[Press Release]
Thousand Oaks, California, June 23, 2009 – World-recognized strategy, innovation, and design consultancy RKS and Water Advocacy KOR Water teamed together again to create a strategy that empowers consumers to make a difference. The result of this collaboration is the introduction of KOR’s Thirst for Giving™ program.

News of the original KOR ONE’s release was met by an immediate and overwhelming positive response. The viral PR campaign driven by RKS resulted in countless blog pickups, with the KOR ONE landing on Oprah’s “O List,” winning awards for both design and environmental preservation, and driving sales beyond all projections.

To build on this success, KOR Water enlisted RKS to create a Brand Trajectory and Product Proliferation Plan that would amplify the authenticity of the KOR brand. The first result of this effort is KOR’s new Thirst for Giving program to raise funds for water-related charities and help increase understanding of the vital role clean water plays in all our lives. Announced in conjunction of the introduction of three new KOR ONE colors, this innovative program empowers consumers to improve their health as they improve the health of the planet. “KOR’s mission is to celebrate and protect water,” said KOR founder and CEO Eric Barnes. “The Thirst for Giving program is our way of bringing more awareness to issues that deeply impact the future of water on our planet.”

The RKS strategy team first used Psycho-Aesthetics to enable KOR to identify organizations whose passions and goals aligned with KOR’s mission. Next, RKS created a strategy to create meaning… increasing the consumer’s ability to make a difference. Through this program, KOR has aligned with non-profits who are doing exceptional work related to causes KOR supports: ocean and watershed protection, the global water crisis and container recycling.

With each KOR ONE color tied to a specific cause, KOR will donate 1% of all sales to this select group. The original Ocean Blue KOR ONE supports Ocean Protection through the Agalita Marine Research Foundation. Sunrise Orange is for the Container Recycling Institute, while Sawgrass Green sales support Watershed Protection through The Wetlands Initiative. Orchid Pink is for the Global Water Crisis, with purchases supporting Blue Planet Run, a non-profit dedicated to bringing the global community together to provide safe drinking water to the more than one billion people who suffer for lack of access to clean water. “Blue Planet Run is thrilled that KOR Water recognizes how important safe drinking water is to every aspect of human life and is taking the lead in making change happen, said Lisa Nash, CEO of Blue Planet Run. “Our partnership will fund safe drinking water projects around the world, where as little as $30 can give someone a lifetime of safe drinking water.” KOR Water’s Thirst for Giving™ program is administered by 1% for the Planet, a non-profit dedicated to building and supporting an alliance of businesses that are financially committed to creating a healthy planet.

All four lustrous colors are made of BPA-free Eastman Tritan™ copolyester and include the original KOR ONE’s see-through design (eliminating worries of what might be hidden inside a metal bottle), innovative one-handed opening, a cap you can’t lose, inspirational KOR Stone inside lid, and a “just right” spout big enough for ice cubes and easy on the lips.

The Thirst for Giving program and the release of the new colors are just the beginning. “We’re excited about the new product lines we’re developing with KOR,” said Tom White, Executive Vice President of RKS. “RKS is thrilled to focus our strategy, design, and innovation teams on building the KOR Water brand and enabling them to achieve their goals.”
Designer : RKS for KOR Water

Joe explanations :
This projects aim was to encourage people to recycle their own organic waste at home. One reason why this wasn’t happening was because the compost decomposes and creates an unpleasant smell; this is caused by wet compost and high nitrogen / ammonia levels.

The “Smellfree” compost bin uses carbon filters to dry out the waste and lower the nitrogen levels so even when you lift the lid of the bin the compost will not fume out your kitchen whilst also making it much more efficient. The bin will take between 1 and 2 weeks to fill. This is if the organic material going into the bin is chopped to a reasonable size, also making the compost process more productive.

The main body is 300mm high and with the lid its 400mm. This was set so it could be easily kept on a kitchen work surface or be cleaned in a standard dishwasher. The body can come in any colour, and even with custom print to make it more desirable to the consumer.

Designer : Joe Brunton

Text from designer :

The idea of Cook Top Vesta is to give young, busy professionals more space to prepare their food and to give them more comfortable during the cooking. Young professionals do have mostly less space in their flats. Through a maximum flexibility in job and therefore in the place of residence they live in small apartments with a little fitted kitchen. So, the working area is very limited to prepare any food. Sinks and cook tops disturbs activities like cutting vegetables or knead the dough for the cake. In some cases you don’t need sink or cook top. Cook top vesta solve this problem through a fold up in a vertical position during the not using. So, it comes to more working area and you don’t want any extra kitchen utensils, like cutting boards to put over the sink or cook top, anymore.

It also contains a scanner that can read RFID chips, which are predicted to replace barcodes on product packages. These chips could contain information about cooking times and temperatures and even recipe suggestions. So, Vesta saves space, time and provides more comfort for the Internet generation.

Designer : Matthias Pinkert

Designer : Scott Henderson

Designer : Noah Beasley

Designer : Planet3

This flash capable device displays everything from channel listings to elaborate menus, and manage the whole house – like turning on the microwave oven or dimming the lights. Also the touch screen is very roomy. The frequencies set is right and if the product company provides the required support, the device can customize graphically the interface for the product.

Though still in the conceptual mode, it might be a while before the same might seem the light of the day. But all said and done, this one device is sure going to be a hit amongst all the Lazy Gizmo Freaks!

Designer : David Chacon via TrendHunter via Dvice

This revolutionary design takes care of all the worries that one has with respect to keeping the laptop at a tidy place, because it has a tidy place that tucks in the space to keep your laptop and other stuff while your food is being served. Also you have the space that has a glass panel which looks elegant as is illuminated. The design is practical as there is space to keep paper and other documents.

The best part is that it is mounted on rollers thus can be moved around. Available in various options of wood finish like olive, wild cherry, plum and walnut and also in the classic wood range, just go ahead and choose the color as per your furniture.

Designer : Schulte Design via Trendir

This device is very slim, you can carry it anywhere, protected by a sturdy outer shell composed of a rubber and plastic resin, no worries when you accidentally drop it. Hearing and vision impaired people can get help from e-Sullivan for reading store product information and prices without any assistance. Its simple surfaces and minimal number of buttons emphasize tactile interaction for straightforward usability. The middle, ring and little fingers operate Braille input buttons, and the thumbs are used for the scrolling wheel and the mode button. Index fingers operate the scanning button. Taeho Wang, the genius designer, has created e-Sullivan concept with hope to be able to lower the wall between deaf-blind people and the world.

Designer : Taeho Wang and Seungho Chung

Toto saw this opportunity and created a portable washer than can help those Japanese to have instant cleaness when nature calls. All they have to do is push a button and the water will spray for cleaning their butt. This is kinda cool, hope it will be available around the world.

Source : Toto