Research Questions

At this point in thesis, everyone should have a good idea of the audience for whom they plan to design a product as their capstone experience at Parsons. I have already spoken with many students, either in individual meetings or group discussions. In general, there is a lot of good ideation going on, and a few people already have articulated a direction that appears likely to bear fruit. It is necessary that everyone in thesis will have a strong idea for their capstone projects very soon (one or two weeks from now).  If you have not spoken with me about your project, please sign up for a meeting by filling in your name and the time you would like to meet on this spreadsheet. you can sign up for as many slots as you would like depending upon how much time you would like to spend discussing your project. 

Here's an example of one project idea that I was especially intrigued by during last week's group meetings in 301: Gon is thinking about the predicament of people who have survived a car crash, and whose driving style has been changed by that experience. For example, she suggested that someone who has suffered whiplash might tend to drive with their head back against the headrest, because that would reduce the danger of being re-injured. But this kind of stiff-necked. immobilized driving posture could reduce one's cone of vision to the right and left, thereby making it harder to see and react to hazards like cars in adjacent lanes in highway driving. I can imagine a lot of different products coming out of this insight, and because so many people are hurt in car accidents each year (around the world), there is probably a big market out there. To make this product, Gon will have to user her powers of EMPATHY to shift her own point-of-view (temporarily) to that of a typical members of her audience. To do this, she will have to do massive amounts of design research. She will need to know (for example):

• 1. how many people are injured (but survive) car accidents in the US? In other places?
• 2. how many of them experience from whiplash?
• 3. what treatments are currently available to help them deal with the traumatic effects of whiplash?
• 4. do these people perceive that their posture while in the driver's seat changed as a result of their injury?
• 5. Is there any evidence that people who are in an accidents are more likely to get into another one? 
• 6. Are there any existing products specifically intended to help traumatized drivers get back to driving?

etc.

etc.

Everyone should be putting together lists of crucial questions like these. The next design research assignment will entail producing such a list of preliminary research questions that you need to know the answers to before proceeding to design your product. This will be due in two weeks from tomorrow, ion Nov. 15. You can choose either to post your list of questions to the blog, or you can upload it to Dropbox, in the folder labeled, Audience Research Questions. Your list can be illustrated with images, or any other media that helps explain your thinking. 

Don't forget to sign up to speak with me. if you don't sign up, I will come and find you, because it is important to me that every student in thesis be making good progress. This is a requirement, and your grade will reflect your efforts to set up enough meetings with me to ensure that you are carrying out adequate design research. 

Global issue, product scale

This year's winning project from Metropolis Magazine's Next Generation Design Prize is a product solution to a global problem that may serve as a good example for many of you.

Please take a look at this article to see how this designer has used materials and processes to create a physical product that at a certain scale of production can contribute positively to a dauntingly complex problem.

If you are passionate about an issue but do not immediately see what kind of product might come of it, do not feel that you must turn away from your interest.

It is, however, your challenge to find a context and strategy for product innovation that will allow you to impact such a problem. Breaking down the issue according to the design lenses we have spoken about may help. If this is an issue you are grappling with, let us know. I am happy to meet with anyone who is looking for a way for product design to become a strategy for change.

Hope you are all having a happy and safe Halloween weekend!

ARIA'S RESPONSES

water-themed playground in manhattan

I recently discovered this amazing playground on Pier 84, part of Hudson River Park, located where West 44 Street hits the Hudson River. This park, designed by landscape architects MKW and Assoc., is based on the idea of hydro engineering as play. Kids get to pump water, and then direct the flow of the water they pump in interesting ways. The overall concept is to give kids something fun to do that also ends up teaching them a lot and encourages them to think, not simply run to around mindlessly. I think that this kind of playing is potentially more educational than sitting in a classroom listening to the  teacher all day, and I hope to see more creative and engaging interactive activities that teach kids while also keeping them safe, so that they get exercise outdoors instead of plugging in to digital media at home. 

just as I suspected....more expensive does not = better

PATIENT MONEY

For Running Shoes, It’s Fit First and Price Last

By LESLEY ALDERMAN

Published: October 22, 2010

• RECOMMEND
• TWITTER
• E-MAIL
• SEND TO PHONE
• PRINT
• REPRINTS
• SHARE

SHARON TANENBAUM has been a serious runner for six years. The Brooklyn resident, 30, has completed three marathons and several shorter races. Each week she logs about 20 miles.

