If you are a regular reader of the blog you'll have read about our volunteer project, Project Japan, to assist the community of Ishinomaki through design workshops creating furniture and printed graphic templates. The volunteers are back and from all reports it was a very successful project with some very impressive material objectives achieved. The furniture team (below) designed and built 220 stools, 145 benches and 110 storage boxes. The design team (above) created many different greeting cards, posters, post cards and calenders, culminating in an art exhibition at the end of the project. Both teams taught the locals skills to aid them in their continuing recovery. But it was the experience shared between the Herman Miller teams and the locals that has made the biggest impact, as expressed so eloquently by Ben Matsuzaki, President of Herman Miller Japan;  

"During the 14 days in Ishinomaki working for the local communities, we were given by the locals more than we gave to them...
We made 450 pieces of furniture. We created 65 kinds of greeting cards, post cards, poster and calendar. We saw hundreds of smiles on the people's faces. We saw some teardrops on their faces and our faces as well. We worked with and for a number of local children, high school students, senior citizens, and business owners most of whom lost their homes, relatives, and jobs. And at the end of the trip, we all realized that we'd fallen in love with Ishinomaki and its people."

Here are some of the photos documenting the wonderful experience Project Japan enabled. We'll be featuring an interview with Kate Lochrin from the design team about her experiences in Ishinomaki in the coming week, so do check back.

(above) The design team, three of the pieces designed and made and the children's workshop

(above) A calender created with the design team and (below) the exhibition at the end of the project and a heartfelt letter to the design team from one of the teachers involved.

'Connected with Japan' is the theme we asked our network of artists and designers to explore for the charity art auction we are holding in our Tokyo store this coming Thursday 23rd June. The auction is the culmination of our relief effort 'Make a Difference' which we began immediately after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devestated Japan. It's our way of bringing the design community together to help our Japanese friends and we have been touched by the heartfelt responses from our artists, including Yves Behar, Studio 7.5, Don Chadwick and Tom Neuhouse among many others. The pieces above and below are just two of the beautiful artworks to be displayed and auctioned on the night. Please come along and help us make a difference if you're able to, Thursday 23rd June 7-9pm at the Herman Miller Tokyo store. We hope to see you there.

With only one day to go, Earth Hour 2011 is set to break the record books, with over 131 countries ready to switch-off the lights this Saturday March 26 at 8.30pm.

Earth Hour began in 2007 through a partnership between WWF Australia, Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media, when 2 million Sydney-siders switched off their lights for one hour. By 2010, Earth Hour had created history as the largest voluntary action ever witnessed with participation across 128 countries and every continent. Among the participating venues were some of the world’s most recognised man-made marvels and natural wonders, including the Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, The Golden Gate Bridge and many more. 

Now Earth Hour 2011 promises to break the record books again. 131 countries and territories have already registered to take part, and many global organisations are set to join hundreds of millions of repeat participants. 

“It is only through the collective action of business, organisations, individuals, communities and governments that we will be able to affect change on the scale required to address the environmental challenges we face,” said Andy Ridley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Earth Hour.

This year marks the beginning of a new phase for Earth Hour – beyond the hour – where participants are asked to use the event as an opportunity to commit to an additional action, big or small, that they will sustain for the future of our planet. Among the thousands of cities taking part in Earth Hour 2011, many have already committed to taking action beyond the hour, including:

• Sydney, Australia where actions include switching to LED lights in parks and streets,
• Medellin, Colombia where long term water protection and tree planting initiatives form part of their commitment, and
• Shenyang, China where 38,000 hectares of land will be reforested.

To find out how you can participate in Earth Hour 2011, or to see what actions other individuals and organisations are planning to take, visit the official site. And don't forget to turn off the lights!.

PACT is an underwear company with a difference. Driven by a social consciousness, 10% of sales revenue is distributed amongst a number of select causes. Secondly, every aspect of the company, its product and its processes, demonstrates a firm commitment to the environment. Materials are organic, production is localised, transportation is minimised - even the packaging is 100% compostable. Finally, these elements are brought together by design, whereby each range tells the story of the cause it represents. 

The brainchild of Jason Kibbey and Jeff Denby, who met at business school, the pair were partnered by designer Yves Behar who approached the two after he judged their student project. Behar's influence is evident through the designs and the business model itself:

“We’re not doing anything artificial or superficial, not with the body, not with the packaging and not with our partnerships. Our vision is to unite fashion and design with doing good in an authentic way, building a company that truly embodies 21st century needs, showing a new way for businesses to operate in the future,” says Behar.

Indeed it is this use of design that caught the attention of the judging panel at the 2010 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). PACT took top honours with a Gold IDEA award in the Ecodesign category, followed by a Silver in the Personal Accessories category. 

The PACT team were jubilant over their success: "It's a big deal (like the Oscars of the design world). We're proud to be in the distinguished company of some of the world's best designed products."