Here’s the link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7610492

The UK’s Paul Curtis, also known as the "Moose," and Brazil’s Alexandre Orion are taking a new approach to graffiti to convey a sense of "clean," and to inspire pedestrians to keep it that way. Their cue comes from the "Wash Me" message commonly wiped away from the back of dirty semi trucks. They call this reverse graffiti, and they create their work by removing soot, sludge, carbon from exhaust, etc., from the wall to reveal a message.

Moose generated a message in a transport tunnel that reads "Go Gently" to remind drivers of the impact their cars have on the planet. "Once you do this, you make people confront whether or not they like people cleaning walls or if they really have a problem with personal expression."

Orion created a work in a Sao Paolo transport tunnel; his is a series of skulls that also depicts the impact drivers’ emissions have on the planet. As a result of this project, the transit authority washed the wall to remove the public expression. In reaction, Orion created the same artwork on the other side of the tunnel. This resulted in the transit authority cleaning the entire tunnel on both sides. They then continued to resist the public work by cleaning every transport tunnel in the city. Not such a bad idea on all accounts.

Another artist, Edina Tokodi, recently created a work of green graffiti in Brooklyn, New York. Edina saw the idea of graffiti as an opportunity to stimulate positive green thoughts and encourage city dwellers to resurface their connection to nature. She decided to maintain the venue while changing the medium. Her work consists of moss installations adhered to the wall where spray paint might commonly be seen. Using this much less harmful medium, she creates images such as prancing animals, and uses existing imagery to create trees and objects found in nature. The beauty of this medium is that it can continue to grow. As moss receives water from the air, condensation, and rain, it continues to grow as the artwork remains fixed to its site.

Well a recent graduate of Central St Martins’ Masters Industrial Design Program, Tom Ballhatchet, decided to use the guild in a constructive way. Instead of throwing away all this stamped foam packaging from his new flat-screen TV, Tom decided to construct an entertainment stand. It makes us think of the form of these extruded or stamped packaging part, oftentimes they are the same shape and size or have nice crevices that can serve as storage. My only wish in this project is that he found a way to incorporate the gigantic box and plastic wrap.

With this trend of Zero waste design and seeing packaging as superfluous, we are beginning to see even more products out there that use their packaging in the fully constructed form. Lite2Go’s packaging doubles as the actual lampshade leaving very little waste (the label and instructions for assembly). Designed by Knoed (i.e. know no-end), Lite2go is a good example of their mission statement- “taking into consideration the full life cycle of materials going into the products they design”. The packaging/shade is made of recyclable polypropylene plastic; and the electric cord and bulb can be recycled at the appropriate centers.

The interesting thing about this design is that it is just plain practical. One doesn’t have to be an eco-conscious consumer to see this. Why create extra packaging when it is unnecessary? Although the light is marketed as a green product, it could be marketed just as a light with a fun DIY surprise.

With this trend of cutting down on emissions and waste, we need to think beyond recycling. As recycling requires energy to break materials down into a new usable source, reusing materials for a new purpose is much more energy efficient. I challenge you to get creative with your waste and repurpose some of it at least once before you get rid of it.

However, I do find the innovations in green clothing fascinating, and for that reason I plan on attending EcoNouveau this Saturday. Billed as LA’s definitive EcoLifestyle experience, the event is a precursor to LA Fashion Week, which begins October 14th.

The event will feature the Spring/Summer ’08 collection of eco-fashion designers in a non-traditional runway show (I’m really curious to find out what that means!) The show will spotlight innovative uses of organic materials and processes.

EcoNouveau will take place on September 29th at 8pm at the Architecture and Design Museum. The A+D, as it is commonly known, is an all-inclusive information and education center for design including architecture, interior design, landscape design, fashion design and product design. It is the only museum in Los Angeles where continuous exhibits of architecture and design are on view.

At the event, organic hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served, accompanied by music by Dublab and drinks provided compliments of VeeV. The suggested donation for entry is $20.

EcoNouveau is the brainchild of Rob Ganger, of Pollinator Media Group, and co-founder of The Evolver Project, an incubator that launched a print magazine (Evolver) and an online directory and media portal (evo.com). The event has two additional sponsors: Sarah Shewey, owner of Pink Cloud Events, a full-service event production and design company that specializes in eco-friendly resources, and Peter Gurnz of BOXeight, an art/media/production company.

