Disruptive Opportunity - The HydroPack™ An Oregon Story
by MCActionCenter | June 6, 2012 - 18:00 - 20:30
Would you know a disruptive opportunity if you saw one?
Over the past decade, Oregon has attracted global attention as a center for design and innovation, much of it deeply committed to social good. On June 6, at the Mercy Corps Action Center in Portland, you'll get to hear first-hand how our unique creative community is addressing some of the world's most pervasive humanitarian issues.
The HydroPack™ is a simple, effective way to get crucial hydration into the hands of disaster stricken populations, and it was designed and fabricated right here in Oregon. Working with materials innovator Eastman Chemical, Albany-based manufacturer HTI took advantage of a disruptive opportunity, and with extensive ethnographic design research from industrial designer Charles Austin Angell, turned a pressing need into a source of innovation. It's a story about Oregon's creative strengths, and a window into the future of design in the Pacific Northwest.
The people most responsible for the HydroPack™ will be coming together to tell that story on June 6, on a panel discussion hosted by Design Forum/PDX and moderated by Mercy Corps' Julie Mancini. Expect to hear insights on the collaborative creative process, the role of materials innovation, and the challenges of taking social action into the realm of product development.
The panel runs from 7pm to 8:30pm and includes ample time for questions from the audience. It is preceded by an informal reception from 6pm to 7pm.
This is the first in a series of discussions about disruptive opportunities organized by the Design Forum/PDX with the aim of fostering design-driven small businesses in Oregon by connecting them with creative and practical resources, and with each other.
Location:
Mercy Corps Action Center
28 SW First Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
United States
