MakeTheTea.com

For UK office workers, making tea is serious business with a political component all its own. No one wants to get stuck making the office tea every time, and that’s just the problem a new, tea-focused website helps solve.

MakeTheTea.com is a new site from UK dairy brand Cravendale that aims to facilitate the tea-making process among groups of the beverage’s fans around the world. Users of the site begin by entering their preferences for the all-important drink, including amounts of milk and sugar they like to add. (Options are also available to indicate preferences for those who prefer coffee or another beverage.) Users then invite their friends to join the site as well, forming a group of linked drinkers. Once that’s done, users need only click the “Brew Now” button and MakeTheTea.com will randomly select a brewer from among the group members to make that round of tea. Post-cuppa, users can then “rate or slate” the maker, depending on the quality of the brew.

Part viral marketing campaign, part life hack and part social network, MakeTheTea.com was launched in late April. Since then, it has facilitated the making of more than 40,000 brews around the world… Not to mention serving up an undoubtedly strong cup of goodwill for Cravendale, its maker.

Creative of the day

Photours

Much the way Urban Gentry and Insider London offer specialized urban tours catering to people with particular interests, so Photours offers lengthier trips designed specifically for budding photographers.

Founded by two professional photographers who were tired of tours that took them to wonderful places but hurried them through the sights, London-based Photours offers specialist photography holidays designed to provide inspiring views and personalized education every step of the way. Spain, Italy, Greece, Iceland and the U.K. are currently the focus of Photours’ trips,which vary in length from half-day sojourns to two-week treks. A thematic approach is used to guide participants through the subtleties of photographing within a particular context, such as taking night shots or capturing architecture and landscapes, and nightly critiques are provided at the end of each day. Photours also gives each participant a detailed workbook filled with full details of the themes used on their trip. Pricing varies with the length of the trip and the travel involved.

With travel options so numerous today, offering a customized experience with the added value of specialized education makes good sense. You can’t be all things to all people, after all—might as well pick one group and go all the way to please them. It’s also not hard to imagine a company like Canon—which already offers workshops in national parks—sponsoring something similar, or creating a branded travel business on the side. Care to pick a specialist niche of your own…? (Related: Louis Vuitton’s walking tours of Beijing, Hong Kong & Shanghai; Sightseeing on the run.)

Website: www.photours.org

Ridekicks

If mobile gaming can turn the dreary to-do list from something we should do into something we want to do, then the possibilities are surely endless for other aspects of life that could use a like-minded dose of fun and motivation. Such as ride-sharing, for instance. As if on cue, Ridekicks is a UK-based site that turns carpooling into a social game with rewards for earth-friendly driving.

Now in beta, Ridekicks aims to use fun to help change the way that people use cars. Toward that end, it awards points to users for every shared ride. Users planning a trip can post it on the site as well as promote it on their own social networks, while those hoping for a ride can search for opportunities to share. Drivers who want to charge passengers for the ride can even do so through the site; Ridekicks charges a 5 percent fee per transaction. In any case, every shared mile by either driver or passenger equates to one Ridekick point, allowing both sides of the equation to be rewarded. Points are also earned when those who share a ride put “stickers” on each other’s profiles, as well as when they complete reviews. Points are taken away, however, for those who are reviewed badly. In Foursquare-like fashion, the ultimate goal of the game is to become “The King of the Road,” or the highest-scoring participant; those who earn that title, however, only get to keep it as long as they keep sharing. There’s also the chance to become “The Hometown Hero” — the highest-scoring participant from any given city — or “Captain Planet,” the player who travels the most miles as a passenger. Ridekicks hasn’t yet decided on any reward scheme for accumulated points, but it’s open to suggestions.

Website: www.ridekicks.com

Barclays Cycle Superhighways

Transport for London is investing a record GBP 111 million this year in initiatives designed to encourage and improve bicycling in London, and a sizable chunk of that money is going toward “cycle superhighways,” or dedicated cycle lanes into central London from the outer portions of the city. Other cities are taking similar steps, of course, given the increasing popularity of bicycling; what’s particularly interesting about this initiative, however, is that Barclays is heavily involved in the effort, lending the superhighways not just its brand name but even its corporate colour.

Dubbed Barclays Cycle Superhighways, the new, Barclays-blue painted lanes are designed to provide cyclists with safer, faster and more direct journeys into the city. The new routes are clearly marked and easy to follow, thanks in part to new signs and road markings as well as information about journey times and links to other cycle routes. The first two such lanes have already launched–leading into the city from Merton and Barking, respectively–and 10 more will be introduced by 2015. In addition to reducing congestion and cutting emissions in the city, one of the goals behind the project is to increase cycling in London by 400 percent by 2025, compared with 2000 levels. Toward that end, Barclays has also branded a Cycle for Hire initiative within London, with 6,000 blue-emblazoned bicycles and 400 branded docking stations. A video on YouTube explains the cycle superhighways project in more detail.

Much the way brands using Save Your Logo can align themselves with wildlife conservation for improved karma and corporate generosity, so Barclays’ effort will forever link its brand in Londoners’ minds with bicycling and sustainability. Time to brainstorm some like-minded ideas for *your* generous brand…? (Related: Bank-sponsored bike-sharing in Canada.)

Website: tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclesuperhighways — group.barclays.com/About-us/Sponsorship/London-cycle-schemes

Super Sized Cycles

Bicycling may be a healthful and eco-minded activity for people of all shapes and sizes, but most bikes can’t support more than 225 pounds. Therein lies a problem for plus-sized consumers — and the opportunity that spurred the creation of Super Sized Cycles.