When Amy wrote about green magazines, she mentioned GOOD as being one of her favorites. I, too, a self-described magazine junkie, am a big fan of GOOD since it’s inception last year. With all the depressing news out there on any given day, GOOD always reaffirms my faith in humanity. Its focus is, like its name implies, good stuff: those things that are making our world a little bit better, and when I’m feeling down about what’s going on around me, GOOD usually perks me up. It’s a rare magazine that doesn’t need an annual "green" issue: sustainability has been a priority since the magazine was founded.

The latest issue (Sept/Oct 07) is no exception. The issue, which commemorates their one-year anniversary, focuses on design solutions. A topic I covered a while back, green schools, gets a feature nod from Eva Steele-Saccio. Steele-Saccio highlights different schools’ efforts to reduce their footprint and become more energy efficient, and acknowledges that there are benefits beyond energy savings: "Green schools create a healthy atmosphere for learning that has measurable results. The combination of natural light, fresh air, open plans, and multi-use facilities that encourage community involvement has helped student test scores rise by 20% and reduced asthma rates by 39%."

There’s also a feature about a village in England that launched a community effort to reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral village in the U.K. GOOD’s product reviews almost always include items produced with sustainability in mind, and in this issue, they create a proposal for better CFL packaging: create a package that can be used to ship burned-out bulbs back to the producer for proper disposal. There’s also a profile of Rogan Gregory, founder of clothing company Loomstate, who was virtually responsible for bringing organic cotton to the fashion industry though his work with Loomstate, and his other two companies, Rogan and Edun

Even subscribing to GOOD can make you feel good: 100% of your $20 subscription costs goes to your choice of twelve charities, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. Good is printed on 30% recycled post-consumer paper that is EcoLogic certified, and 100% offset by projects Good is actually involved in.

The September/October issue of GOOD is on newsstands now.

The first set of experiments transforms messy power cords into functional household items: "Shelf" (image above) and "ToothHold." Depending on where the outlets are in your home (usually at a functional reaching level), you now can use this cord to have reachable necessities throughout the home. Whether you are reaching for a toothbrush or a book, your outlets are put to greater use. Thinking beyond common functionality, maybe you can even use this shelf as a seat…

The second set of experiments are nothing but aesthetic wall dressings. Their titles insinuate the additional meaning: "Grow Plug" and "Single Vase AC." These houseplant retrofits cover up tacky wall outlets while adding an element of fresh-cut or freshly-growing nature to the room.

The third, and my personal favorite, is simply titled "Off." This is a light switch hook designed so that the it only functions as a hanger when switched to the "off" position. The switch is still fully functional, but the added bonus encourages you to think about your actual lighting needs.

Designer and experimenter Scott Amron has performed and exhibited a large portfolio of functionality experiments incorporating basic principles of engineering and physics while challenging their common conceptions. One outstanding project among these is called "Brush and Rinse," which won a Best of Category award in this year’s I.D. Annual Design Review, a highly acclaimed annual design competition. Scott has a B.E. in Electrical Engineering, and is a declared freelance electrical engineer, designer, conceptual artist, inventor, and founding principal of Amron Exptl.

Check it out. His products don’t cost you your shiniest penny, and they will provide your houseguests with a challenging surprise.

The first event took place on November 16, 2005, when these guys and their buddies rolled into town with a truck bed full of sod. They identified a parking spot in a part of downtown San Francisco that was lacking any sort of public outdoor human space, put some quarters in the meter (thus renting the downtown real estate), rolled out their sod, parked a bench, and enjoyed their afternoon in the park (until the 2 hour meter ran out). They invited all passing pedestrians to enjoy a little time in the sun with them, and take a rest. “By our calculations, we provided an additional 24,000 square-foot-minutes of public open space that Wednesday afternoon,” says Rebar member.

The critical issue the members of Rebar intend to approach goes beyond the excessive amount of city surface area dedicated to private vehicles. They desire to display the paucity of public outdoor urban human habitat by way of temporarily renting this private vehicular space.

It is nice to have trees in the city to clean our air and increase our exposure to nature amongst the manmade construct, but oftentimes these small plots of earth are fenced off. Why not include a place to enter and rest your feet right next to these trees?

