Pop Icon Awards

In April 2005 at the new Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles , one celebrity and one corporation will be selected as the recipients of the first annual Pop Icon Award. All of the nominees of the Pop Icon Award are exemplary promoters of sustainability. One winner in each category will be decided upon by the popular vote of young adults and announced at the invitation only event in conjunction with the Outstanding Sustainable Style Awards (OSSAs).

The 2005 Nominees are:

*Corporate nominees provided by Innovest Group, Strategic Value Advisors.

In the morass of popular culture, an icon always stands out. The winners of Pop Sustainability’s Pop Icon Award do just that. Amongst the hundreds of award winners out there, the Pop Icon Awards recognize the successful efforts of one brand and one celebrity to be both an active participant and a known entity in creating a more sustainable world.

The Future Now Tour

January 2005 marks the commencement of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The mission of the UN Decade is to enhance knowledge of sustainability globally by the end of the year 2014. Pop Sustainability and Urban Mentor propose a program of events in February & March of 2005 that promote a deep understanding of how sustainability can not only impact the world around us, but can measurably improve the quality of our own lives.

The Future Now Tour visits ten universities nationwide with a personal sustainability workshop, an artists showcase, and an after party to follow. The decided purpose of each event is to utilize fun, innovative activities to educate students on the urgency and simplicity of taking actions everyday while considering the impacts on their own long term viability as well as the viability of people, economies and the environment both locally and globally.

The Future Now Tour is proposed as a day-long event at each campus including but not limited to the following activities:

• Interactive Workshops: Inspirational panelists and experts moderate a dialogue around issues related to sustainability and the meaning of personal sustainability. Each participant in this five hour long workshop develops their own personal sustainability plan. Approximately 100 students participate in this 5 hour long event.
  
• Concert/Artist Showcase: Several performances and exhibitions by invited musicians, artists, poets, actors/comedians, etc including at least one popular artist. Also to include students and local performers through on-campus auditions and possibly an open mike. Approximately 1000 students attend this less than 2 hour long program.
  
• Party: From the high energy and euphoric effects of the Concert/Artist Showcase, a party is born. The party serves to further spread the message of the event from those who were there and those who joined the event for the party alone. The themes of personal sustainability and responsibility dictate both genuine connectivity and safety. Approximately 2000 students attend this 2-3 hour long event.
  
• Contests and other suggested activities: Activities that help to promote the tour on campus especially leading up to the day long program. One component under exploration is the formation of communities that use mobile phones and other mobile technologies as an ongoing means of communication. No estimates on participation are available yet.

NYPC: New York Plastics Challenge

Campaign Overview:

The New York Plastics Challenge. (NYPC) is a campaign that engages influential young New Yorkers in the evolution of our society's use of plastics by learning about, purchasing and ultimately creating new markets for the development of innovative, non-toxic and biodegradable plastics as well as numerous new technologies that make plastics more sustainable.

NYPC campaign involves a 1970's retro style cultural exhibition and retail outlet for innovative new plastic products, accompanied by an extensive grassroots communications effort. The new products, most available for the first time to consumers at this outlet, include garments and accessories made from new polyester fabrics. By getting these products in the hands of consumers, the NYPC campaign not only raises awareness of the issues, but inspires next generation activism through selective and conscious consumption.

One main strategy of NYPC is to raise money to initiate new awareness programs that support zero waste efforts. In the short term, we intend to lobby New York City council to adopt zero waste policies that favor developments in the next generation of plastics and products-those that are less toxic, biodegradable and require less reliance on petroleum. By doing so, New York City will become a global leader in integrating sustainable-thinking into our city planning while significantly strengthening our waste management strategy.

Problem:

It is difficult to imagine life without plastics. Plastics' versatility allows it to be used in practically all aspects of our popular culture-from car parts to doll parts, from soft drink bottles to the refrigerators they are stored in, from the film used to produce TV shows to the television you watch them on-even the plastic credit card you bought it with. Could our modern society exist without plastics? Could we supply people with the needed shelter, clothing, transportation, communications and fast paced lifestyle we have become accustomed to without plastics?

Meanwhile, plastics present both health and environmental challenges:

• Plastics are made from the non-renewable raw materials of natural gas and petroleum.
  
• The production of some plastic compounds and end products involves carcinogenic substances that can be detrimental to workers.
  
• The use of some types of plastics in household products may release harmful toxins, especially in the case of fire.
  
• Throwing away plastics is a waste of non-renewable resources: While consumers are aware of the need to conserve petroleum use in our vehicles, most are not aware that a full 20% of our waste stream is made up of these valuable and non-renewable natural resources, often reaching their destination in a landfill in less than a month from the time they were manufactured.
  
• Their disposal is also complicated as most plastics do not biodegrade and incineration can release hydrochloric acid, chlorine and toxic heavy metals.1 Plastics are a major component of our ever growing landfills and do not degrade for over 500 years - or 15 future generations!
  
• Sending plastic to landfills is costly: In New York City, with the exception of our recently reinstated plastics recycling program, NYC is carting off and dumping 95% of these non-renewable natural resources into landfills in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio at a cost of over $40 million dollars last year.
  