Enlarge This Image

Joshua Bright for The New York Times

Money often buys higher-quality goods, but not when it comes to running shoes, experts say. Some researchers found that some low- and midcost shoes cushioned runners' feet just as well as high-cost ones — sometimes even better.

Well

Share your thoughts on this column at the Well blog.

Go to Well »

Related

• More Articles in This Series

Her favorite trainers? A $25 pair of Champion shoes she bought at Target.

“I like running in simple shoes,” she said. “The more you pay, the more unnecessary stuff you get.”

She is right. Money often buys higher-quality goods, but not when it comes to running shoes.

Over the last three decades, running has exploded as a leisure sport. In 2009, 476,000 runners completed a marathon. In 1976, the number was just 25,000. Sales of running shoes reached a record $2.36 billion in 2009, 60 percent more than a decade earlier.

But some of those dollars may not have been well spent. In 2007, Scottish researchers tested running shoes at three price levels, ranging from $80 to $150, and found that low- and midcost shoes within the same brand cushioned runners’ feet just as well as high-cost ones — sometimes even better.

“The perception is that if you pay more, you will get better shoes,” said Rami J. Abboud, director of the Institute of Motion Analysis and Research at the University of Dundee in Scotland. “Our research did not show that.” Professor Abboud and his colleagues have just completed a similar study, as yet unpublished, with nearly identical results.

Shoe manufacturers keep adding improvements to shoes in the form of cushioning gel pods, microprocessors and so-called thrust enhancers, but these upgrades don’t seem to make runners safer. A review of current studies on running shoes published in 2009 found that there were no evidence-based studies that showed running shoes actually helped prevent injury. Indeed, injury rates have not gone down.

Fancy running shoes may even lead to injury, experts say. Some studies show that when runners don expensive running shoes that promise superior cushioning, they incur more injuries than runners using cheaper shoes.

The authors of one such study concluded that there was a “tendency in humans to be less cautious when using new devices of unknown benefit because of overly positive attitudes associated with new technology and novel devices.”

If you want to run well and run safely, consider fit first and price last. “You want a shoe that helps you maintain a balanced position,” said Mark Montgomery, manager of the JackRabbit Sports store in Union Square in New York. “A more expensive shoe is not always the solution.” With the ING New York City Marathon approaching on Nov. 7, here are some guidelines for buying the best shoe for you.

A SHOE THAT FITS If you are new to running, or have not been fitted in a few years, go first to a reputable store that specializes in running shoes. A well-trained salesperson should analyze your gait and inquire about your running habits before recommending a shoe.

At JackRabbit Sports, a salesperson typically videotapes customers running on a treadmill to figure out what type of stride they have. Pronators, those whose arches roll inward, for instance, may need a shoe with motion control, which may be a bit more expensive than neutral shoes.

That first fitting is important, because it will give you a sense of what type of shoe is best for you. Once you know, you can head down-market for the bargains.

“When I first started running, I went to a specialty store,” said Ms. Tanenbaum. “Now I can shop anywhere, even Target, because I know what works for me.”

It is wise, though, to get refitted every few years. Over time, your arches tend to fall and your feet become longer. The model or type that worked well for you in your 40s may not be the best one for you in your 50s.

SIZE IT UP What is a good fit? Buy a running shoe that is a half size or so larger than your regular shoe. There should be a thumb’s width between the tip of your big toe and the top of the shoe.

