Brainstorming: Reading 01

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." Friedrich Engles

I think I am more of a clustering/webbing/mapping person when it comes to brainstorming. Once I have completed that though cubing could come in handy to gain new perspectives and insight into my flourished or dead end branches. Heuristics is a big word for asking yourself, "who, what, when, where, why, and how." These are important questions to ask in a general sense, so should be completed at the beginning of a brainstorm session.

The first topic from the six perspectives is describing. It asks you to physically describe your topic. In regards to project number one, should we describe how the logo looks now or how it should look after we design it?

Does the location of your brainstorming session make a difference? I'm sure it would make the difference if you are at a loud basketball game doing your homework compared to being in the library, but maybe being outside in nature could spark your imagination or in the actual KU Biodiesel Lab if it is possible. Just a though.

I connect with the tip to Use toys, gadgets, photography, and other items to stimulate creative thoughts and ideas. I tend to decorate my room with random family heirlooms and nick nacks. My friend commented on it saying I have so much "stuff" everywhere. I was a bit offended by his tone of voice, but realized I put those things up to keep my thinking and as inspiration. I have posters on my walls that I find myself constantly decoding the visual strategy of. It is a tool to have those things surrounding me.

KU Biodiesel Initiative

KU Biodiesel Website

The KU Biodiesel Initiative is a grassroots, student-run operation to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil generated on campus. It is our goal to meet the requirements of all KU's buses, landscaping and maintenance equipment, and power generators on campus with this renewable fuel.

With the Alternative Energy Society student group, we work to promote knowledge of sustainability and alternative fuel sources such as biodiesel to the student body and community

Questions:

Is there any way to make this product available to the public? So that the public can also use alternative fuel sources?

Is it more costly to use biodiesel rather than regular fuel? Is it more time consuming?

Observations:

Biodiesel improves air quality; it's renewable and it's creating green-collar jobs in our communities. The NBB is committed to keeping biodiesel on the cutting-edge of sustainability.

Biodiesel uses only the oil in the soybean and leaves the protein for livestock and human consumption.

The comprehensive body of biodiesel data serves to demonstrate the significant benefits of biodiesel to the environment and to public health. This will lead to increased consumer confidence and increased use of biodiesel. Since the majority of biodiesel is made from soybean oil, a promising new market is materializing for soybeans.

Ideas:

Clean. Homegrown. Renewable.