A number of issues preoccupy me these days. And my hearing and sustainability rank highly on that long list. So when this Happy Ears Kickstarter landed in the press@ inbox, It grabbed my attention.
To explain — after denying it for far too long, I’ve been diagnosed with partial hearing loss to the point of needing hearing aids just to hold a conversation without endless pardons and sorrys. It’s largely hereditary — thanks Dad — but I cannot help but think that my chosen pastime and career path may well have contributed to this premature diminishment of my built-in aural capacity.
Recycling has been a hot topic for me for many years too. Both myself and my better half have worked in the packaging industry, and it has irked us both just how much stuff is produced that essentially ends up as landfill. Things are better than they were at that time, but there’s a very long way to go.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/happyears/happy-ears-recycled-an-earplug-for-the-21st-century
Enter Happy Ears. They’ve been making reusable earplugs for a while now, but have launched a new product — earplugs made from recycled materials. It’s currently on Kickstarter for 10 more days, and although having reached the modest target, it could definitely do with a little more love, especially from the DJ community that’s plagued by damaged hearing.
There’s nothing I don’t like about this launch. The Happy Ears brand is gorgeous, and the reviews reveal it to definitely be style and substance. And now sustainability too.
The challenges of making such a product are many. For example, existing Happy Ears plugs are made from a translucent material. But to adopt a recycled approach means taking source material and doing as little as possible to it to make it suitable for plugging into your ears. As they say, they could have added colour to the product to make it prettier, but that takes away from the ethos of the product.
I’m also happy to see that this stretches to other parts of the package too. These are designed so that you don’t have to keep replacing parts to keep them going. You buy once, and use them until you can’t. Also the paper they come in is not only recyclable but also compostable. It’s these small details that add up to make a better product.
LISTEN UP
Given the state of my own hearing, I would urge people in the strongest possible terms to do everything possible to take care of their own hearing, and if possible do it by supporting products that look after the planet too. You’ve still got 9 days to get in on the crowdfunding Kickstarter action.
Good work Happy Ears.
I’ve got Alpine earplugs in a Travelbox on my keyring. Where I go, they go.
I also keep my earplugs on my keyring in a pill container keychain. I haven’t lost my custom molded plugs in 5 years.
This is a support worthy approach but since I also (used to) work at concerts I already have my custom earplugs that costed me 150€ but should be worth to anyone who gives a damn about his/her ears and is exposed to loud environments on a regular basis.
If DJing was a „proper job“ in terms of having some guided schooling and practice before left out into the wild, the function of the human ear should be a mandatory part of it and how loud noises over a longer period of time will damage it. Not just for your own sake but also for all people attending the event you’re working at.
As you mentioned your former job and as it coincidentally just rang at the door this just came in. I have taken pictures of all examples recently and collecting them for whatever reason might come up to mention this. Makes me kind of angry… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/92ab8eee18134a0406a34521114151017e1400185af67999250cffdaf572808e.jpg
I actually backed this in the end…