Don’t get too hung up on the official size. Sizes vary from brand to brand and model to model. Ms. Tanenbaum buys shoes that are two sizes larger than her regular shoes.

“Most shoes are mass-produced these days, with no real attention to detail or quality,” said Professor Abboud. “If you take two pairs of shoes from the same brand, you will not be guaranteed the same size shoes. It may vary by up to one size in length.”

Make sure the shoes are not too tight across the arch and that your heel is snug. They should feel comfortable right away. “The shoes should feel like they belong on your feet,” said Gordon Bakoulis, 49, a running coach in New York City who has competed in four United States Olympic Marathon Trials.

If you are planning to run a long race, spend at least two weeks breaking in your new shoes before start day.

LESS IS MORE The cheapest solution? Forgo shoes altogether and join the legions of runners who have embraced the barefoot trend.

It is not just a fad. A few studies have suggested that running barefootmight be better for your body over the, ahem, long run than running in shoes. A 2009 study found that compared to going barefoot, running shoes put more pressure on the hip, knee and anklejoints and concluded that running shoes could put athletes at greater risk for osteoarthritisof the knee. Earlier studies found that running shoes could increase the risk for plantar fasciitis and ankle sprains.

But podiatrists urge caution before running without shoes. “I tell my clients it’s great thing to try,” said Dr. Karen Langone, a sports fitness podiatrist in Southampton, N.Y. “But it’s not for everyone, and it should be gradually incorporated into your running program.”

Some people require the mechanical support that a running shoe offers. “I saw quite a few patients this summer who had developed shin splints from running barefoot,” she said.

Minimalist shoes are a good hedge for runners who favor simplicity, but who do not want to fully embrace the barefoot trend. If you want to approximate the experience, look into the Nike Free (about $85) or the Saucony Kinvara (about $90). To get even closer to the ground, try Vibram’s Five Fingers shoe ($75 to $125), which has very little support and is more akin to a water shoe than a running sneaker.

“The less you think about a shoe, the better,” said Ms. Bakoulis, the marathoner.

A version of this article appeared in print on October 23, 2010, on page 

Here is an interesting article in the Times about how subtle changes in cafeteria serving lines can influence item selection by students. This is a great example of how designers can manipulate consumers in positive ways by studying their response to specific stimuli.  By carrying out experiments, it is possible to know for sure what works.  This is design research in action, and it is quite easy to do: you just have to change one variable at a time, and see what changes. If you make all of the modifications at once, it becomes much harder to correlate causes and effects. But if you do it in a methodical way, you can be very confident that you know which change led to which result. 

Here's a link to the article in New York Times. The illustration showing all of the different design ideas is excellent (as with many graphics they do), and it has some nice meta data that you access by hovering the mouse over the little letter i's.

ECO INCENTIVES: PEER PRESSURE

Case study in Washington D.C. created a 5 cent tax and didn't offer plastic bags, forcing consumers to ask for one, making them feel guilty in front of everyone-- it created a very clear numeric change in the amount of bags given out and the number found in the Anacostia river.

WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE

french youth unemployment protests

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/world/europe/22iht-france.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=unemployment%20rates&st=cse&scp=2

France's youth unemployment rates over 20% they are protesting to not raise the retirment age so that the youth can start being employed sooner.
interesting quote:
"More than 100,000 students leave high school every year without a diploma in France. And at over 20 percent, France has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe, owing to high minimum wages and rigid labor rules that benefit those already in a job but often make it hard for graduates to find work. "

OK, I fixed the timestamp. Sorry for any confusion that caused.

testing the way the blog is reporting time of posts

has anyone been finding that the blog is reporting the time of postings incorrectly?

Update on Ice Cream Truck Jingle being outlawed in NYC

I was wrong, you can still play the ice cream truck song, but only while the truck is moving. I love Bloomberg! And I love NYT. Sprightly ditty, indeed.

