We've watched countless product categories get transformed in recent years to reflect the varying tastes and lifestyles of the baby-boom generation, offering a variety of alternatives to the mass-produced, one-size-fits-all approach. Funerals and urns are no exception, as we noted back in 2007, and recently we came across further evidence: Shine on Brightly, a North Carolina company that offers a wide range of artist-made urns and memorials.

The works of 27 artists are currently featured on the Shine on Brightly site, including handmade urns, memorial jewelry, textile art, remains-infused handblown glass and handmade books along with personalized poetry and paintings. Each product is uniquely crafted by the artist, with materials ranging from ceramics, glass, wood and metal to textiles and paper. Items can be designed to incorporate hair or 'cremains', or they can simply memorialize a human or animal's life; both commissioned and non-commissioned pieces are available.

The number of human deaths in the United States each year is expected to increase from about 2.4 million last year to 2.7 million in 2015 and 3.1 million in 2025, according to the Cremation Association of North America. Not too surprising, then, that Shine on Brightly is currently seeking more artists to create works for its line. One to get involved in...? (Related: Motorcycle hearses offer a (life)stylish final ride — Freeze-dried eco-burials — Licensing to the grave — Art after life.)

Website: www.shineonbrightly.com
Contact: info@shineonbrightly.com

Rentcycle is an online platform for rental businesses. The brainchild of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tim Hyer, this startup offers web-based hosting and software utilities to help rental companies streamline their business process and improve customer conversion. In addition, the site aims to become a portal for consumers wishing to rent goods or services.

Once registered, companies get a branded online storefront to present their wares, along with reservation systems, inventory management and analytics. Customers can search both by product or provider in their area, and can order and pay for items through Rentcycle. There is also a messaging service delivering reservation reminders and SMS updates on customer inquiries.

While small businesses in many sectors are squeezed out by the economies of scale of their web-based competitors, the market for equipment rentals relies on local outlets. Rentcycle has recognised this, and developed a solution to help those outlets become more efficient and accessible. With sustainability an increasing factor in consumer decisions, the rental market should be on every entrepreneur's watchlist. (Related: Marketplace for P2P rental.)

Website: www.rentcycle.com
Contact: info@rentcycle.com

Spotted by: Kare Anderson

Open source is by now a proven model for software design—could car design go the same way? Massachusetts enterprise Local Motors has set the wheels in motion. By crowdsourcing designs from a unique global community of designers, and manufacturing to order in regional micro-factories, Local Motors represents a paradigm shift from industry-standard mass production.

The Local Motors online community was launched in March 2008 and now has a membership of 4,000 car designers, engineers and enthusiasts. When Local Motors announces a design competition (for either a car body, or a particular feature), designers submit their work to the community, which then discusses and votes on the designs. Each competition specifies where the winning design will potentially be built, and submissions should be inspired by the target location—e.g. "an electric vehicle with a San Francisco soul". Local Motors picks a winner for the competition, whose design is then further developed by the community before being finalised for production by the Local Motors team.

The first crowd-designed car—the Rally Fighter—is already available, with production limited to 2,000 units (41 already sold). A price of around USD 50,000 adds to the exclusivity, but customers are not just buying a car: realising the high value today's consumers place on unique experience and status stories, Local Motors invites every buyer to help build their own vehicle over two weekends. Owners can even host their own competition on the website for a custom "skin" design for their vehicle.

Local Motors shows why crowdsourcing is such a powerful model: it's effectively free outsourcing that creates products the market wants, and fosters an intimate relationship between consumers and brands. Which other industries are lacking a crowd-driven business? (Related: Open source eco-car — Converting standard Corollas into electric cars.)

Website: www.local-motors.com
Contact: support@local-motors.com

Spotted by: Kare Anderson

First came stylish helmets for urban cyclists, then customised couture helmets for the scooter set, now Los Angeles-based apparel company, ScooterGirls, Inc. is adding some panache to protective scooter and motorcycle riding gear for women so that female riders no longer have to choose between safety and fashion.

