Boom Boom Cards, Oat Shoes, and Greenvans

Another round of three companies doing their part to change the world! In the first case, quite literally…

Boom Boom Cards

Boom Boom Cards, a pack of 26. (src)

They bill these cards as “Boom Boom Cards,” saying “be kind, track it online” and use the slogan “change the world in four easy steps.” How does it work? 1) You pick a card (any card), 2) you “commit a radical act of guerilla goodness,” 3) you recruit someone else to join in by giving them the card, and 4) each time someone performs the action, they’re encouraged to track it on boomboomcards.com. What kind of actions are we talking about? All kinds of stuff:

Green Card 3: Stop. Bend over. Pick up that piece of trash you’re about to walk by. Repeat.
Family Card 10: Choose a night to turn off the computers, TVs and cell phones and spend the night as a family with out interruption.
Original Card 19: The next time you see the need, speak up for what is right.

There’s a slew of other cards that really run the gamut when it comes to “revolutionary” topics – in fact each card contains its own “revolutionize it!” text to further spread your goodness. The stream of “boom booms” on the website is pretty neat – people from all over the world “checking in” with their acts of goodness. Better than checking in at a coffee shop to say you just bought a latte, anyway.

Oat Shoes: The Virgin Collection

Shoe -> Tree (src)

Typically, when your shoes are too worn out to be worn anymore, you throw ‘em away. Sure, you could use them as shoes to paint in, garden in, donate them Goodwill (but with giant holes and no soles, they’ll probably just toss them)…but sometimes shoes are just so wrecked that they aren’t good for much else. And stripping off the cloth, rubber, and other materials to recycle is a pain. Enter OAT Shoes and their “Virgin Collection.” These shoes will biodegrade…and sprout trees. Color me skeptical, but business blog PSFK gives a bit of background:

At Amsterdam’s International Fashion Week, OAT shoes presented its “Virgin Collection,” a line of bio-degradable shoes that can be planted in the ground to sprout trees. Its materials break down easily and the seeds are embedded somewhere inside the design. The concept was well-received and won second prize at the Green Fashion competition.

Good for them! I’d love to see some kind of video about this process, but until then you can visit OAT’s website and await the release.

Greenvans

Powered by veggie oil! (or bio-diesel) (src)

As a guy in a band, I know firsthand the perils of having a unreliable tour vehicle. But beyond that, bands often have convoluted routing with hundreds of extra miles driven per tour. This adds up, both in gas as well as in emissions. Greenvans sought a solution: a van rental company that licenses vehicles powered exclusively by wasted vegetable oil (WVO) and bio-diesel.

While the rental may be expensive, you make it up for it in sourcing the “gas” – WVO tends to average to about $1/gallon, with vans getting upwards of 20 mpg towing a loaded trailer (hauling gear, merch, and of course the WVO!). That ain’t bad, folks. The process of refueling and locating the WVO is described on this page. Right now they’re based out of Boston, but can “deliver” the vans all over the States.

If you know of a company making a difference and would like me to feature it on the blog, tell me about it! Click on “contact” above or leave a comment.