In its third year, Rebar’s spactacular PARK(ing) event will take place in cities all over the world. Friday Sept. 21st will be a day that no one could miss while tromping around a participating city. The Trust for Public Land is heading up National PARK(ing) day in more than a dozen U.S. cities: NYC, LA, DC, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, St. Paul, Boston, Austin, Salt Lake City, Tampa, and Miami (for more info to get involved or add you city… click). Additionally, a slew of international cities are lined up to participate on this monumental day including: London, Paris, Barcelona, Valencia, Munich, Toronto, Melbourne, and others.

So in response to this information, ReBar, myself, and our community are calling on you — artists, activists, and citizens — to temporarily take over private city parking space and turn them into ephemeral public parks. Get in touch with your local coordinator, invent your perfect mini park, and build it on September 21 along with other enthusiast worldwide…and don’t forget to invite you friends!

Remember the logic word puzzle from middle school: “Which is heavier, a ton of feathers, or a ton of lead?” Some of us answered with the obvious response: they are of the same mass. Others of us got stuck on the materials under reference. For those of you who relate to the latter, I’m here to tell you it’s ok, and there is help.

Many factoids that we hear throughout the day are hard to process and comprehend. These numbers are originally relative to the individual. Yet when multiplied by the masses, they result in dramatically long numbers that are supposed to represent our collective actions on a daily basis. We commonly hear them on the radio, on TV, and in conversation, are we really expected to have the capacity to visualize 6+ digit numbers in our head on the fly?

Photographer Chris Jordan is working hard to help us comprehend these numerical conundrums. “Running the Numbers” is his new photographic series presented to rescue us more visually-oriented folks. These “digitally stitched” images effectively depict these number problems based on our collective consumption. Since our individual experiences are incomparable to these numbers-of-the-masses, it is hard to create a mental picture of massive amounts. For example, 426,000 cell phones are disposed of in the US every day. When the majority of us dispose of one every one to two years, it becomes difficult to understand the collective numerical value. Well, if you agree with me and really love to visually understand what these numbers look like, then Chris has already decided to help you.

In this image are 426,000 cell phones, the number disposed of every year by US residents.

This image is made of 106,000 aluminum cans, the number of cans used in the US every 30 seconds.

This is what 60,000 plastic bags looks like, the number used in the US every 5 seconds.

Now grab this last image, drag it to your desktop 30 times, and open up each one next to another. This is equal to the number of plastic bags we consume in the US every minute! (For you number people, that is 1,800,000.) With this image, it is easier to imagine what this amount looks like taking up space in our designated drop spots (aka landfills), and how they might be affecting our congested ecosystem.

“If we can more deeply feel the meaning behind numbers like these,” says Jordan, “maybe that will enable us to make more conscious choices about the behaviors that lead to them.”

Chris Jordan: Photographic Arts

Is the solar energy revolution upon us? Solar Energy: Saved By the Sun, a PBS NOVA show first aired in Spring 2007, asks that question and presents a battery of solar related arguments. While light on science, the program provides a solid, basic understanding of the solar energy debate and a picture of where it is heading.

After waiting 30 years for solar to be the “next big thing”, the recent spotlight on global warming has raised the country's collective concern about how our energy is produced. In the U.S. we use natural gas, nuclear, hydrogen, and coal power, and only 1% of all energy is created through sun or wind energy. Now, that balance is shifting as we are withdrawing our reliance on fossil fuels and other non-renewable sources of power.

Solar is a $38 billion year industry and is growing rapidly. The film introduces viewers to several scenarios that show promise for its implementation at multiple scales, from residential and commercial to municipal and federal. It stops short of telling us what to do, instead providing enough information for a newbie to have a conversation about solar technology as well as a platform for further investigation. The DVD can be purchased online, or you can explore the website that accompanies the film free of charge.

Some ideas from the film and reasons to think seriously about solar power:

Amory Lovins : Eats a Banana from his Colorado GreenHouse. Photography by Ben Stechschulte

• Kramer Junction is a solar power generating plant that uses hyperbolic mirrors to heat oil, that boils water, to create steam, which turns turbines, to create energy for 150,000 homes in Los Angeles. Locating solar “farms” outside of cities, on rooftops, and in creative spaces, can equate to cities powered in large part by the sun.