ScooterGirls founder and CEO Arlene Battishill explains: "The main reason women do not wear protective clothing when riding is they don't like the way traditional gear looks or fits"—which isn’t surprising considering that women’s choices were previously limited to smaller versions of clothing designed for men. Launched at LA Fashion Week in October, ScooterGirls' GoGo Gear was created to appeal to image-conscious female scooter and motorcycle enthusiasts who want to go from their bike to a business meeting or social event without having to change clothing.

Priced between USD 239 to USD 389, the range of fully-armored, abrasion-resistant coats combine cutting-edge, feminine outerwear with robust interior engineering. The coats also feature integrated reflective details for night-time visibility that can be concealed during the day. Outwardly nobody would suspect GoGo Gear jackets were anything but a stylish dress coat, yet they are comparable to any other armored riding gear on the market.

As more consumers across the world opt for scooters and motorcycles to reduce their fuel bills and carbon footprints, the market for innovative products and services for riders is likely to grow. One to tap into! Or perhaps there are niches to be carved out by stylizing other non-aesthetically pleasing protective products? (Related: Stylish fire protection kits.)

Website: www.scooter-girls.com
Contact: info@scooter-girls.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Founded by a Brooklyn-based hackerspace, MakerBot Industries aims to promote the DIY manufacturing movement by producing affordable 3D printers that allow people to create almost any plastic object. CupCake CNC is the company's main product. Made from a 100% open source design that can be freely downloaded, the CupCake takes digital design files as its input and produces 3D objects by building up layers of plastic. The machine is sold as a flat-pack kit that can be assembled by two people in a couple of days. It can even make its own replacement parts. Tinkerers can create their own designs from scratch using CAD software, or download a design file from Thingiverse, an online repository for the sharing of open source MakerBot designs.

3D printers are nothing new, but they usually cost tens of thousands of dollars. The CupCake CNC kit is going for USD 750. With DIY manufacturing now so affordable, and the popularity of magazines such as Make on the rise, it's no wonder some are predicting a personal manufacturing revolution akin to that of personal computing. NYC Resistor is a small operation; could there be an opening for the mass production of MakerBots? (Related: Connecting creative consumers with local fabricators — Desktop manufacturing, minus the special software — More desktop manufacturing for consumers.)

Website: www.makerbot.com
Contact: www.store.makerbot.com/contacts

Spotted by: Bonnie Sandy

Over 1.5 billion people—one quarter of the world’s population—live in areas with no access to electricity, according to a recent UN report. Capitalizing on a sport's global appeal to address this problem, a group of Harvard University students developed sOccket, a soccer ball that turns energy from a kick into electricity.

The portable energy-harvesting device captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge lights, cell phones and batteries. It works with inductive coil technology, similar to that found in flashlights that power up when shaken. For each 15 minutes of play, it can store enough energy to power a small LED light for three hours. sOccket could eventually help ease the reliance on toxic kerosene lamps in developing nations, thereby reducing the associated health risks.

Currently in the prototyping stages, sOccket has been successfully piloted in Durban, South Africa, and the development team has plans to market a commercial version of the sOccket in Western countries as a high-end tech toy, possibly using a "buy one-give one" model, to subsidize the cost of distributing sOccket in developing nations. Being an all-in-one soccer ball, portable generator, community builder and global health tool, sOccket is another shining example of the functionall trend covered in our sister site’s latest briefing. sOccket has attracted several development funding grants and is now in the process of developing production and distribution partnerships. One to partner with or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Hippo water roller — Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer.)

Website: www.soccket.com
Contact: soccket@ideatranslationlab.org

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

With all the online profiles many consumers maintain these days, there's a greater need than ever for flattering photos. Which is why Estée Lauder is offering customers a free makeover and online photo of the result.