Read below:

That Jingle of Mr. Softee's? It's the Sound of Compromise

• E-Mail This
• Printer-Friendly
• Reprints
• Save Article

By WINNIE HU

Published: December 14, 2005

In the war between the mayor and Mister Softee, the mayor blinked.

Laura Pedrick for The New York Times

A year and a half ago, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought to rid city streets of that staple of New York summers, the Mister Softee jingle. Howls of protest ensued. Testimony was taken from Mister Softee executives, and several city lawmakers questioned the idea. "You're going to traumatize a lot of children in this city," one proclaimed.
And in the end, the jingle prevailed.
The Bloomberg administration will allow the ice cream trucks to continue playing the sprightly ditty while trolling for young customers. But under a compromise with the City Council, the jingle must be halted when the trucks are not moving.
The administration's plan to ban the jingle was the most intriguing element of an ambitious citywide noise crackdown, which was intended to curb a wide array of everyday nuisances like blaring music, barking dogs and noisy air-conditioners.
Under a proposed agreement with the Council, the mayor's noise-control measures would largely be carried out, with a few concessions. One potentially far-reaching change to the current noise code would allow police officers and noise inspectors to use their own ears to judge excessive noise instead of relying on cumbersome meters to measure decibels.
The agreement would also impose stringent time limits on barking dogs; if they don't stop within 5 minutes late at night, or 10 minutes during the day and early evening, their owners can be cited.
Noisy sanitation trucks would be bannedfrom collecting garbage within 50 feet of a residence between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. And most construction projects would have to stop overnight, except for emergencies, public safety work or where the builder faces undue hardship like financial penalties.
The Council will take up the mayor's revisions to the noise code today at a hearing of the Environmental Protection Committee. Assistants to the mayor and the Council said yesterday that the legislation is expected to be approved when the full Council meets on Dec. 21 for the last time this year.
"There clearly has been a lot of progress, the only question is, is it enough?" said Councilman James F. Gennaro, the committee chairman. "Many people have legitimate concerns about the bill. We will find out whether those legitimate concerns have been adequately addressed."
The sudden turnaround on the noise legislation caught many council members and lobbyists by surprise. The changes had languished in the Council since January, when a contentious hearing solidified opposition among some council members, Mister Softee executives, labor unions, the construction industry and nightclub owners.
During the hearing, James Conway Jr., of the family that founded Mister Softee, acknowledged that the ice cream jingle could be annoying, adding, "But the Mister Softee song as a threat to the health and welfare of New Yorkers? I don't think so."
The noise legislation is the last major item remaining on the mayor's legislative agenda from his first term. Members of the mayor's staff have complained that it was blocked by Council SpeakerGifford Miller, a mayoral candidate who initially pledged to address the issue. These aides say that Mr. Miller was loath to hand the mayor a victory during the election campaign.
At Mr. Miller's direction, the long-stalled legislation began moving again around Thanksgiving after the Council renewed negotiations with the administration. Several council members said yesterday that Mr. Miller, who must leave office this month because of term limits, is seeking one final accomplishment.
But Robert S. Bookman, the lawyer for the New York Nightlife Association, criticized the Council for rushing through the legislation before the public had a full chance to weigh it.
"We're now on the right track," he said. "The process is starting to work. It should not be cut short. There's no midnight deadline here. No one's going to turn into a pumpkin."
Mr. Conway, the Mister Softee representative, said that he was pleased with the compromise that would allow his jingle to continue playing across the city.
He said that banning the jingle entirely would have devastated the business.
"If you're in your house and a truck drives by, maybe you hear it, maybe you don't," Mr. Conway said. "To me, this is a classic example of democracy in action."
Ed Skyler, the mayor's director of communications, said that the noise problem remained a priority for Mr. Bloomberg. "Noise is the No. 1 quality-of-life complaint in the city," he said. "And this comprehensive overhaul of the noise code would make the city more livable."
As for Mr. Softee, the city is big enough for both of them.
"The mayor always said he was open to negotiating aspects of the bill," Mr. Skyler said.