• Germany has created a system of solar subsidies and guarantees the purchase of consumer energy. The result is that 30% of the country is powered by the sun. Getting solar in the national politics has led to a healthy solar manufacturing industry and the debunking of the idea that solar isn't feasible if it isn't always sunny. It isn't, especially not in Germany, but the sun still provides a significant amount of the national energy and this equates to a huge savings in fossil fuel usage and carbon emissions.

• Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute is convinced that solar can serve his energy needs, and then some. In his Denver home he has built a solarium that yields bananas, papaya, passion fruit, loquats, grapes, and tomatoes. He captures sunlight, heat, and hot water, creating an indoor tropical micro-climate. He is not trying to defeat nature he is letting solar design work for him.

• Technology such as solar film, electron conducting solar paint, and multi-junction solar panels will equate to higher efficiency and less expensive sun energy. As our collective conscience shifts toward less polluting lifestyles, our governments are beginning to subsidize the development of solar technology, just as they have with nuclear energy for half a century. Take advantage of the subsidies in your state, and take part in the solar revolution.

We wrapped up our discussion on sustainability in the design industry by summarizing the challenges facing green design and how we might handle them, and discussed new ideas for bringing about change in our field.

One of many hurdles to the graphic design industry "going green" is a lack of comprehensive resources for designers to turn to. This is slowly beginning to change as sites like Design Can Change and renourish emerge, and little by little, the list of good green design resources is growing. We discussed that there may be a lot of information out there, but much of it is difficult for designers to dive into. Resources for designers seem to work best when they come from designers, and are also well-designed and easy to understand.

There is no specific set of criteria for certification of green design businesses. Jess mentioned that she is having her business certified as sustainable locally, but that the certification process definitely isn't catered to the communications industry, and some of the criteria don't make much sense to her business. Also, such certification really isn't available on a nationwide scale; only certain local entities offer it. Another problem with certification is that, as Dani mentioned, "there isn't one set standard; every designer and every business is going to have their own set of challenges," or even their own definition of sustainability. And, as Eric B pointed out, it's difficult to define standards for green design that are measurable when we don't even seem to have an accepted definition of design within the profession.

Dani brought up a good point during our talk: "In order to actually accomplish sustainability, it's important that people have a system that they can a) commit to, and b) they can do in stages, without feeling like they have to do everything at once." The lack of a system like this is perhaps what intimidates designers when they first learn about sustainability. The topic just seems so overwhelming that many don't know where to begin. Change needs to be incremental so that sustainability is more accessible. If people can commit to just a few changes a year, they would be less likely to be overwhelmed and steady progress toward a greener design industry would be made. As Eric K said, "Perhaps we have to extend the notion that you don't have to do everything perfectly, but you really should do something."

From this discussion we moved into a novel idea of Dani's suggestion: "An action plan for sustainability. What can you commit to this year?" This would be some sort of checklist for design businesses with different tiers of commitment as they make changes. The list of changes to implement could be checked off as they are completed, and the challenge would be to make a small number of changes each year, gradually greening the business in a way that isn't overwhelming or intimidating.

The idea of action plans was well-received by the group, and we began discussing how something like it might come about and how it would create change in the design industry. Dani mentioned that there need to be a variety of choices for change because each designer has their own limitations and business dynamics. The action plan would need to be transparent and flexible enough to allow it to be adapted for each unique business. It is important to give people information and allow them to make their own choices based on their own circumstances. The system would need to be rewards based and there would need to be some way to track progress and keep people accountable to the changes they have committed to. We decided to develop this action plan idea in a future discussion, with the hopes that by making an accessible checklist for change, designers would jump on board and get involved in greening their practices.

As our chat progressed, we talked about how we define the term "green design." Dani's approach to green design focused on materials: sourcing local and sustainable paper, ink, and printing, reusing and reducing the use of materials, and just thinking about the green options available for each project. I found it difficult to define green design because it's such a broad topic, but basically it means trying to make each project as low-impact and beneficial as possible, and using the design medium to communicate messages of sustainability. Designers, as communicators, have an immense power to provoke thought and change, and that is one of the main reasons I became a designer. Jess mentioned the need to expand the definition of green design beyond materials, and to focus on processes and choices during each project.

