Environmental Hero Helps Low Income CommunitiesToday I would like to share another fabulous interview from one of Changents’ Timberland Earth Keeper Heroes. Nate Bastien is deemed an eco-Hero who shares his personal stories from the front lines of social and environmental change.
Nate Bastien (a.k.a. the “Impact Designers”) is creating break-through, environmentally friendly design solutions for impoverished and low-income communities. At RISD Nate designed products from a folding bicycle for urban commuters to an “assemble on site” oxygen concentrator for rural hospitals in the developing world. The more he learned about the role of industrial design the more he questioned it. Nate is creating a ‘Street Pack’ for the homeless made entirely of scrap material otherwise headed to the landfill. The backpack is part of Local 401, a project he created and launched, and its mission is to design environmentally responsible products for marginalized communities and the organizations that serve them. Earth Promise: What changes, or Earth Promises as we call them, have you made in your lifestyle to be greener? Changes in home, travel, work, and community? Nate Bastien: I am always aware of how much I consume, and how much use I am able to get out of it before it is “waste”. The cashiers always give me funny look when I refuse bags and carry my items out of the store like a stack of firewood. EP: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your involvement in the environmental “movement.” NB: As an industrial designer who develops products for everyday use, I am passionate about our responsibility to pay close attention to what we are designing with, and who we are designing for. If you look at any dynamic system in the natural world; nothing is wasted. The byproduct of one process fuels another. I aim to develop products, systems, and ventures that are as concerned with this model as they are with generating profits. EP: Were you “green” as a child? NB: I have always been the outdoors type. Even as a youngster I appreciated my environment and knew the beer cans and food wrappers littered on the hiking trail was not doing it any good! EP: What was your first, “aha!” Green moment? NB: My first “aha” green moment was definitely seeing a landfill for the first time on an elementary school field trip. I remember thinking to myself “This can’t be right!” EP: Being a graduate of RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), you must have created some fantastic products. Please share some of your favorite (and if any) eco-inspired projects. NB: My experience at RISD was incredible. As a design student you are not limited by the constraints of your employer or clients, so you are able to work on projects that you are most passionate about. For me, I tended to be more interested in the engineering and mechanics of the products. I applied this interest into designs that were environmentally and or socially responsible. Some of my favorite products I developed were: a collapsible bicycle designed to work with the public transit systems creating a more desirable and realistic commute to work. Later, I developed an “assemble on site” oxygen concentrator that was designed with refurbished and recycled materials to make medical oxygen more affordable and accessible in hospitals in developing countries. The main innovation is that the container that the components are shipped in is designed to become the housing of the new medical device. Assembling on site saves cost and functions as a training exercise educating the staff on the maintenance and repair of the device. EP: It appears that impoverished and low income communities are truly important to you and the work that you produce. How did this come about? NB: I grew up in middle class family and never took for granted how fortunate I was. Both my mother and my father are remarkably compassionate people and have influenced me tremendously. As soon I began to lean the skill set required to design and develop products I wanted to give back to my community by applying that skill set to helping others. EP: What is Local 401 and what was its inspiration? NB: Local 401 is a project I started in November of 2008, where waste material, scrap material, and recycled material come together to create sustainable products for marginalized communities. My inspiration for the project is the countless number of individuals experiencing homelessness who I have made friends with, ate with, slept outside with, learned from, and designed with in the past year. What we came up with is the Street Pack, and a unique business model that enables a quality sustainable product to reach the hands of the individuals that need it most, but are the least likely to be able to afford it. The Street Pack is a low cost yet highly functional backpack that was designed with and specifically for individuals experiencing homelessness. The pack is made from repurposed advertizing vinyl intercepted on its way to the landfill. The material is durable, water proof, and FREE. Some of the features that make the Street Pack unique are a roll down closure to keep water out and eliminate zipper failure, and a customizable external storage system enabling the ability to add on in any direction. Also, instead of using foam padding in the back panel of the pack, I integrated a thermal blanket into the back panel which functions as padding when the pack is worn and an emergency shelter when removed and unfolded. EP: Sometimes if a message is played over too much, consumers will tend to ignore it after a while or tune it out or turn against it. How can green Evangelists be more effective in making sure we are relevant but not overbearing? This includes sites like Earth Promise and others as well as people in media, music, advocacy, politics, education and more. NB: From my experience, people don’t respond well to preachy overly idealistic attitudes. Advocates, educators, politicians, and corporations need to simply demonstrate that being “green” is not an obstacle or a trend. It’s the natural result of our society becoming smarter and more efficient. If you want to promote a green behavior or green product for example, make it simpler, better looking, and less expensive. EP: What are some of the things that anger you or drive you crazy that you see people do that hurts the environment? NB: Littering! Making sure your trash and recycling end up in the right bucket has got to be the easiest way to contribute to the cause. Some people just don’t get it. EP: How did you get involved in Timberlands Changents program? NB: Changents and Timberland contacted RISD and my name along with several of my peers were mentioned. I had several conversations with them describing my project and they liked what I was doing and wanted to get involved and help. Timberland and Changents involvement in my project has help it progress tremendously. EP: While we are being hurt by the climate crisis right now, the next generations are in big trouble if we don’t take action. How can educators, like yourself, inspire the public to be involved and help the environment? NB: I hope to inspire the public by demonstrating that environmental responsibility is not difficult or complicated. It is not possible to tackle every issue in one generation. Every small action contributes to the cause, so we just need to make one step in the right direction so the next generation has a foundation to build upon. EP: How can the people in United States be the world leader in green awareness to help 3rd world nations? What do we need to accomplish? NB: Like I said earlier, we need to develop green technologies that are less expensive and easier to use than the current alternatives or there is no incentive to transition and will never be adopted in developing countries. EP: What message would you give others who want to spread their eco-ideas? NB: Put yourself out there and develop partnerships. The more people you can bring together the more you can get done. EP: What is the one Earth Promise you are going to make in the future that you have not done yet? NB: I need to try to use more public transportation and be less dependent on my car. EP: Where will your passionate design skills take you next? NB: I am in the process of launching a product development firm who specializes in developing sustainable products for marginalized communities. Currently I am finalizing our first product (the Street Pack) which will be sold at retail using a one for one model. For every pack we sell we will donate one to an individual in need. EP: The best of luck to you. Thank you. 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