Late last month, Estée Lauder offered shoppers at the Carson Pirie Scott store in Orland Park, Illinois, a chance to get a free professional makeup job and photo for use on a social networking page, website or blog. Consumers had only to book an appointment and come into Estée Lauder on Jan. 30; no purchase was necessary. In addition to the makeover and photo—which, it should be noted, included the Estée Lauder logo in the background—participating customers also received a complimentary 10-day supply of foundation. Similar events were held last fall in other Estée Lauder spots around the U.S., beginning with New York's Bloomingdale's in October, StyleList reported. More are planned over the next few weeks in select locations in Canada.

Combining free love, tryvertising and sympvertising into a palette with unique off=on appeal, Estée Lauder's effort is one that could be replicated by any beauty-focused enterprise. What can your brand do to help consumers put their best face forward online....?

Website: www.esteelauder.com/locator/store_events.tmpl
Contact: www.esteelauder.com/customer_service/contact.tmpl

Spotted by: Judy McRae

There are ever more fish in the sea of online dating, but still not everyone is willing to take the plunge. Concerns over safety and privacy, as well as a lingering stigma associated with dating services, mean that plenty of potential soulmates continue to float untethered. Now, Thread aims to reel those consumers in by tapping into the trust shared among Facebook friends.

Launched in September, Thread prides itself on saving users from the long questionnaires and registration processes of other dating sites. Rather, because the free service is based on Facebook Connect, users begin by simply logging in to their Facebook account and answering a few quick questions including their gender, city and relationship status. Once connected, they can easily browse a list of their "friends of friends," or second-degree Facebook connections, sortable by gender and relationship status. If they see someone who looks promising, they can ask a mutual friend for an introduction or simply send that person a Facebook message. Alternatively, Thread lets users play matchmaker by forwarding promising profiles to their single friends. In the interests of privacy, Thread stresses that nothing users do on the site will be published to Facebook unless they specifically request it.

Now in beta, Thread is the brain child of California-based SofaLabs, which raised USD 1.2 million in startup capital through Facebook's own fbFund incubator program. The site isn't yet wearing its revenue model on its sleeve, but possibilities include charging users to find out who has viewed their profile or to send virtual gifts, according to VatorNews.

Given how many aspects of life have already benefited from the addition of social networking capabilities—from ride-sharing to real estate—there's little doubt dating should be among them. Facebook's 350 million or so users, meanwhile, make it the perfect match for such applications. Time to think about how your business can leverage the massive but globally interconnected ranks of Facebook friends...? (Related: Dating via Twitter — Online speed dating — Dating cards — DNA-driven dating — Group dating.)

Spotted by: Susan Johnston

Virtue may be its own reward, but that doesn't mean tangible prizes won't make the deal even sweeter. Just as SmartyCard uses gifts from popular vendors and family sites to reward kids for completing educational games, so Switch2Health uses much the same approach to motivate them to exercise.

New Jersey-based Switch2Health now offers the S2H REPLAY, a fun and innovative wrist-worn device aimed at tweens and teens that allows them to quantify their level of physical activity. In addition to displaying the date and time, the device also tracks and registers continuous, moderate-intensity activity, subdividing each hour into 20 three-minute segments. When users complete a full 60 minutes of physical activity over time, the device generates a reward code that can be uploaded and converted into points on the company's website. Those points are redeemable for items such as gift cards or free months of membership at sponsors including Barnes & Noble, GameStop, Best Buy, Webkinz and Club Penguin. Consumers can also set each other specific challenges and reward them for success using S2H REPLAY. No cables or software are required, nor is there any need to recharge the device's battery. Available online for USD 19.95, S2H REPLAY is water-resistant and available in three sizes. The device comes with a blue silicone band, but alternate colours are available for USD 2.99 each. A fully brandable device is also available for use in corporate promotions.

