|
CURRENT ISSUE
CONTESTS
FREE SUBSCRIPTION
LINKS
FREE STUFF
|
IN THIS ISSUE
Publishers Note
Letter To The Editor
Thinking Green
Special Survey
More Thinking Green
Now On GDUSA.Com
PUBLISHERS NOTE:
CANARY IN THE MINESHAFT
 Who
said that hardcore environmental activists have no sense of humor? Actually, I
think that was me. Still, credit where credit is due. In the
multimillion dollar “clean coal” advertising battle, the
coal industry has spent an estimated $45 million in the past year
promoting a technology which may ultimately prove valuable but
right now is a decade away from implementation. Responding to
the industry campaign is a new website sponsored by several
environmental groups — including the National Wildlife
Federation, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense
Council — which serves as a lighthearted rejoinder and
rebuke. The dominant visual element of thisisreality.com is an
animated canary crashing into a wall of words asserting the
shortcomings of clean coal technology. The site also features
a spoof video showing an engineer walking through the door of
a purported clean coal facility, and into an empty windswept
landscape. Not exactly 30 Rock or The Office level, but
surprisingly disarming. It’s a good example of the
Mark Twainism: “The human race has only one really
effective weapon and that is laughter.”
— Gordon Kaye
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Happy New Year. My staff and I enjoy your GDUSA Green Design
newsletter. We are always looking for ways to bring “enviro
correctness” to what we do. And your newsletter is a great
reminder and great source to further that thinking. After
learning about the reloop baskets from your article I contacted
Ruth Yoffe. Unfortunately we were not able to use the baskets to
hold our holiday gifts but we will surely use them for some
upcoming project. I have included something we did for the
holidays that I believe is in the spirit of your content. Not
just use of products but truly making an impact on how people
interact with the environment. Thanks again for the timely
and useful newsletter.
Jayne Hollerbaugh, Creative Services Director, Valpak, a
Cox Target Media Company, Largo FL
THINKING GREEN
Compostmodern Speakers
AIGA San Francisco and the AIGA’s Center for
Sustainable Design present Compostmodern 09, an annual
interdisciplinary conference for designers and business
leaders. The event explores the potential for
ecologically sustainable growth and responsible
design, focusing on real world solutions. Speakers
include Eames Demetrios of Eames Office, Saul Griffith of
Makani Power, Allan Chochinov of Core 77, California
College of the Arts Design MBA Chair Nathan Shedroff, climate
strategist Michel Gelobter, John Bielenberg and
Pam Dorr of Project M and the HERO Housing Resource
in Alabama, Emily Pilloton of Project H Design, and
Autodesk Sustainable Design Program Manager Dawn
Danby. GreenBiz editor Joel Makower is emcee. The date
is February 21. As last year, GDUSA is a media sponsor.
http://www.compostmodern.org
In The Beginning
Harper One has published the Green Bible, looking at
the “good book” through the lens of the
environment. In an effort to keep it true to its eco-conscious
motif, the book is printed in the U.S. on recycled paper
with soy ink, and has a sustainable linen cover. Publisher
Mark Tauber says the effort capitalizes on the growing
trend in Christian circles of eco-theology and creation
care. The Green Bible is filled with essays from across
the theological spectrum as a companion to the text. Anytime
the text mentions something about the environment, the
letters are printed in green.
Aveda Invested
Aveda has long been ahead of the sustainable curve. In an
event presented by the AIGA Boston and sponsored by Mohawk
Fine Papers, Chuck Bennett, Vice President of Earth and
Community Care will talk about the company’s 30 years
of environmental responsibility. Aveda is purchasing wind
power, raising awareness and funds for causes like Earth
Month and Breast Cancer Awareness, is helping sustain
economies and cultures of indigenous communities, and has
innumerable corporate and social responsibility associations
include CERES, ISO, Coop-America/Green Business Network,
SVN, BSR, Environmental Grant Makers, American Botanical
Association, Organic Trade Association, National Recycling
Coalition, and the U.S. Green Building Council. The date
is January 29.
Shore Thing
Decker Design, New York NY, designed the annual report
for New Jersey Resources, a regional energy company. As
a voice for energy independence, the company has an
innovative business model; working in conjunction with the
State of New Jersey, the program stipulates compensation
based on reaching energy conservation goals. Images of the
shore environment help underscore the firm’s
commitment to conservation.
LCD Over Plasma
With the digital television transition looming, the Natural
Resources Defense Council says that consumers should buy
LCD over plasma. According to the Council, LCD's typically
use significantly less power than a similar-sized plasma
screen. In some cases, plasma TVs use twice as much
electricity. Other environmentally responsible
suggestions: look for the Energy Star label for 30
percent greater efficiency; buy a digital-cable ready
TV since cable boxes draw power all day; and donate or
recycle old tvs to keep them out of the landfills.
Invitation To History
The official invitation to last week’s Presidential
inauguration was printed on Neenah Paper’s Classic
Crest Papers Recycled 100 Natural White. FSC certified, made
Carbon Neutral, and 100 percent postconsumer fiber, the
grade is part of the first generation of recycled and
sustainable papers being used to print significant, permanent
documents. Notes John O’Donnell, President of Neenah
Fine Paper: “We are proud to be included in such a
historic occasion... The certifications carried on the line
and its unmatched print performance are very likely what led
the Obama team to choose it for their inaugural
invitation... Yet, ironically, very few of these
invitations will ever end up being recycled due to
the significance of the inauguration of President
Obama. Knowing that these invitations will instantly
become keepsakes or souvenirs makes this even more
momentous for Neenah Paper.” The printer and
engraver is Precise Continental of Brooklyn NY.
