Unless a) you've never lived in a dorm room, b) your parents own Crate & Barrel, or c) you aren't old enough or haven't saved enough to have purchased "real" furniture, chances are you've got a few items from IKEA lurking in your apartment or house.
I know I've spent many an hour (OK, a day or two) surrounded by shelves, screws and Allen wrenches with no earthly idea of what to do. But I love IKEA anyway. Love it. Especially the ballroom where you leave the kids (although I think they closed that down once someone figured out that dozens of kids sneezing and slobbering all over plastic balls = major germs).
But I digress. Imagine my delight upon learning, that according to a report by CNET News, IKEA is going to invest $77 million in clean-technology start-ups within the next five years.
According to the article:
Efforts to commercialize new and affordable green technologies within several years could lead to IKEA selling the resulting products at its growing collection of stores, currently 283 in more than 30 nations. The goods reportedly would relate to energy in the form of solar panels, efficiency meters, and lighting; as well as more sustainable materials, and water treatment and conservation.
In 2007, IKEA expanded sales of pre-fab, low-income, eco-friendly housing from Sweden into the United Kingdom. Could its catalog of 9,500 products someday add flat-packed, "smart" green homes available globally?
Given IKEA's sheer reach, an aggressive focus on green technologies might reshape the furnishings industry. For instance, green-business gurus credit Wal-Mart's controversial efforts to green its shelves and practices with shifting big-box stores and shoppers' tastes toward less toxic and wasteful products.
Speaking of going solar, NDN's Green Project just released a major new paper, Solar Energy: The Case for Action, by Green Project Director Michael Moynihan. It's a great read, so check it out. Then you can head to your nearest IKEA and pick up a new Allen wrench.