At the end of our discussion, we summarized the challenges we face as green designers and how we may address them. Some of those challenges include educating consumers, clients, and designers about sustainable options, overcoming the intimidation factor of sustainability, removing the stereotypes associated with going green, and the American tendency to be overly competitive and see going green as some sort of contest. We need to begin by educating each other and making sustainability a focus in design education as well. Green designers need to constantly be learning and sharing what they learn about sustainability, and discussing it with their vendors and clients. This may require discussing sustainability as a business advantage and revealing how interconnected it is to success. Change happens from the bottom up and the top down, so we need to use every avenue available to educate about sustainability and bring about change.

The enthusiasm and energy we shared about green design has renewed my interest in sustainable design and my faith in the design industry. As the Green Design Dialogue participants showed me, sustainability is alive and well in my chosen field, and it will only continue to be more important. Designers are making big strides in the right direction, and the fact that we're discussing the issue and seeing so many resources pop up is a good sign. We hope to continue the Green Design Dialogues (and the action plan for sustainability idea) in the future. I want to thank each person who participated in our first discussion, and I hope other designers will catch on and join us!

Sustainability has become a buzz word in the design industry. Graphic design industry magazines such as HOW and Communication Arts are publishing articles (and even entire issues) devoted to green design regularly. Designers are starting to pay attention and change the way they work.

Sustainable and eco-conscious design has been a long time in the making, but the proliferation of web sites and resources on the subject in recent years and months shows that momentum is building. One growing resource, AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, represents, to me, a benchmark in the green design movement.

AIGA, the professional association for design, is a major force in the design industry. The fact that they have begun paying attention to green design represents a big step in the right direction. AIGA is the oldest and largest membership association for professional designers. Accordingly, designers tend to pay attention to AIGA, and hopefully to its sustainability resources.

 The Center for Sustainable Design provides a discussion forum, green design news, event information, case studies, and information on sustainability all in a well-designed, easy to digest web site. The site has grown from almost nothing to an invaluable tool for any designer concerned with sustainability. AIGA describes their mission in creating the site:

The AIGA Center for Sustainable Design is dedicated to providing designers with practical information regarding sustainable business practice. Through case studies, interviews, answers and discourse the Center will encourage and support designers as they incorporate sustainable thinking into their professional lives.

Sustainability is a growing concern for many designers. Accordingly, it will be examined from a wide range of perspectives: from the nuts and bolts of daily studio life to the larger marketplace dynamics and global concerns within which designers operate. This will be accomplished primarily through the community website, conferences and an online forum.

Currently the site has definitions of sustainability, downloads, industry news, and a great article on 11 questions to ask before you design, specify, or buy anything. You could literally spend hours on this site, which gathers many useful readings and web links in the resources section. New articles and features are being added every time I visit, so it's definitely one to bookmark and return to often. I hope that the Center can continue to serve as a comprehensive database. With the growing popularity of green design, it's good to have a solid resource to bring it all together and make sustainability the norm in the design industry.

Jimmy: I really love Leonardo DiCaprio. In addition to being a great performing artist, he is sincere in his effort to champion the world environmental cause. And not only is he an excellent spokesman, he also walks the walk even to the point of flying commercial rather than by private jets. He ranks with Ed Begley Jr. and others who live by example, and that says something to me.

Other people don't get me as excited. Now I understand that artists, entertainers and world environmental leaders have different security needs and are often bound by this, but where does the line cross between a machiavellian end justifies the means soot-belching locomotive to environmental Shangri La compared to life by example? What is sincerity and what is sophistry? And does all of this help or undermine the cause? That's the topic of our discussion.

Image source: LeonardoDicaprio.com

I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I lived in Los Angeles. Not because I like big cities, celebrities, or smog, but because the Los Angeles chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, recently held an event called CO[LA]BORATE: SEEing Green that brought together two of my favorite topics: design and sustainability.

CO[LA]BORATE: SEEing Green was held on April 19th, just in time for Earth Day. Although I wasn't there, I got the inside scoop on the event from people who were. Hopefully, events like this one will become more common as awareness of green issues spreads through the graphic design industry. AIGA is encouraging designers to get together on a local level and hold Green Design Salons such as this one, so I'm anxiously awaiting one closer to home.