As part of a recently announced partnership with Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce, S2H REPLAY will soon be incorporated into Pierce’s FitClub34 from Harvard Pilgrim. Other fitness organizations around the world: could be a novel way to reward and engage your own customers or members. All others: One to get involved with on the sponsorship end? (Related: Gyms for kids use gaming to keep them hooked — iPhone game gets kids into the (hidden) park.)

Website: www.s2h.com
Contact: amado@s2h.com

Spotted by: Goutham Bhadri

We've featured several concepts that promote acts of kindness, including KIND Snacks' series of KINDED cards. For those not yet convinced, comes yet another spotting: California-based Boom Boom! Cards. Named for the karmic notion that every good deed comes back to its performer, boomerang-style, Boom Boom! Cards exist to inspire altruism. Available in packs of 26, the artistically designed cards each specify a particular act of kindness. It might be something as simple as saying “please” and “thank you” in every interaction over the course of a day, or it might be something more tangible, like buying a stranger a cup of coffee. There's also a pack aimed at teens that focuses on family, friends and school.

Either way, users begin by registering their deck and performing the specified kind acts, one at a time. Each time they do, they give the card away to someone else and then write about their experience on the Boom Boom! website. Users can upload photos and video to help tell their story, and the site's mapping feature allows them to follow each card and see where their kindness spreads. Since the site's launch into beta almost a year ago, more than 2,600 “agents of altruism” have joined what the company calls "the uprising of guerrilla goodness." Each deck of Boom Boom! Cards is priced at USD 9.99; of that price, 5 percent is donated to iSpot Compassion and 5 percent goes to the charity of the purchaser's choice.

Boom Boom! Cards are currently available both online and from select California and Minnesota retailers. Time to start proving that virtue really is its own reward! ;-) (Related: Online game focuses on real-world kindness — Clothing brand asks its wearers to be kind — Random acts of kindness for Hyatt's most loyal guests.)

Website: www.boomboomcards.com
Contact: info@boomboomcards.com

Spotted by: Michael Corrales

Charcoal lighter fluid is responsible for the release of some 14,500 tons of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere in the US each year, according to the EPA, which is one of the reasons there's growing interest in charcoal alternatives like Sologear's uGO FlameDisk. For those too attached to that authentic charcoal flavour, however, there's now a chemical-free, eco-minded option.

One Light Charcoal is a single-use charcoal bag featuring an internal chimney that uses air rather than harmful accelerants to ignite and roast the charcoal. No lighter fluid is added; rather, the consumer simply opens the bag, lights the long-stem match provided and places it in the chimney. The bag then burns from the inside out, allowing the charcoal to roast before the bag itself burns off, leaving only a pyramid of red-hot coals.

The brain child of Texas-based Innovative Barbecue Solutions, One Light Charcoal is priced at about USD 3.50 per three-pound bag and sold through stores including HEB, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods. Retailers in other parts of the world: one to add to your outdoor grilling section?

Website: www.onelightcharcoal.com
Contact: www.onelightcharcoal.com/contact.php

Spotted by: Shelly Wares

Opportunity awaits those who can make consumers' lives easier, as countless innovations prove every day. Take choosing a wine. We've already seen several efforts to simplify the process of finding a good one for drinking—including, among many other approaches, a classification system that uses colours and numbers—and now California-based Académie Culinary Wines aims to do the same for wines that will be used in cooking.

Académie wines are sourced directly from California's premier wine regions. With the help of gourmet chefs, the company has developed a line including four blends that are designed to make culinary creations the best they can possibly be. Blend #1, for example, is designed for use in red sauces and meat dishes. Blend #2, meanwhile, targets seafood, poultry and pork. Blend #3 aims to complement beef and poultry marinades, while Blend #4 is for game bird, fish and lamb. All Académie wines are highly suitable for drinking as well, the company says, and are packaged in a convenient, waste-proof 375mL size that's still ample for tasting while the cooking proceeds. To facilitate the culinary magic, the Académie site includes a variety of recipes geared toward each of the wines in its line.