Did ANY of you know that each year 10.000 containers get lost at sea?
- AND if they were filled with LEGO Bricks we would have lost 10 billion Bricks...!

/pb

Market Research- NYC apartment overcrowding

I am interested in New York City apartment spaces, specifically the extreme cases where individuals live in 60 square foot rooms, or families of 4 are packed into a 400 square foot one bedroom apartment. Next to the image of a 60 square foot room tenant are some statistics from the are some statistics pulled from the Housing NYC: Rents, Markets, and Trends 2009 book (left)

The solutions to apartment overcrowding and organization of stuff has created a vast market of plastic storage containers, cleverly designed furniture that double as storage, D-I-Y modular shelving systems, pressurized fake walls (no damage to apartments), public storage facilities and custom closet built-ins. The solutions can range from $30 to thousands, to a monthly bill.

Target Market Research

As of now my ideas of topics to address for Capstone are still broad in the sense of context. For the Target Market Research I focused on a few that are at the top of the list. While I state the umbrella topic is PTSD, it is actually the starting off point of looking at many areas of conflict where long-term psychological traumas occur at a higher rate. As far as existing product research there are very few physical precedents beyond pills and books.

Umbrella Topic: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

RETURNING SOLDIERS FROM CONFLICT ZONES

Currently there are transition programs for soldiers. However, since 2005 the suicide rate has increased dramatically as more and more soldiers are being deployed more often and with shorter rest periods. According to General Peter Chiarelli, “79% of suicides were soldiers who had one deployment or had yet to be deployed.”

On the ninth anniversary of the Afghan War, Operation Recovery was launched by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Against the War. A lawyer in Colorado Springs started focusing on cases of criminal activity where the defendant suffers from PTSD, and argues they need to be addressed accordingly. The biggest issue is there are soldiers and veterans who are unaware they have PTSD, are not able to find sufficient help with mental health and/or are kicked out when they are found with mental health problems. In an interview with Amy Goodman, Brock McIntosh, who served in Afghanistan, answered a question pertaining to the so-called kill team in that region. He stated:

“I know that before they join the military, they weren’t killing people and collecting their bones. And I think what war does is oftentimes it sort of provides a context for otherwise good people, or people who wouldn’t do acts at that level of disgust—I think that war provides them a context to do those things. And I don’t think it’s helpful when you go through basic training and you’re being told to kill, kill, kill, without mercy, and being told that blood makes the green grass grow.”

For this particular topic I am thinking of addressing the transition period of the soldiers from war to home.

MASS RAPES IN D.R. of CONGO

It was recently announced that the villages attacked in July and August of this year received other attacks again this month. These attacks were not by the same rebels, but by government forces. Not only is PTSD prevalent, but also entire generation of behavior that is inexplicable as “cultural” as some people put it. Recently UN special envoy for sexual violence in DR Congo, Margot Wallstroem, reemphasized the horror women, children and even some men experience in this particular part of Africa. “I think that it will destroy this country, if this continues, because it will brutalize the whole society, from generation to generation, and destroy all the values, all the standards. It could cost the Congo dearly… We have already seen this in a country like Liberia. In this post-conflict nation, rape tops the list of crimes, with the same methods that we observed during the war.” I wish to focus particularly on the psychological and societal affects of conflict. These can be seen in places from the Democratic-Republic of Congo to Afghanistan. Looking at rape on a global scale, an astounding statistic came out that can best be summarized by this awareness campaign:

In this particular case, I would like to address the survivors and uprooted communities in a way that helps regain control over the resource rich lands, protect themselves from atrocious crimes and raise awareness to industries and countries who are inadvertently funding criminal activity by purchasing resources.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON RESERVATIONS

1 out of 3 women living on a Native American reservation will be sexually assaulted according to a report by Vanguard’s Mariana van Zeller. Violence and rape occurring on reservations often go unreported or not addressed in the open. While there are programs and attempts made to change the repetitious nature of these crimes, it is difficult with the economic hardships experienced by the communities and municipalities.