• While both costly and wasteful, the local health impacts of sending plastic waste to landfills can further complicate the equation. Ranging from complaints about lung disease as a result of carting waste through disadvantaged neighborhoods to increased breast cancer incidence in areas surrounding NYC’s now closed Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, sending waste to landfills can have negative impacts to the sustainability of many people's lives and their neighborhoods.

Man-made polymers are both the reality of today and the future. How can we make them, use them, and recycle them more sustainably?

Solution:

Among New York City’s many identities, being a global leader is at the top of the list. From our ability to capture the world's imagination with our skyline to our bid to host the Olympic Games, we set an example like it or not. NYPC believes it is inarguably New York's responsibility to not only take leadership to improve the living standards for its residents, but to set an example for other cities facing similar waste management and health challenges. Plus, New York City is an important place for business development. From the demanding consumer market, to raising awareness amongst financial institutions and corporate shareholders, to connecting with new B to B partners, to significant media saturation, New York is a must for many media and marketing plans.

This Fall of 2004, New York City planners must make a decision regarding the next 20 years of NYC's waste management plans affecting many generations to come. While the principles of sustainability provide a compass, the answers will come from our ingenuity and creative "out of the box" thinking. Introducing stricter standards for resource recovery and waste management while paving the way for cleaner, healthier and biodegradable plastics can position NYC in precisely that role as a world leader-a city that is prepared to apply sustainable thinking to some of the most challenging issues that cities face.

Pop Sustainability's NYPC is focusing on building an extensive platform for communication about plastics and the exciting new developments. The NYPC campaign revolves around a short term combined cultural center and retail environment that is a fully optimized location. This zero waste location delivers the NYPC message to 50,000 - 100,000 people who venture into the space for various reasons-the exhibition, the retail outlet and for entertaining events centered on the theme of the culture of plastics. The promotion of each of these aspects is designed to raise questions about our cultural conversations about plastics, our reliance on and use of plastics, and the importance of a zero waste agenda.

NYPC: The Culture of Plastics Exhibition and Retail Outlet

Modern pop culture (film, fashion, music, art, digital media) has all been made possible to a large degree by plastic (silicon, vinyl, Mylar, PET, etc.) and this 1970's style public exhibition tells the story of the development of our plastic culture through multi-media displays of interior environments.

Imagine the story of plastics told through 1970's fashion, film, music, art, interior design and digital and interactive displays creating an environment that entices the visitor to want to learn more. This space walks the fine line between being an unexpected find and a totally planned, curated and choreographed experience that effectively tells a story without one realizing it. It is, at the same time as it is not, a destination or a theme park. Part of the space is reserved for a special exhibition that changes each month, thus inviting repeat visits.

• The space is a 2,000 to 3,000 square foot retail location in downtown Soho or Tribeca, open for six months launching in September 2004 (or sooner TBD).
  
• Avoiding the outright negative, the story points out both breakthroughs and social, economic and environmental challenges while emphasizing the future of plastics.
  
• The exhibit and retail outlet sends all or most of its waste to compost or recycling.
  
• The space is available as a stop on tours catering to everyone from local school groups to tourists seeking a unique experience of the city.
  
• This overtly retail environment with a cutting edge but retro style cultural exhibition can introduce between 50,000 and 100,000 people to the concept and principles of sustainability, zero waste and the importance of using plastics responsibly.
  
• Through related media impressions and word of mouth, we can expect millions to learn about the many great products made from the new biodegradable polymers.
  
• This exhibit can travel nationally and internationally.

The Events: Hosting numerous events each month, the space attracts tens of thousands of additional people during its six month lifespan. Events may include but are not limited to:

• Innovative polymers multi-media fashion show for fashion week in September 2004
  
• Dance performances
  
• Weekly DJ, multi media concert performances
  
• Art exhibitions with FAIM
  
• Film festival in conjunction with Manhattan Short Film Festival

NYPC: Youth Entrepreneurial Venture

Pop Sustainability is organizing a youth entrepreneurial venture that uses the philosophy of social-marketing to reach high school students. The venture raises both money and awareness that promote the sustainable use of plastic in conjunction with the New York Plastic Challenge campaign.

The youth venture component of the NYPC involves a team of eleven student leaders from a diverse set of New York City High Schools (various boroughs) who develop and implement a T Shirt venture. The venture promotes improved use of plastics, including reducing some plastic usage, recycling those plastics that are recyclable and promoting the use of new, more sustainable plastics.

Beginning with basics, the team works with its coach to set up the foundations of the business. Basic marketing analysis is undertaken and the prices and locations for distribution are determined. During product development, name designers and talented student artists create a new line of T Shirts. The T Shirts are then sold at those predetermined locations, principally local high schools, nearby colleges, entertainment venues, local retail outlets and online. The proceeds fund further student run social-marketing ventures, as well as supporting the New York Plastics Challenge campaign in New York City.

For more information or to learn about partnership opportunities, contact:
Kim Heismann
Pop Sustainability
150 West 28th Street, Suite 1604
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 646-638-3122
Fax : 646-365-5323
kim@popsustainability.org

© 2002 POP SUSTAINABILITY