Available online and from select California retailers, Académie wines come in single 375mL bottles for USD 7.99 each or sampler packs of four for USD 28.76. Shipping is currently available only within California; one to partner with and bring to the rest of the cooking world? (Related: Wine tasting packs feature four mini samples — Wine search engine uses animation to visualize aromas — Modern wine paired with ancient Roman cuisine — Sommelier, go away: food pairing made easy.)

Website: www.academiewines.com
Contact: support@academiewines.com

Much the way NeighborGoods lets consumers save and earn money by sharing tools, ladders and other household equipment, so RelayRides enables them to do likewise with their underused cars.

Serving as a sort of community-run Zipcar, RelayRides bills itself as the first person-to-person car-sharing marketplace. Launching soon in the Baltimore area, the site allows people with cars to earn money by renting them out to people who don't have cars of their own. Car owners begin by registering with RelayRides, which then arranges for a certified mechanic to install a device in the car that will allow authorized renters to access it without having to be given keys. It also establishes an insurance policy to cover renters during the rental period. Next, owners set the car’s rental price, along with where the car will be rented and when it is usually available. Renters can then reserve the vehicle by the hour or day within the owner-set schedule. RelayRides screens the driving record of every renter; it also promises to take care of owners in the event of any loss. A renter rating system, meanwhile, lets owners provide their own evaluations. With suggested hourly rates of between USD 6 and USD 12—covering 20 miles per reserved hour or 160 miles per day along with gas and insurance—owners can earn as much as USD 8,000 per year by renting out their cars for just 20 hours a week, RelayRides says.

Every shared car replaces 14 to 18 vehicles on the road, RelayRides says, so the benefits are obvious not just for renters and owners (a.k.a. sellsumers), but also for the planet, which gets a much-needed break. RelayRides is already planning to expand to other U.S. cities following its Baltimore launch—one to get in on early in your neck of the resource-sharing woods...? (Related: Parking operator launches car-sharing service — Bike-sharing comes to Asia — More social ride sharing.)

Website: www.relayrides.com
Contact: www.relayrides.com/contact.html

Spotted by: Michael Corrales

Professionally made desserts are all very well, but for true bake-it-yourself types, there's nothing like a homemade confection. Much the way Sprinkles Cupcakes mixes aim to give baking enthusiasts a way to emulate professional results in their own kitchens, so Ticings allow them to add a dash of photographic-quality art.

Ticings are edible images that can be applied to cakes, cookies, brownies and cupcakes. Users need only peel them from their paper backing and then press them onto a baked confection. Whereas some baking embellishments drag when cut, Ticings merge with soft frosting to create edible art that creates no resistance for the knife. Launched last month, the US-made decorations—which are FDA approved, kosher certified and gluten free—are available from LA-based Ticings in sheets of 12 2.25-inch images for USD 15.95 or 35 1.25-inch images for USD 22.95. Themes include birthdays, weddings and seasonal motifs; shipping is available only within the continental US. Coming soon from the company are gourmet artisan sprinkles.

Giving crafty consumers yet another way to make it themselves—upgraded to help them compete with the professionals—Ticings will soon also be available through a bakery in northern California. Other gourmet retailers around the world: time to add yourself to that list? (Related: Upscale takeaway meets onsite cooking school — Shirt sold out? Make it yourself — DIY wedding rings.)

Website: www.ticings.com
Contact: hello@ticings.com

Spotted by: Lara McCulloch

We've written about a few different efforts to help disadvantaged people in Africa by providing refurbished second-hand bikes from the developed world. Unlike such initiatives from Baisikeli and Bikes for Africa, however, Worldbike designs and distributes brand-new bicycles that are inexpensive and built specifically to withstand harsh rural conditions.