OTHER TOPICS

These are the other topics I looked at over the summer and recently, but have thrown them to the back of the list. There is more extensive research on most of them. However, to spare the reading time I am listing them by title only:

SRI LANKA and the TAMIL TIGERS

9/11 PTSD EXPERIENCED BY WITNESSES and NYC

MEXICAN DRUG WAR & GANG VIOLENCE

PHYSICAL ACCIDENTS (i.e. car, surgery)

KIDNAPPINGS (general & related to drug gang violence and conflict zones)

ISRAEL & PALASTINE (the lack of access to supplies, Gaza Flotilla)

ABUSE IN THE MIDDLE EAST OF IMMIGRANT LABOR (particularly of Asian women who are maids in rich houses)

DYNAMICS OF CHINESE WORKERS IN AFRICA (particularly in Angola and how it affects both locals and Chinese)

DRUG RELATED PROSTITUTION IN NYC

For sources, please see sheu_christine_market_research.doc in the Dropbox.

Devices that Displays

Gabriela Ravassa- Market Research

Bed Bugs: the modern day plague; Thesis project, zane murray

In New York city alone, the number of reported bedbug infestations in rental housing units rose more then 240% from 2006-2009. Bedbugs have become one of the worst health & pest problems in the last hundred years, causing physical and emotional damage to those affected. Every major city in the US has seen a significate rise in infestation rates and a continuing problem that seems to have no foreseeable end given current methods to combat this epidemic.

Several main causes have contributed to the significant rise in bedbug populations, beginning with the ban of DDT pesticides in 1972 (which so far has proven to be the only 100% effective means of extermination) Previous use of DDT as a pesticide against bedbugs had nearly completely wiped out bedbug populations, after its ban populations began to rise once again (whether from surviving bedbugs in the US, or imigration of tropical speices of bedbugs via hitch-hiking with foreign travelers).
In the last 10 years populations of bedbugs have grown so large many US cities have petitioned the Federal government to allow the use of DDT to exterminate the species once and for all.
In a report commisioned by the city of New York in 2009, the main factors of the spread of infestation are as follows:

lack of public awareness and knowledge
the density of multi-unit buildings and living spaces
inadequate access to and unaffordability of quality pest control services and resources
varying standards of preperation and treatment
the current limitations of the materials and methods for bed bug control
a lack of efficent procedures to resolve landlord/tenant disputes in an equitable way.

From an etemological point of view, bedbugs are one of the most efficent and well 'designed' animals on the planet.
Intelligent, adaptable, and tenatious, Bed Bugs are a resilent and hardy pest, they are:
able to live for up to one year without feeding
are able to hibernate for even longer periods of time
capable of production 500 eggs per years
are small, slim and physically tough, able to hide easily and avoid exterimation or notice
adapt or overcome most pesticides within a few surviving generations

Current market analysis shows a variety of do it your self extermination methods, as well as professional services. On average a professional exterminator may cost anywhere between 600-20,000 dollars, while DIY methods range from 20-500 dollars on average. Current DIY methods involve both aggressive and passive techniques, from mattress protectors to pesticide sprays.

Many major universities such as Cornell and Ohio State currently have entire chemistry and biology departments devoted to the bedbug epidemic. Little research has been done from a design perspective to combat the Bed Bug problem. This is where my thesis is focused to approach the Bed Bug infestion issue from a product designers point of view.

Major stakeholders involved in the Bed Bug issue are cities and government agencies; owners and landlords; renters; business and retail (several large stores have recent had to shut down for a period of time in NYC due to infestions); travel hubs and means; hotels and public housing; universites and dorms; private citizens.