According to AIGA Los Angeles, the event was a great introduction to green design and event organizers certainly practiced what they preached by making the event carbon-neutral:

AIGA Los Angeles, the professional association for design, presented Co[LA]borate SEEing Green on April 19th, 2007 at CiscoHome in Los Angeles. The event offered an opportunity for designers and other creatives to learn about new products, tools and services that are Sustainable, Environmental and Ecological. And because AIGA Los Angeles took into account the potential carbon footprint required to host and execute such an event, the organization purchased offsets from the Carbonfund, making Co[LA]borate SEEing Green carbon-free!

Phil Hamlett presents on green design practices.
Attendees experienced presentations from leaders in green design, including Joy Evans of Mohawk Fine Papers, who discussed the impact of paper manufacturing on the environment, what certification really means, and how Mohawk is future-proofing its paper production and distribution in order to protect the environment. Phil Hamlett of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design gave an insightful presentation about how to implement green design practices in your own business, while giving voice to these efforts through client branding and communication projects. Cisco Pinedo, co-founder of CiscoHome and host of the event, talked about how he was first inspired to change his manufacturing processes by using FSC certified and organic materials. His message was a passionate plea for designers to pay keen attention to the materials we use in our offices and homes so that they support sustainable practices and a healthy planet.

Those who attended also got to sample organic, local, sustainable and vegetarian food and beverages. Sustainable and well-designed products were on display, and not only was the event carbon-neutral, but attendees were encouraged to take the Metro to the event to lower their transportation impact.

Events like this one renew my hope that my industry will be part of the force that changes the world for the better. Designers are in a unique position to create change and lead the world towards sustainability, and as they realize this, there will hopefully be more discussion on green design and more designers incorporating sustainability into their practice.

I would like to thank Natasha Wang, Bonnie Powers, and others at AIGA Los Angeles for sharing photos and information with me about this event.

Links: AIGA Los Angeles, AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, SEEing Green.

When I was writing my thesis on sustainable and socially-conscious graphic design just a few years ago in college, good resources on the subject were hard to come by. Now it seems that discussion sustainability in design is cropping up everywhere, and design organizations and studios are jumping on the green bandwagon. All I can say is, it's about time!

So, why should designers and communications professionals be concerned about sustainability? First of all, because everyone should. Second, designers are responsible for a hell of a lot of paper and resource use, as many designers create printed materials every day. Third, designers are in a unique position: we are communicators, capable of informing, educating, persuading, enlightening, facilitating, and of course, selling. We have the ability to incite action, change minds, and open eyes. I couldn't think of a better group for leading the green revolution than the design community.

As designers have become more aware of environmental issues and sustainability, some great resources on green design have been developed. Sustainability is not only a popular buzzword, but a marketable selling point in a competitive marketplace. This makes a sustainable mindset even more important for designers to develop. I have gathered a few of my favorite resources on sustainable graphic design and the greening of the design industry. This is just the tip of the iceberg though, so please feel free to add your favorite green design resources!

• Renourish: this beautifully designed resource for the design community, aimed at fostering discussion of green design and educating designers. "It exists to provide the graphic designer and their clients a host of resources to practice more sustainably in their craft. It helps you understand the importance of sustainability and how practical and invigorating it can be for the creative process and, in turn, our lives." The site contains a Sustainability Toolkit, a basic introduction to sustainability and why it's important, and many case studies about sustainable design projects and green design firms.
• AIGA Center for Sustainable Design: the AIGA is one of the largest design organizations in the United States. If they're concerened about sustainability, it must be a big deal to the design industry. The new Center for Sustainable Design includes resources and discussion on design issues surrounding sustainability, as well as information on what AIGA is doing to green their organization (like installing a green roof, going carbon-neutral and conserving energy, water, and paper). The site is still growing, and so is the community discussing sustainability on it.
• Design Can Change: this site is just awesome. Chock-full of beautifully presented information on climate change, its effects, and what designer can do about it, Design Can Change strives to get designers thinking about sustainability and then acting on it. Sign the Design Can Change Pledge to get started in greening your design practice, or if you need a designer, find one who has signed the pledge and made a commitment to sustainability.
• Institute for Sustainable Communication: the ISC focuses on sustainability in communication and provides tools for designers, media professionals, and communicators. Their goal is to promote "awareness and widespread adoption of economically, socially, and environmentally sound sustainable development practices in the use of communication media." Check out their Responsible Enterprise Print program and Design for Sustainability tool.
• GreenBlue: this non-profit institute aims to transform the design of human industry, making economics sustainable and incorporating sustainable thinking into how our world is designed. It began as a nexus of projects at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), the private sustainable product and process design consultancy co-founded by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in 1995, who wrote Cradle to Cradle (a highly recommended read). GreenBlue is a little broader than graphic design, but the bigger picture thinking they exemplify is beneficial for anyone.
• Design By Nature: this is a resource forum for environmentally sustainable design, based in Australia. The site includes a thorough guide on green design practices, many examples of eco-friendly projects, and a community of designers concerned with sustainability.
• Celery's Ecological Guide to Paper: Celery, a green design firm based in Berkeley, offers sage advice on choosing sustainable paper. This guide offers definitions on paper and printing terms, a look at different green paper options, and specs on various green papers.
• The Centre for Sustainable Design: this UK-based group facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development.
• The Metropolitan Group's Tips on Sustainable Graphic Design: this list of sustainable design tips and questions to ask is offered by the Metropolitan Group's design studio.

