DC Velocity - December 2013

inbound

Darned if we know why, but ocean containers, the 20- and 40-foot boxes that for decades have facilitated international trade, seem to have caught the attention of artists, filmmakers, and musicians lately.

For instance, containers can be seen on the big screen in “Captain Phillips,” the slightly fictionalized thriller about the 2009 hijacking of the containership Maersk Alabama. A container also plays a role in “All Is Lost,” the Robert Redford drama about a solo sailor in the Indian Ocean. The film opens with Redford’s boat hitting a submerged ocean container. It rips a hole in the sailboat’s hull, setting off a series of life-and-death situations for the protagonist.

On a recent visit to Denver, we happened across three sculptures made of cut-up containers that had been connected to form multicolored towers. The series, called “Trade Deficit,” is by artist Joseph Riché. Riché is not the only one to use containers as an artistic medium. As a blog post by the Australian container leasing company PremierBox shows, containers have been turned into public art around the world. Check out some examples at http://premiershippingcontain-ers.com.au/shipping-container-art-on-display.html.

Then there’s the unique “concert hall” known as Container Man. Sculptor and performance artist Yin Peet of Taiwan and Viktor Lois, a “sound sculptor” from Hungary, filled a 40-foot container with mechanical musical instruments (made from such recycled items as a washing machine and a typewriter), kinetic sculptures, and a sound system. Artists and musicians can use the devices to create their own compositions. ;

Ocean containers: the new cultural icon?

It’s a fact that being “green” in warehousing and logistics not only helps the environment but also saves money, reduces waste, and boosts efficiency. But many companies are unable to devote time and resources to ferreting out energy-saving opportunities and making sure the benefits of such a program keep on coming. If that sounds like your company, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Climate Corps may be able to help.

EDF is seeking organizations with large logistics operations to host EDF Climate Corps fellows for the summer of 2014. This innovative fellowship program places top-tier graduate students at organizations to identify solutions that will help the host companies save money and energy. Over the course of 10 to 12 weeks, fellows develop specific, actionable plans to take the organization’s energy management programs to the next level. Beyond financial returns, companies gain access to hundreds of top executives and graduate students in the EDF Climate Corps Network and benefit from EDF’s sustainability expertise.

EDF Climate Corps administers the program at no cost to the host companies. The companies pay the fellow a stipend of about $15,000. Since its inception in 2006, the program has helped identify $1.3 billion in potential energy savings for host companies, and fellows have uncovered an average of $1 million in energy savings for each organization involved.

EDF Climate Corps is now accepting applications from organizations with large freight or warehousing operations to host a fellow in 2014. To learn more, visit www.edfclimate corps.org. ;

EDF wants to help
you “go green”—and
save money

Modex, the biennial trade show produced by the industry association MHI, returns for its second engagement from March 17–20, 2014, at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. According to MHI, the show will feature more than 800 exhibitors of manufacturing and assembly solutions, fulfillment and delivery solutions, and information technology (IT) solutions that support supply chain efficiency.

An educational conference will run concurrently with the show and will include 150 sessions on improving operational efficiencies in manufacturing, distribution, and the overall supply chain. The program will include keynotes by Edward H. Bastian, president of Delta Air Lines; former Walmart CEO Lee Scott; and Scott Sopher, principal with Deloitte Consulting.

In addition to sampling the extensive lineup of exhibits and educational sessions offered at Modex, attendees have the option to attend the concurrent Supply Chain & Transportation USA trade show, which will be co-located with Modex in 2014. And there’s more: The 6th Annual Georgia Logistics Summit, which requires a separate registration, will be held March 18–19, also at the Georgia World Congress Center.