A few of the main areas I am focusing on at this point are:

To create an effective and low cost methods to combat bed bugs (a significate amount of reported infestations have occured in low income housing areas, where though reported, tenants are not able to afford pest control and continue to live with an active infestation; there by enabling the spread of bedbugs)

To design a more effective means of awarness and knowledge (many who are infested do not know they are, or do not report it out of embarresment or lack of resources to contact)

To look at the large picture in relation to design (product design, business management, social services, etc)

Zane Murray

Market research - Shipping

Goal:

Today shipping by sea is the most common and used method of shipping. It is also a pollution problem that a lot of the general public ignores.

Shipping exist in different forms, this research has focus on bulk carriers, container ships and tankers. The research also consists of basic technologies that could provide a solution to lowering the amount of toxic that today’s transportation “contributes”.

Containers:

In 2005 the US alone handled over 45 million imports and exports. New York and New Jersey handled 5.1 million of them.[1]

Today the two most used containers is 20 feet (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) and 40 feet (2 x Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). TEU.[2]

ISO made containers standard sizes back in 1961.

In 2001 the amount of containers shipped a year is over 100 million. 10.000 of those get lost at sea by flying overboard.[3]

Container ships:

Currently worldwide the number of containerships reaches 4700 units.

The diagram above indicates shipping companies and the amount of containers they imported and exported from the United States. [4] The number one carrier is a Danish company based in Copenhagen.

Tankers:

“As of 2005, the United States Maritime Administration's statistics count 4,024 tankers … world wide”[5]

Current action:

A study by Energy Futures predicts that by 2020 the container business is going to be doubled and they gives suggestions to where the situation should be improved. Their research explains the need for alternative fuels and port clean up.

“On March 26, 2010, the IMO officially designated waters off North American coasts as an area in which stringent international emission standards will apply to ships. These standards will dramatically reduce air pollution from ships and deliver substantial air quality and public health benefits that extend hundreds of miles inland.

In 2020, EPA expects emissions from ships operating in the designated area to be reduced by 320,000 tons for NOx, 90,000 tons for PM2.5, and 920,000 tons for SOx, which is 23 percent, 74 percent, and 86 percent, respectively, below predicted levels in 2020 absent the ECA.

In practice, implementation of the ECA means that ships entering the designated area would need to use compliant fuel for the duration of their voyage that is within that area, including time in port as well as voyages whose routes pass through the area without calling on a port. The quality of fuel that complies with the ECA standard will change over time. From the effective date in 2012 until 2015, fuel used by all vessels operating in designated areas cannot exceed 1.0 percent sulfur (10,000 ppm). Beginning in 2015, fuel used by vessels operating in these areas cannot exceed 0.1 percent sulfur (1,000 ppm). Beginning in 2016, NOx aftertreatment requirements become applicable.”[6]

Possible green technologies:

Konarka

- Company started in 2001. Has a factory in Massachusetts.

- Contact:

- http://www.konarka.com/index.php/contact/thank-you/

Konarka is recognized throughout the world as a leader in Organic Photovoltaic technology – a 3rd generation solar technology that is rapidly emerging to compete with silicon based 1st and 2nd generation solar technologies.[7] Their product is thin, lightweight and flexible.

Nanosolar

- Small company from 2002.

- Located in San Jose, California.

Nanosolar produces solar cells that are lightweight, bendable, easily interconnected, easily adjusted in size, and capable of supporting up to 25 Amps of current per cell. These are each attributes that lend themselves to creating products with unique advantages and benefits and delivering application-specific customer value.[8]

---

[1] U.S. Container Ports and Air Pollution: A Perfect Storm.

[2] http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/containers

[3] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0619_seacargo.html

[4] How container ships changed the world. By Brian J. Cudahy

[5] Office of Data and Economic Analysis (July 2006). World Merchant Fleet 2001–2005.pdf

[6] http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oceanvessels.htm

[7] http://www.konarka.com/index.php/technology/our-technology/

[8] http://www.nanosolar.com/technology/technology-platform