milk *an advertising agency

Ignition Switch - The Mini EV Scooter

BMW is rolling out the Mini Scooter E, a two-wheeled two-seater that can be charged at any old outlet using an on-board cable. Here's the coolest part of the Mini, though: the scooter's cockpit houses a snap-in adapter for your smartphone, which becomes the central display and control element of the scooter. In fact, the smartphone will even serve as the ignition key; snap it in, and the scooter switches on. That. Is. Cool. Check it out.

Get Cash For Your Gadgets With Gazelle

Don’t recycle your old gadgets, ReCommerce them with Gazelle, the company that pays you for your old cell phones, laptops and other gadgets. Every item you send Gazelle gets a cash offer and it even sends you a box and pays for shipping. Gazelle extends the lives of items that still have value and responsibly recycles the gadgets that don’t. It’s simple. It’s safe. It’s one of our Green picks of the year. Check it out.

We Love a Parade – Elephant Parade London

Now this is how you do a PSA. Elephant Parade is a conservation campaign that creates awareness for the endangered Asian elephant. Over 250 brightly painted life-size elephants will be spread out central London this summer, each decorated by a different artist or celebrity. Great idea. Love the effort. Bravo. Check it out.

On Target - The Bullseye Gets it Right

One of the Milk crew shopped at Target the other day and received five cents off their purchase because they used their reusable Target bag. The cashier explained that shopping bags are Target's second highest expense after labor costs. We applaud Target for turning it into an opportunity to reward and motivate its customers.

Client Spotlight - Welcome, North American Power

We're proud to welcome North American Power to our roster of clients. Based in Norwalk, North American Power is a new company that will supply Connecticut's residents and businesses with significantly lower rates on the electricity they receive from their local utilities. As the company's first agency of record MIlk will be tasked with creating its brand from scratch. This includes the logo (inset), a website that will launch in February and much, much more. So be on the lookout. And hold on to your electric bills. North American Power is coming very soon.

Electric Ladyland – Renault Zoe Z.E. Electric

Looks like French automaker Renault is going to be at the forefront of EV (see our post on Better Place below), and from what we’re seeing, the company will be a major player. Its EV concepts are as fun as they are environmentally sound – and the Zoe Z.E. is no exception. The Zoe was designed with help from cosmetics manufacturer Biotherm. The car is targeted for men and women, but we’re pretty sure the ladies will appreciate the car’s looks and spa-like features such as an AC system that helps to keep your skin hydrated and an on-board toxicity sensor that closes the car’s air vents before free radicals destroy your healthy complexion. The Zoe also has an electric diffuser built into the climate control system that can emit essential oils from Biotherm. The car can be charged quickly and the solar cells that cover the roof provide an extra charge on sunny days. Ingenious. Check it out.

Plug and Play – BRAMMO Electric Motorcycle

There are many reasons to love what’s going on with the green movement, but to us one of the coolest is the wonderful design that’s coming out of it. Being responsible and sustainable doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Take the Enertia from BRAMMO. It’s a 100% electric motorcycle and it’s everything that’s right with green design. Not only is it 100% electric, the Enertia also has no clutch or gears so it’s incredibly easy to ride. Just don’t call the Enertia an electric scooter or bike. It’s very much a motorcycle minus the intimidation factor. It starts at about $8k and because it’s green there are tax credits as well. It's the Joe Sequenzia pick of the month. Check it out.

Power Player - Better Place

Not since the short life of the Saturn EV-1 has the promise of Electric Vehicles been so promising. Auto makers around the world are working on EV models and it will be a company like Better Place that will provide the infrastructure with "a network of charge spots, switch stations and systems which optimize the driving experience and minimize environmental impact and cost." Great concept. Great site. Be sure to look for Renault's Fluence EZ Concept. It's really exciting. Check it out.

The Road to Energy Independence?

How's this for the road to OZ? Solar Roadways was just awarded $100,000 by the Department of Energy to develop solar panels that can be embedded into roads. If widely adopted, the 12-by-12 foot panels help finally solve many of our energy problems. Skeptical? With the panels, a mile-long stretch of four lane highway could remove 500 homes from the power grid. Production is a long way off, but this is very exciting. Imagine a similar technology for converting the motion of sidewalk pedestrians into energy. It's a company like Solar Roadways that will make these things reality. Check it out.

Just Be Cause – ActOfGood.org

By now you know of our work with 1000computers.org, the charity that sends used computers to schoolchildren in Africa. You can check it out here. You can also find other worthy organizations at ActOfGood.org, the site that “connects causes with the people that care about them.” The site is in BETA, so some categories like Arts & Culture are still empty, but it’s well designed, user friendly and created by people who want to make the world a better place. Check it out.