A variety of bicycles, electric bikes and tricycles are available from Vermont-based Super Sized Cycles, whose Zize brand includes models capable of supporting up to 550 pounds. Steel frames, wider tires, broad pedals and strong rims and spokes are among the features that make Zize bikes well-suited for heavier weights, as are wider, well-padded seats. All are fully guaranteed by the company; pricing begins at USD 699.

In the United States alone, roughly one-third of the adult population is now considered obese, according to the CDC. What other products can be adapted in this way — particularly for enhanced health? (Related: Club Bounce caters to the big & beautiful set.)

Website: www.supersizedcycles.com

Shimano

Much the way Sähköautot–Nyt — now known as eCars-Now — aims to facilitate the conversion of standard Toyota Corollas into electric vehicles, so Shimano has developed a kit to help convert traditional bicycles into electric ones.

The new STEPS (Shimano Total Electric Power System) component kit is designed to preserve the feeling of the traditional bike while adding the parts necessary for delivering electrical power. A 250W electric motor can take bikes up to 25km per hour, while a regenerative braking function focuses on recharging the 24V/4.0Ah lithium-ion battery, such as when riders travel downhill. The battery is removable for charging, requiring just an hour to juice up when empty, Shimano says; it can be recharged more than 3,000 times, or every day for roughly eight years. Electric switch buttons for riding mode, display mode and a light switch, meanwhile, are integrated into the 4-finger brake levers, and cables with slim 5mm plugs allow easy internal frame routing. A removable cycle computer, finally, offers a clear and quick overview of all e-bike functions, including riding mode, battery power, speed and odometer.

Pricing on the STEPS kit has not yet been announced, but it’s expected to become available in December. Bike-minded retailers around the globe: one to offer eco-minded commuters near you…? (Related: Folding electric two-wheeler offers new take on urban cycling — Lightweight electric bike targets urban commuters.)

Website: cycle.shimano-eu.com

routeRANK

Much like Getset, routeRANK is a travel search engine that figures out the best route between point A and point B by comparing rail, road and air connections. Users simply type in their starting point, destination and dates of travel, then rank the results provided by routeRANK according to price, time, CO2 emissions or means of travel. Once they’ve chosen their preferred trip, they can book the tickets directly with the relevant travel provider. They can also offset their emissions through myClimate. The free system focuses on travel within Europe but includes flight information for all major airports worldwide.

Zoombu, meanwhile, compares routes across many modes of transport to find the best door-to-door itinerary from anywhere in the UK to any destination in Europe. Once again, the free search engine finds the fastest, cheapest or most carbon-friendly end-to-end route, combining thousands of options including flights, trains, ferries, coaches, driving, car hire and airport car parking. Once they find a good one, users can book it directly with the provider. Zoombu Ski — focusing on travelling to the French Alps — is also available.

After years of focus on airfares, it’s refreshing to see travel search engines incorporating a more realistic picture of consumers’ options — including the environmental effects. That’s the US, Europe and the UK covered; one to bring to other parts of the world?

Websites: www.routerank.com — www.zoombu.co.uk

Getset

There are plenty of sites out there dedicated to helping consumers find the cheapest plane tickets for a given trip. What we hadn’t seen until recently, however, is a site that looks beyond just airfares to identify the cheapest method of travel. Sure enough, Getset is a new site that helps consumers decide whether to go by plane, bus or automobile.

Users of Canadian Getset, which is now in beta, simply enter their starting point and destination—currently, only U.S. cities with an airport and bus station are covered. Getset then calculates the costs of transportation by air, car and bus. It gets distance of travel from Google Maps, while gas mileage and price-per-gallon numbers come from the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Airline prices are provided via Kayak, and bus prices come from Greyhound. The result Getset provides free of charge to the user, then, is a bottom-line comparison on how much each method of travel will cost them.

Getset is working on adding train travel to its comparison mix; it’s also still adding cities to its list. We wouldn’t be surprised eventually to see the site factor in carbon footprint considerations as well, much the way theCarbon Diem mobile app does. Nevertheless, the premise is an interesting one, and ripe for emulation in other parts of the world.

Website: www.getsetapp.com

Airport bike assembly station

Air travel may not be the most sustainable mode of transportation, but it’s becoming increasingly easy for consumers to choose a greener ride to and from the airport. Back in 2008 we saw the Seattle-Tacoma airport begin offering free electricity for plug-in cars, and now the Portland International Airport has set up a bike assembly station.

Located on the airport’s lower terminal roadway, the new bike assembly station will enable people travelling with bicycles to more easily assemble and disassemble their bikes before and after flights. Portland is already well-known for its bicycle-friendliness, of course—it even has a bike path connecting to the airport. Accordingly, the assembly station can now be used by travellers and airport employees alike to get ready for a commute along that path, as well as by visitors to the city needing to disassemble their bike for a return flight home. As an extra service, Travel Oregon and the Port of Portland have made basic bike tools available for check-out at the airport’s State Welcome Center along with literature about bicycling resources in the region.

With many travellers visiting Oregon and southwest Washington to take advantage of bike tourism and to participate in the region’s many bicycle events, the Portland airport’s bike-friendliness makes extra good sense. Given the countless universal advantages of the bicycle, however—and the corresponding explosion in its popularity—Portland’s example is ripe for emulation in any bicycle-friendly city around the globe.

Website: www.portofportland.com