California-based Worldbike's bicycles are designed to handle large loads, rough terrain and inclement weather. They're configured to be not only affordable, but also maintained and repaired locally. Through partnerships with international and local agencies, private companies, foundations and NGOs, Worldbike even helps arrange microcredit financing for bike purchases and supplement sales with support from funders and private donors. Its bikes have already been brought to Cuba, Mexico, Rwanda, Senegal and Thailand, among other areas. However, as the company also notes, "the same cargo bike we deliver to rural Africa also turns heads on the streets of Seattle.” An official US version of the bike is now being configured, and proceeds from all purchases will help support bike distribution efforts in Kenya.

A shining example of what our sister site calls the functionall trend, Worldbike has already attracted funding and partnerships with companies and foundations around the world—time to add your brand to that list? Alternatively, how about brainstorming some functionall offerings of your own...? (Related: Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer — Water bottle's plunger-style filter purifies instantly.)

Website: www.worldbike.org
Contact: info@worldbike.org

Spotted by: trendwatching.com's monthly trend briefing

Customization continues to gain ground as a business model, as witnessed by another design-your-own fabric venture. Fabric on Demand is a digital textile printing company that allows consumers to create personalized fabrics online. Buyers can upload their design, choose from 8 different fabrics to print on and specify the amount of fabric they require. Fabric on Demand then emails the customer a proof, and once approved, the custom fabric is printed and delivered within 7 days. Prices range from USD 16.25 – 34.20 per yard and customers can order unlimited continuous yardage.

Expansion plans for the site include providing customers the opportunity to customize and order specialty printed items such as blankets, pillows, tote bags, banners and tablecloths; using the same design tools. Clearly, there's still plenty of room for growth in this area, so keep the design-your-own innovations coming! (Related: More design-your-own fabric.)

Website: www.fabricondemand.com
Contact: info@fabricondemand.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

When companies search for a new salesperson, you know they scrutinize each candidate's track record before making an offer. When consumers hire a real estate agent to sell their home, however—probably the biggest asset they own—the choice is often made by chance. Enter Homethinking, a site that aims to bring transparency to U.S. real estate agents so as to help homeowners pick the best one for them.

New York-based Homethinking puts agents under a spotlight so consumers can quickly identify the ones that shine. Toward that end, it crawls the web to find out what each agent has accomplished in the past, including how many houses they've sold, in what areas and for what prices, and how the actual sale price compared with the one that was advertised. Homethinking also interviews the people whose houses the agent sold for information such as how well he or she interacted with prospective customers, how they set expectations around the sales price and how responsive they were when questions arose. It then presents all the resulting data for consumers' perusal, in an easy to use form that's browsable and searchable by city, state and ZIP code. When they've found one who looks promising, consumers can contact him or her at their own initiative.

Of course, it's not just consumers who stand to benefit from this new transparency. Realtors themselves can claim and edit their profiles, contribute neighbourhood reviews and otherwise showcase their talents; they can also upload their listings and have them syndicated for free to Craigslist, Trulia and Zillow. And that, in turn, is where the transparency tyranny becomes transparency triumph. Embrace the new openness and make it your own, and you too will share in the glory. One to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world...?

Website: www.homethinking.com
Contact: feedback@homethinking.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

We've covered numerous design-your-own clothing opportunities over the years, but it seems fair to say that jeans are perhaps the category where such capabilities are needed most. After all, “most of us wear jeans every day, yet finding jeans that actually fit and flatter is still a struggle,” as indiDenim puts it. “Muffin tops, gaping waists, baggy thighs, bunching fabric, camel toe, highwaters, dragging hems, and inappropriate butt exposure abound. Something must be done to stop the madness!” Enter indiDenim, which offers a way for consumers to design their own custom-fit jeans.

