Thanks to everyone who came out to the CEO for Change Launch party this past Saturday at People of Resource. I got a lot of great advice from design professionals in Atlanta. For more information and photos please visit www.ceoforchange.com.

Below is the CEO for Change video made by Jason Travis:

I started this project back in February. It is so wild to think about how much its evolved in the past 9 months!

The video will be posted on Saturday, October 15th after the CEO for Change Launch Party!

If you are in the Atlanta area, I hope to see you there!

Hey all! I’ve lived in the South for 5 years and I still refuse to say “y’all”

I recently got a new position as a contributing writer for an environmental blog called Crisp Green, part of LiveOAK Media. Read about Crisp Green’s motto here. It is really fun and challenging so far. It has been quite a while since I have flexed my writing muscles! Big shout out to Karen MacKay who recommended me for the position.

My first post was recently published. You can read it here: New Film Shows the BP Oil Spill Through the Eyes of a Child

I am trying to attack the position as a “Green Journalist”! I want to uncover great projects happening in the sustainable community and spotlight them.

If you have any story tips, holler at me: krystal.persaud@gmail.com

All project information will be available at CEOforChange.com soon!

I am using Ponoko to rapidly prototype them, can’t wait for them to arrive in a few weeks!

I hadn’t used Solidworks in a while… it felt good!

Two out of three colors painted.

I think I will add a gray one too. I was thinking about adding a magenta/red-ish one, but I am still debating it.

What do you think?

Random project I worked on this weekend: a pop-up book light.

A book binding converted into a light with an accordion-felt star that pops up when you open it. This is just my first prototype; I really need to get my hands on a sewing machine. I’m also still working on the electronics that go inside. All of the inside pages that I gutted out will be recycled.

I love the opening action that is so inherent to books. Sort of like opening a gift. Opening a new experience. Opening a new adventure! So, I wanted to create a fun spin on “opening” with this pop-up surprise.

I can imagine this light sitting on a book shelf, and being retrieved for a variety of uses. I’m going to hook it up with a rechargeable battery pack and some bright white LEDs. Since its portable, it could be useful camping — a new take on campfire stories perhaps. Or a really fun, interactive children’s toy. There could be cut outs in the felt to make all sorts of silly characters.

Stay tuned for another prototype soon.

I love the above quote by Buckminster Fuller. There is so much power and potential in design. It gives me goosebumps! Which brings me to the topic of this post today — how can I be a better designer?

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking seriously about applying to graduate schools for environmental engineering. I was really pumped! An environmental engineering degree on top of my industrial design degree would be such a powerful combination. As a designer, it will help me better understand how to create solutions for the environmental issues I am passionate about. My happiness train came to a hault when, after talking to a few graduate admissions offices, I learned that I was completely unqualified to apply for a master’s of environmental engineering. My background did not contain enough engineering pre-requisite courses. Damn! 

Then, after more discussions, learned that I could take 1-2 years of pre-req classes, THEN I would be more prepared to apply for my master’s. So thats a possible 4 years of school just for 1 master’s. Eeek.  Thoroughly discouraged at this point. Do I even need a master’s degree to learn about environmental engineering ? Not necessarily, it is possible that I could teach myself the important principles. I am already really interested in environmental issues and solutions, it would just take  more dedication.

I really want to learn nitty-gritty stuff though! Like fluid mechanics. Or groundwater hydrology. Especially air pollution engineering.

I more recently learned that I could apply for a second undergraduate degree in environmental engineering. At first it sounded a little crazy. All I could think of was rewriting corny college essays, SAT scores, monstrous freshman-year lectures, and other horrible things. However, once I got all of the details, it sounded like a great option. I could go back to Georgia Tech and complete my second degree in around two years. That is not too shabby. Then, if so inclined, I could apply to graduate school for environmental engineering or something else.

But I will figure that out when the time comes.