There are many more resources where these came from, but if I listed them all, this post would end up being a novel (if it isn't already). So, please add to this list by sharing your favorite sustainable design resources!

Does anyone have information on available green adhesive materials? I'm hoping to find decent quality hot glue-gun sticks that are non-toxic and not petroleum based. In the past I have been a big fan of hot glue guns, but I always had concerns in the back of my mind about the potential danger of the vapors created when heating the sticks, and the glue off-gassing when solidified. Are regular hot glue sticks recyclable? Can the glue be recycled with cardboard when the two are bonded together? I'm not sure if the glue used in hot-glue guns is non-toxic and safe, but I haven't found information proving that it is.

If you're an artist, a designer, or even parent, you might know something here.  Drop into the forum, and share your information with SeanM. 

By reminding people that paper towels come from trees, the stickers save up to 100 pounds (about one tree's worth) of paper each year. Recently I found out that the sticker had been redesigned, and there's an interesting story behind the redesign that I thought was worth sharing.

When graphic designer Guy Peterson of Brand Boggler found out about These Come From Trees, he loved the concept, but like most designers with a critical eye, saw room for improvement in the design of the sticker. Guy wanted to do a "Random Act of Designess" by finding a cause he believed in that needed help with some aspect of design, and offering his expertise for free. His first Random Act of Designess was redesigning the sticker for These Come From Trees.

Since These Come From Trees made their concept open-source by using a Creative Commons License instead of a Copyright, they were very receptive to Guy's eye-catching redesign and began using it. I must say, the redesigned sticker is quite an improvement! It is much bolder and easier to discern the idea from far away, and illustrates the point of the sticker perfectly. This is a perfect example of graphic design's potential to have an impact and draw awareness to an issue, and a unique twist on pro-bono projects for designers.

Of course, being a critical designer myself, I have a few more suggestions for improving the stickers. First of all is making the stickers themselves from something other than laminated virgin paper. There are many sustainable paper options out there, or better yet, the stickers could be made with a treeless paper such as Yupo or Polyart - a bonus is that synthetic papers are usually waterproof and smudgeproof, so no lamination would be necessary. The materials used for any design project reflect the concept and add meaning to the design, and since the message of this project is to encourage conservation, conserving trees in the sticker materials would only add to their impact. I understand that the stickers need to be cost-effective in order to be widespread, but I encourage These Come From Trees to look into the possiblility of using tree-free or at least recycled paper. By creating a demand for such materials from sticker makers, it's also a way to change that industry.

Kudos to Guy Peterson's "Random Act of Designess" in his redesign of the These Come From Trees sticker. He proves that graphic designers can make a difference and help good causes simply by doing what they do best!

Because petroleum-based inks are usually found in home inkjet printers, the first step in greening our printing is to just do less of it. But, for graphic designers like myself, printing is a fact of life and a major part of business. Thankfully, the printing industry is developing many greener options for the ecology-minded designer.

Most people have heard of soy ink, which is ink that uses a soy oil base instead of a petroleum one. Soy takes very little water or energy to grow and since soy ink has very low levels of VOCs, it is far less polluting than traditional petroleum-based ink. Development of soy ink began in the late 1970s by the Newspaper Association of America, who sought a different way to make ink because of rising oil prices. Today, soy ink is used in many offset printing presses and newspapers. Paper printed with soy ink is easier to recycle because it comes off of the paper more easily, and the ink colors are brighter as well. Unfortunately, soy ink cannot be used in small personal printers, which is one of its major drawbacks.

