The Concept Farm’s Fresh Ideas 365

Last year, The Concept Farm developed the logo and website for the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill CSA located in Brooklyn, NY. This year, we watch as the local-grown movement gains momentum on a national scale. There are currently 56 CSAs in the five boroughs and 2500 CSAs nationwide. New CSAs continue to pop up all over.

Community Supported Agriculture is a way for people to buy vegetables directly from a local farmer. Members pre-pay to receive weekly shares of fresh, organic vegetables grown by local CSA farmers. Over the course of a season members get at least 40 different types of organic vegetables, always fresh-picked and changing with the seasons.

The DUMBO/Vinegar Hill CSA receives its organic produce from Sang Lee Farms of Peconic (North Fork) NY. After an extremely successful first season, the CSA has a wait list of over 100 people interested in joining for the 09 season. This year in addition to the vegetables shares, there will also be fruit and cheese shares.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone. The farmer gets to know the community he or she is feeding, the community members get to know their farmer and know exactly how their food is grown while supporting a small local farmer. Since there’s no middle person between the CSA members and the farmer, the cost of being a CSA member is lower than buying organic vegetables at a grocery store!

Check out the DUMBO/Vinegar Hill CSA site at www.dumbocsa.org

Posted by Tyronne Schaffer

You may have seen the spot currently running where the focus is on a water bottle and the title reads something along the lines of an unimaginable number of years in a pile.  Here is an idea that is radically fresh.  Will it work?  Could it catch on?  Could you get a chain like Safeway to carry it or your local corner bodega (NYC only on that last one no doubt).

The following bit is ripped directly form their website.

“Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious. Boxed Water Is Better, is a boxed water company.

Started with the simple idea of creating a new bottled water brand that is kinder to the environment and gives back a bit - we found that it shouldn’t be bottled at all, but instead, boxed. So we looked to the past for inspiration in the century old beverage container and decided to keep things simple, sustainable, and beautiful.”

Learn more about what they’re doing

Posted by Alexander Rea

People hate airlines, but not Southwest Airlines. That’s because the brand stands for fun and efficiency. The brass understands that their employees are critical in achieving their quick turnarounds. So they empower/enlist them to keep things moving along. And the employees do, but in a good-natured way that doesn’t make its clients feel like freight. And in ways that also embody the brand’s attributes. Southwest recognizes that the paint on the airplane isn’t the only thing that does branding work. Case in point: here’s a video we like of a flight attendant delivering his pre-flight spiel. Watch it and us you don’t feel a little thawing in your heart for at least one airline.

Posted by Tyronne Schaffer

We recently came across DoodleBuzz, an unusual news aggregator developed by designer Brendan Dawes. To start searching news on DoodleBuzz, enter a keyword or use the one already provided. Then, start drawing and watch the news unfold. Is it really a practical way to get the top stories? Who cares? It’s cool. Check it out.

Go to www.doodlebuzz.com to explore for yourself.

Posted by Tyronne Schaffer