‘UniverCity‘ might sound like an imaginary place, a conceptual model confined to the framework of academia. It is, however, the name of a very real community located in Burnaby, British Columbia. UniverCity came into being through a 1995 agreement between Simon Fraser University and the Province of British Columbia, in which forested land owned by the university was exchanged for the right to build new housing near the University campus. The 820 acres transferred from the University to the City of Burnaby became part of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area.
UniverCity recently received the 2008 National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Green Community Planning from the American Planning Association (APA). Utilizing mixed-use planning principles, the finished project will consist of several neighborhoods, each with its own town square, as well as its own school, community and childcare center, and parks. Once completed, UniverCity is expected to house 10,000 people on 200 acres.
By Olga Orda •
March 3, 2008
Photos by Chris Jordan | “Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption”
Design Goes Green - The first of a series of articles by Green Printer on the cross-section between the environment, business and the creative communications industry.
According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, used or unwanted electronics amounted to 1.9 to 2.2 million tons in 2005, with most of that ending up in landfills. We did a post earlier on the how the chemicals that seep into the soil, even decades later, can have harmful human health effects and the fact that heaps of the stuff are often left abandoned in developing countries.
By Olga Orda •
February 25, 2008
Warning: so, as the video and Oprah’s darling du jour and guerrilla closet warrior Peter Walsh so clearly outlines, our pack-rat habits are making us chubby. They can also be a barrier to us going green. Not surprising, did you notice that your lean and toned friends also tend to have pretty darn spotless, sustainability-forward and organized homes, while your plumper friends tend to lavish in “chaotic creative” spaces. Hmmm…
By Kristin Dispenza •
February 19, 2008
Sustainability Victoria, in partnership with ICLEI/Local Governments for Sustainability Oceania, has been encouraging developers to work in accordance with the ICLEI’s Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Capacity Building Program. This program promotes a ‘bottom line’ that incorporates three measures for success: environmental, social, and financial. In 2004, the City of Victoria requested proposals to redevelop a 15-acre harborfront site using the Triple Bottom Line criteria. Windmill Development Group, partnered with Vancity (Canada’s largest credit union), produced the winning proposal, and the partnership began work on the development of a new-urbanist style community called Dockside Green.
By Olga Orda •
February 6, 2008
Image source: www.futureproofnola.com.
Design Goes Green - The first of a series of articles by Green Printer on the cross-section between the environment, business and the creative communications industry.
At some point, one comes to the inevitable conclusion that in order to “green” your marketing material, one needs to take a little extra time to plan ahead and live a “slow food” version of marketing. Yes, I hear the snickers and yes, even marketing speed demons can learn a thing or two from the slow movement.
So, for all you energizer bunnies out there, here are a few tips from Montreal based Vivace Design‘ s Karine Himbeault that, incidentally, we found take 60 seconds or less to actually carry out.
By Olga Orda •
February 1, 2008
An http://www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.
When companies make the shift to reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chain, paper is one of the first – but perhaps most overlooked – ways to shed those office carbon pounds.
But the carbon, environmental and cost savings benefits of switching from virgin paper to more sustainable paper didn’t escape Sustainable Business Design - a consulting firm that provides carbon footprint, greenhouse gas audits and “The Low Carb Corporate Diet” ™ [...]
By Olga Orda •
January 25, 2008
Image source: www.inhabitat.com
Design Goes Green - The first of a series of articles by Green Printer on the cross-section between the environment, business and the creative communications industry.
Today, I caught the “story of stuff“: a 20-minute, fast-paced look at the dark underbelly of our consumption patterns. The clip exposes the links between a host of environmental and social issues while showing you the real cost of that $5 radio (metals from South Africa, 14 years olds from the Congo dropping out of school to work in factories…).
By Olga Orda •
January 16, 2008
Image Source: World Wildlife Federation - caption “15 km squared of rain forest disappears every minute”
A Design Goes Green Series by www.greenprinteronline.com.
Kevin Thompson of Rising Phoenix Design shares easy tips to green your advertising and marketing material in 2008.
Less is more.
If you’re smart, you can say a lot with very little. Thompson swears by low ink coverage for all Rising Phoenix Design printed pieces to create the sexy white space that you saw the big name ad firms use in their 2007 marketing material (the “Dear Ketel One Drinker. Can you find the subliminal message in this advertisement?” Followed by two-thirds of a page of white space ring a bell?)
By Olga Orda •
January 10, 2008
Image source: www.greenpeace.org
Design Goes Green - The first of a series of articles by Green Printer on the cross-section between the environment, business and the creative communications industry.
The market for sustainable goods and services is gigantic – an estimated $209 billion or 35 million consumers in the U.S. alone, according to a Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) study.
Think jumping on the “environmental-Armageddon-is-upon-us-we-are-doing something-about-it-hear-me-roar” business bandwagon will be easy? Think again.
By Olga Orda •
January 8, 2008
An http://www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.
LATEST in CFL Debate: No Actual Data on CFL migraine scare in The Daily Green
Conservative bloggers denounce US Congresses’ move to CFLs as a mercury health hazard and a “High Priest Al Gore of the Church of Global Warming of Modern Day Idiots (MDI)” falsity while of course, sourcing the “science” behind their claim as, what else, another conservative blogger’s opinion.
By Olga Orda •
December 27, 2007
Image source: http://blog.americanfeast.com
Strategies: Manage your supply chain
Just tip #8 of 10 tips from the Greater Vancouver’s Regional District’s “Smart Steps Strategies“
Your supply chain is made up of the companies that help your business secure materials and distribute products to the right place at the desired time in the quantities needed. The supply chain thus offers a unique and relatively easy opportunity for your firm to influence suppliers to the benefit of the environment.
