DO WHAT YOU LOVE
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.
Our misfit idea is that a hybrid company can play a major role in sustainability. We’ve blended environmental science, business strategy, communication design and cultural insights. Along the way, we built a company with broad reach into and deep understanding of the sustainability space.
But beneath all the strategy, in the basement, is a core passion. Here are some of the ways it manifests...
//MANIFESTO
Every revolution needs a manifesto. Here is ours, written by our team:
- HAPPINESS. CHEKOV SAID “EVERYMAN SHOULD KEEP AN UNHAPPY MAN WITH A HAMMER IN THE CLOSET TO REMIND HIM THAT THERE ARE UNHAPPY MEN.” SAME GOES FOR BUSINESS.
- CREATIVITY. IT IS FOUND IN STRATEGY, ARCHITECTURE, WORDS, PRISONS, PRODUCT DESIGN, STREET FIGHTS AND GARBAGE PAILS.
- ROTTEN APPLES. BAD CLIENTS ARE BAD FOR THE COMPANY EVEN IF THEY PAY THEIR BILLS ON TIME. NOTHING BUILDS MORALE MORE THAN FIRING A BAD CLIENT.
- SLEEP TIGHT. GO HOME AND REST EASY KNOWING THAT YOUR ARE ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS SOLVING THE BIG PROBLEMS.
- CLOSING TIME. IF YOUR WORK IS DONE GO PLAY. BRING CLIENTS WITH YOU. THEY NEED TO PLAY TOO.
- OLD FRAMES. REFRAME ARGUMENTS TO FIT NEW SOLUTIONS.
- IRREVERENCE. IT WORKS FOR THE REVOLUTION. SAVE THE REST FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL.
- TIBOR WAS RIGHT. IT IS GOOD TO HAVE CLIENTS SMARTER THAN YOU.
- FOOL’S PROGRESS. IT IS OK TO WANDER AROUND LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
- OPEN SPACE. IT’S GOOD TO WORK AND PLAY IN.
- ON LANGUAGE. WORDS AND IMAGES CAN BE STOLEN AND USED AGAINST YOU. BE CONSTANTLY REINVENTING LANGUAGE.
- FEEL FREE. IT FEELS GOOD TO DO WORK AND NOT EXPECT TO GET ANYTHING IN RETURN.
- ON HEALTH. HEALTH CARE IS SICK CARE. TAKE MEASURES INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. GET OUT, GET ACTIVE, GET STRONG.
- ED ABBEY WAS RIGHT: GROWTH FOR THE SAKE OF GROWTH IS THE IDEOLOGY OF THE CANCER CELL. SCALE WITH PURPOSE.
//WHITE BIKES
SOAP employees got together and launched a grass-roots public bike-share program for the City of Portland, Maine in 2007. We did it to stimulate dialogue about the importance of bike friendly city planning. Employees scavenged, built, painted and maintained the bikes for our community (special thanks to the Portland Police Department for their help keeping the bikes safe). A new bike-share program is currently being commercialized.
//MORE THAN PROMOTE - COMMUNITY
Frustrated by the reliance on advertising as the sole voice and educator of sustainability, we wondered if the physical act of promotion could also be a physical act of sustainability. So we set out to design it. Along the way we asked progressive agencies and designers to take a pledge.
“Wherever and whenever possible I will develop promotion that has social significance. I will architect campaigns that have corporate, civic and cultural value.”
//PREACHY GREEN ON NBC
NBC commissioned SOAP to create on-line content for their Green is Universal week in 2009. The result was a self-referential look at how annoying working next to green colleagues can be.
//EVOLUTION OF THE SPECIES
At one point, we were obsessed with the idea of evolution - particularly the speed at which the green space was evolving around us. We asked Associates to imagine their favorite animal evolved to meet the conditions of our new earth environment. We then hired renowned natural scientist illustrator Gordon Morrison to transform these with pen and ink.
//CSR NAME GENERATOR
We built this one afternoon after becoming frustrated while poring over cookie-cutter CSR reports. It’s cheeky.
//SOAP LABS
SOAP Labs are physical, temporal and digital spaces where we innovate new strategies to advance sustainability. From associate brainstorming sessions, to paid innovation time and on-line collaborative idea forums, we encourage play and innovation as we design the next wave of strategies to meet the new challenges of our evolving world.