It is especially important to consider sustainable printing options for a large print run, and since designers are in a position to choose paper and printing options for their clients, every effort should be made to find an eco-friendly printing solution. Many commercial printers use soy ink, and some go even further, such as Ecoprint, a printing company that prints with vegetable oil and metal-free inks on recycled paper. Ecoprint was the first carbon-neutral U.S. printing company and is truly a leader in the printing industry. They offset all of their carbon emissions and are 100% wind powered, setting an example I hope the rest of the printing industry soon follows.

Other developments in green printing include waterless printing - an offset printing process that eliminates the water or dampening system used in conventional printing. As a result, not only is water conserved, but there are many environmental benefits to this process. According to the Waterless Printing Association:

Many printers have been drawn to waterless printing because it eliminates dampening-related volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the printing process. Some VOCs have been linked to the deterioration of the earth's protective ozone layer and, consequently, to global warming. Now, with the release of water-washable inks, the waterless pressroom can be virtually VOC-free.

This revolutionary ink technology, eliminates the need for solvent-based press and blanket wash solutions, which typically account for a large portion of a printer's VOC output…. The environmental benefits of water-washable inks are far reaching. In some cases the elimination of pressroom VOCs may even result in expansion opportunities that were previously limited due to emission restrictions.

I recently discovered a company called ZINK that offers zero-ink printing. At first that almost sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true! ZINK uses special composite paper with dye crystals embedded in it, and a special printer that uses heat to activate the crystals for a long-lasting and durable printed image. This printing process is simple and involves less waste because there is no ink involved. The paper is also non-toxic and recyclable, making it a unique option for green printing.

There are many commercial printing options available, and now I am anxiously awaiting a more sustainable solution for at-home inkjet printing. Until then, we can only avoid printing as much as necessary and hope that the paperless office soon becomes a reality.

Links: EPA Evaluation of Soy Inks, Ecoprint, ZINK, Sustainable Paper Options

Art has a long history of examining society and leading to change. Many artists today have "gone green" as environmental consciousness grows. Some artists (such as Andy Goldsworthy) create art with natural materials in a natural setting, some use more traditional media to share an environmental message, and others turn trash into art. Recycling materials to create art isn't exactly new. For example, Marcel Duchamp created "Readymades" from found objects and gave them new meaning in the early 1900s. Today's artists are becoming more and more interested in creating art that not only serves as a commentary on society, but makes constructive use of society's waste as well.

One contemporary artist who turns trash into treasure was inspired by a National Geographic documentary on the trash climbers leave on Mt. Everest in attempts to lighten their loads. Jeff Clapp, a Maine artist, traveled to Nepal and brought back a load of discarded oxygen bottles left by Mt. Everest climbers. He began turning the oxygen bottles into beautiful bells, bowls, and ornaments, forming a company called Bells From Everest. He uses every part of the oxygen bottles in order to reduce waste, even using the tinsel-like strands of shaved aluminum that streams off of his lathe to create ornaments. Jeff's work has led to an increased awareness about the trash left on Everest and efforts to clean up the mountain.

In a recent AP Story on Bells from Everest, Jeff discussed his plans to do even more for Mt. Everest and the people of Nepal.

When his supply of oxygen cylinders runs out, Clapp doesn't plan to retrieve any more of them. By the time he uses them up in a few years, he'd like to return to Nepal to show locals how to create the bells to make money for themselves.

There are many artists like Jeff Clapp who are making the world a greener place through their work. Many such artists are featured on Green Museum, and online environmental art museum that showcases the work of artists who have an environmental focus. The art ranges from site-specific "earthworks" to art made from reclaimed or recycled materials.

Art can be more than just an object of beauty, it can be incorporated into the landscape itself to reshape and reclaim places for public use. Artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles turned an expired landfill into a beautiful public park that utilizes many recycled materials in Cambridge, MA. She used recycled glass bottles, rubber, and aluminum for various paths and structures on the park. She designed a landscape and planted native plants to reclaim an ugly landfill into a work of art that everyone can enjoy.

These artists and others like them inspire the world to think twice about the stuff we throw away. In every bit of "trash" we can choose to see useless waste or a wealth of creative opportunity. Sometimes, one person's trash becomes another's art!