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TheLastWord
Green Idea
Don’t undo your own
energy-saving efforts
when a new brand of
cookIes and treats called
SnackWell came on the
market in the 1990s,
nutritionists discovered
something interesting:
Dieters who choose
low-fat and low-sugar
foods tend to eat more
of them—and ultimately
consume more
calories—than if they
select full-fat, full-sugar
versions.
According to an
article in the March
1 edition of Time magazine, a similar thing
happens when people start using energysaving
devices.
“Studies indicate that people who install
more energy-efficient lights lose 5% to 12%
of the expected savings by leaving them on
longer,” the article says.
Make sure you and your employees aren’t
doing similarly counterproductive things in
your facilities. As the article says, “Cutting
back on energy consumption, like dieting,
is not an excuse to gorge ourselves on less
guilty pleasures.”
No more pillows past their prime
If there’s one Item In the bedroom people thInk less often about replacIng than their mattress, it might very well be their pillow. The
Company Store, a catalog and online retailer based in Weehawken, N.J., does big business in pillows, in
part because it makes choosing one so easy.
The Company Store groups its offerings by quality (good, better, best, supreme, ultimate) and by
firmness/sleep style (soft pillows/stomach sleeper, medium pillows/back sleeper, firm pillows/side
sleeper).
It also provides consumers with tips—and a demonstration video—to help
them determine if their pillow does, in fact, need replacing. The Company Store
sums it up this way: “Ultimately, the best test is comfort. If your down pillow is
no longer soft and comfortable, it’s time for a change.” Good advice
when it comes to pillows—and mattresses.
88 | BedTimes | April 2010
Daring to fail
try as we mIght, we all face professIonal faIlure. We create a product
that no one wants to buy, we don’t have the right skill set for a
certain job or we lose a major customer to a competitor.
Wired magazine recently tackled the subject of “screwing
up.” Writer Jonah Lehrer offered these ideas for learning from
failure so you can succeed the
next time:
1Check your assumptions
“Ask yourself why this result
feels like a failure. What theory
does it contradict? Maybe the
hypothesis failed, not the
experiment.”
2Seek out the ignorant
“Talk to people who
are unfamiliar with your
experiment. Explaining
your work in simple terms
may help you see it in a new light.”
3Encourage diversity “If everyone
working on a problem speaks the
same language, then everyone has the
same set of assumptions.”
4Beware of failure-blindness “It’s
normal to filter out information that
contradicts our preconceptions. The
only way to avoid that bias is to be
aware of it.”
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