SURVEY: SUSTAINABILITY
AS DESIGN FACTOR RISES
A new print sustainability study sponsored by
Monadnock Paper Mills and conducted by research firm Marketplace Insights
investigates designer and brand owner opinion on sustainable print
practices. The study provides feedback on such topics as the importance
of incorporating sustainable practices into projects, knowledge levels
pertaining to sustainable print and packaging, the motivations to
go green, awareness levels and perceived credibility of
environmental logos, and much more. Among the key Monadnock
study findings: 88 percent of respondents feel that
incorporating sustainable practices into projects is
important; 84 percent feel that eco-consciousness is
trending upward; and 84 percent feel that sustainability
as a design factor is increasing. The survey can be seen
and downloaded at...
http://www.mpm.com/graphicarts
MORE THINKING GREEN
Ecoflation
If packaged goods companies don’t adopt long term
sustainability measures, environmental regulation may
eat up as much as 31 percent of their profits by 2013 and
up to 47 percent by 2018. The report by A.T.
Kearney — “Rattling Supply Chains: The Effect
of Environmental Trends on Input Costs to the Fast-Moving
Consumer Goods Industry — attempts to estimate how
much certain commodities will go up and how they will
fare under certain environmental, governmental policy
and climate situations. The term of art
is “ecoflation.” Companies that can reduce
their reliance on materials like plastic or paper
through sustainability initiatives, can cut costs
when economic pressures cause price increases, says
Daniel Mahler, global leader for sustainability
practice at A.T. Kearney’s New York office.
In The Bag
What began at Willoughby Design as a holiday gift for
clients in 2007 has grown to a line of WilloBAG tote
bags as an alternative to disposable plastic bags. The
original concept was to create a Willoughby-branded,
stylish, reusable bag design. That led to a bigger
problem: no matter how great the design concepts, the
actual bags were big, bulky and awkward to
store. “Instead of thinking about just putting
another trendy graphic on a plain bag, we started
thinking about what kind of bag could function as both
a stylish accessory and be easier to store in your
car, purse, pocket or pack so you actually remember
to use it,” says Megan Semrick, vice president
of brand innovation.
http://www.willobag.storenvy.com/
Cool Toner
Six 25,000 gallon tanks have found a home in Xerox
Corporation’s toner plant in Webster NY. The
arrival of the tanks may herald an era of more energy
efficient digital printing, preparing for the
production of Ultra Low-Melt EA Toner, a product that
can cut overall power consumption of devices by as
much as 15 to 30 percent. Fusing the toner or sealing
it on the page is the most power-intensive process in
printers; in developing the Ultra Low-Melt EA
Toner, scientists at Xerox aimed to save energy by
lowering the fusing temperature. The new toner melts
at as much as 45 degrees Fahrenheit lower temperature
than the EA toner now being used in current Xerox
products. “With the new tanks, we expect the
Webster plant to start producing the Ultra Low Melt
EA Toner sometime next year,” said Edouard
Langlois, project manager for the Xerox Consumables.
Billboard Revolution
Just in time New Year’s Eve, Coca-Cola switched
to windpower for its giant Times Square billboard. Other
brands in Times Square are following suit, signing an
electrical supply agreement with ConEdison Solutions. The
collective change to wind power is estimated to
prevent 1,886 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being
released into the environment each year, the equivalent
of taking 75 cars off the road. Coke has displayed
advertising in Times Square since 1932. Last
year, PG&E unveiled the first solar-powered billboard
in the U.S. A few months earlier, billboard companies
started saying they would make more effort to be green: CBS
Outdoor, for one, said it would rid PVC from 17,000 ad
faces — 10 percent of the country’s total
highway billboard count — by the end of next year.
Clean Coal Clash
The coal industry, which fears new pollution
standards, reportedly spent nearly $45 million on
advertising in 2008 pitching “clean coal” as
an environmentally friendly fuel. Dan Weiss, who
co-authored the study on how much the coal industry spent
on advertising and lobbying for clean coal compared with
how much they spent on research, estimates that for
every $17 members of the American Coalition for Clean Coal
Energy earned in profits in 2007, they spent $1 on
researching carbon reduction technologies. Critics of
“clean coal” say the concept is ambiguous
because it involves carbon reduction technologies that
are still 10-15 years from being built for American
plants. Answering the coal industry claims is a new
website by U.S. environmental groups, including the
National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and
the Natural Resources Defense Council. The site is
pointedly names thisisreality.com
http://www.thisisreality.com
NOW ON GDUSA.COM:
AWARD WINNERS GALLERY
The winning projects showcased
in our 300-page American Graphic Design Awards Annual
are now also posted on our (exceedingly) popular
website, too. You can search for winning pieces by
Category (e.g., Annual Report, Logo, Packaging) or
Alphabetically by Design Firm/Organization.
http://www.gdusa.com/issue_2008/12_dec/
|
Five Green Ways To Grow
Your Marketing 2009
1. Choose certified paper.
2. Use ‘green’ ink.
3. Update your mailing lists.
4. Co-mail.
5. Reduce, reuse and recycle.
ChiefMarketer Report
http://chiefmarketer.com/
3 Eco-Design Trends For 2009
1. Package/Print Embrace The 3 R’s
2. Ads/Publications Go Electronic
3. Inks Get Cleaner
From T-Lux Design Studio
January 2009 Ezine
http://www.tluxdesign.com
10 Most Walkable Cities
1. San Francisco CA
2. New York NY
3. Boston MA
4. Chicago IL
5. Philadelphia PA
6. Seattle WA
7. Washington DC
8. Long Beach CA
9. Los Angeles CA
10. Portland OR
From The Daily Green Website
www.thedailygreen.com/
|