Customers of indiDenim—whose parent company runs a like-minded site for custom-made dress shirts—begin by selecting from among several jeans cuts, including slim and relaxed fits. They then choose the fabric, rise and styles they'd like for the pants' fly, leg, hem, pocket and overall treatment. Women’s options at indiDenim include super-low to high-rises, multiple leg styles and more than 30 different back pocket options; men can make their jean a basic five-pocket or add carpenter styling. Both sexes, meanwhile, can select sanding and distressing treatments. Next, customers answer a series of straightforward questions about their body—including their height, weight, inseam and descriptions of their overall shape—and indiDenim's proprietary algorithms spit out sizing specs that are used to create completely customized patterns. Without any human intervention, those patterns are sent to the company's manufacturing partners, where the fabric is cut by computerized cutters and sewn in highly specialized sewing lines.

From there, indiDenim washes, quality-checks, packages and ships the garment directly to the customer in about four weeks. Perhaps most interesting of all, indiDenim allows customers to return custom items for any reason, and makes adjustments at no extra charge. In the site's Design Vault, meanwhile, consumers can buy, browse, rate and comment on jeans designed by other members of the indiDenim community. Pricing from California-based indiDenim begins at USD 145, including free shipping anywhere in the world. Given the prevalence of jeans, seems to us there's room for more than one contender in this market. One to emulate on a localized or niche basis?

Website: www.indidenim.com
Contact: service@indicustom.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

If ever there was a compelling reason for a school to build sustainably, it's the one faced by Vermont's Putney School not long ago. Namely, warmer winters resulting from global climate change had reduced the cold-weather sports opportunities the private boarding school traditionally relied on, leaving it with a sudden need for gym space for the first time. Its solution? A net-zero field house that's on track to be one of only five platinum LEED-certified school buildings in the nation.

By definition, net-zero energy buildings generate as much energy as they consume over the course of a year, and that's at the heart of the Putney School's 16,800-square-foot athletics building, which opened its doors last fall. Designed by Maclay Architects, the super-insulated, super-energy-efficient building uses the sun for its heating and electricity needs. Specifically, 16 sun-tracking photovoltaic solar panels power the building, feeding excess energy during sunny months back into the grid and earning the school 6 cents per kilowatt-hour as they do. In the winter, the building draws energy out again, but in an average year, it's expected to do better than break even on its energy use. Other green features of the USD 6 million field house, include low-water fixtures and composting toilets, a white reflective roof and local materials such as site-harvested wood.

“We want to show the world that net-zero energy technology for public buildings exists right now,” explains Putney School Director Emily Jones. “It’s time to move net-zero energy buildings from the theoretical realm into reality.” Indeed, we couldn't have said it better ourselves. An eco-iconic innovation to emulate at the earliest opportunity—particularly for schools with sustainability on the curriculum. (Related: Green school with an entrepreneurial bent.)

Website: www.putneyfieldhouse.org
Contact: info@putneyschool.org

Spotted by: Rick Noyes

Remember the excitement you felt receiving mail as a child? That's the inspiration behind San Francisco-based Little Passports, a new educational subscription service that aims to turn 5-to-10-year-olds into world travellers, one country at a time. Little Passports delivers monthly travel packages designed to provide a fun, hands-on way for kids to learn about other countries without leaving home. The first shipment in the USD 10.95 per month subscription prepares little voyagers for their global adventure with a mini suitcase, passport, world map and a letter and photo introducing their travel guides, Sam and Sofia.

Each following month, children receive a personalized letter and package from Sam and Sofia, which includes travel-related items like a passport stamp, suitcase sticker and collectible boarding pass to access online games and activities that teach geography, history, culture and vocabulary. As the months pass, little travellers notch up a jetsetter's stamp-filled passport, personalize their suitcase, and pack it with country-specific souvenirs.

In an era dominated by electronic communication, people are embracing concepts from a slower age, like the company that transforms emails into paper letters and one that resurrected the classic telegram. Little Passports combines that nostalgia for 'real' mail and combines it with the convenience of a subscription service. What else could this formula be applied to? (Related: Interactive piggy bank teaches kids about money.)

Website: www.littlepassports.com
Contact: info@littlepassports.com

Spotted by: Jason Ferguson