Morgan Solar to find a solution to making solar energy significantly less expensive. He’s on the brink of bringing his teams' innovation to market.

Four (4) Videosphere: A New Generation at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to October 9, 2011

Photo Credit: SB C+D

Five (5) Suzy Lake: Political Poetics, at CONTACT 2011

Photo Credit: SB C+D