Earth Equity News

Designer Philippe Starck's Invisible Roof Windmill… for Starters. By Alice Rawsthorn, NYTimes, August 6, 2008. "The first of [world-famous product designer Philippe Starck's] so-called Democratic Ecology products… to be introduced in Europe this fall, and in the U.S. early next year... is a miniature rooftop wind turbine, priced between $780 and $1,250, which Mr. Starck said can produce up to 80% of a home's energy… There are sound reasons for taking [this particular]… product seriously. One is that it's deftly designed, not least because the blades are made of transparent plastic, and are virtually invisible on the roof. Another is that it's designed by him, and Mr. Starck has been so successful at persuading people to buy visually seductive but slightly silly objects -- plastic Louis XV chairs, lamps with gun-shaped bases, garden gnome stools and so on -- that he may well be able to do the same for something that is actually useful."