Sustainability Lecture Organized by AIGA

Posted on March 13, 2010 by itees

On Friday, March 12, I attended a lecture with another designer. Organized by the AIGA, “Design Thinking & Sustainability w/ Chris Hacker from Johnson & Johnson” took place at the Tishman Auditorium in NYC.

Aside from the problems with their powerpoint presentation, which got quite a few chuckles from the “designer” audience, it was a presentation about the possibilities we as designers can achieve if we make the effort. It’s important to lead our clients toward “green” packaging and printing even if they think it’s going to cost more, because it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes, depending on the item and the quantity, it may not cost more, so why not give it try.

Chris Hacker, who has been Johnson & Johnson’s Chief Design Officer for the past five years has overseen the application of sustainable design thinking and practices. In addition to building a 120-person think tank, where environmentally-conscious decisions are part of the process, he, along with the the rest of his team are implementing ideas with all sorts of products.

By simply changing the overall design so the product can be reused, eliminating part of the packaging which isn’t needed, or changing the printing techniques and inks, we can reduce the amount of paper or plastic being used and when you multiply that times the amount of products sold, that’s a lot of trees saved, and less waste.

We have the power as designers to reshape the way consumers see products, and can sometimes make a change that is environmentally sound and yet consumers don’t even notice. Most consumers are into being “green” and if they realize a product has changed to help the environment, like less packaging, or they can recycle it, they’re more likely to buy it and feel good about it.

young-leaves-in-forest

From the Johnson & Johnson website about “Protecting the Environment”

“We set high standards for our operating companies in the area of environmental responsibility — striving for performance that does not merely comply with regulations but reduces our environmental impacts. We have a responsibility to take care of our planet and preserve its beauty, resources and strength for future generations.”

You can be sure with every project I work on, I’m committed to producing or printing it the “greenest” way and will work hard to convince my clients to do the same.

Revisiting Paper vs. Plastic

Posted on March 12, 2010 by itees

I remember many years ago it was heard in every supermarket and gourmet store, “paper or plastic?” But over time this doesn’t come up anymore, stores have made their choice.

Last week while shopping in Hoboken’s branch of Garden of Eden, a gourmet food market, and selecting some items from the salad bar, I was struck by the plastic containers and how wasteful this can be. Like most I don’t want to mix my soggy cole slaw with my cous cous, which means I must use a second container… and what if I want some fruit as well, that would make a third container. Now of course once I get this food home, I can recycle these containers if I choose to, but most people won’t. They also only have plastic shopping bags, not paper.

A few days ago I was in Whole Foods and once again at the salad bar, but this time I noticed lightweight cardboard containers with a glossy coating (for leakage). They are reusable and biodegradable. That along with the fact that they only have paper shopping bags has made Whole Foods a winner.

As Earth Day (4oth Anniversary) approaches on April 22, I thought I’d remind everyone to be aware of how much plastic or paper they’re using and to try not to be so wasteful. I know that I’m going to use less and if the foods mix a bit in the container, who cares?

whole-foods-salad-bar2

Many stores have designed reusable shopping bags but the problem with many of these bags are that when you’re out shopping, you remember you left it back home. This is not going to help if you cannot remember to have it with you. I found an adorable “eco-friendly” green nylon bag that folds up into a little case and it’s no bigger than a tissue package. I carry it with me in my pocket book, so it’s ready whenever I need it. I bought it at the American Folk Art Museum and I know that Save The Frogs has one also. At Frogs Are Green (my green company with Mary Jo Rhodes) we’re currently discussing one like this.

100 bloggers, 100 green books, 1 day

Posted on October 25, 2009 by itees

Here’s the idea. 100 bloggers, 100 books, 1 day!

100 bloggers each selected one book from the list created by Eco-Libris and we will each review our book on the same day, at the same time!

Started by Raz Godelnik of Eco-Libris, he’s put together a list of 100 books that are meeting the “green” criteria (recycled or FSC-certified paper), with preference for newer books, that are good for children and/or adults. We each picked the book we wanted to review (first come, first served basis) and they asked the publishers to send us a review copy. All Bloggers will publish simultaneously their book review on Tuesday, November 10, at exactly 1:00 PM EST.

I chose, “Hope and the Super Green Highway” a children’s book by Helen Moore and Louise Rouse, published by Lollypop Publishing Ltd, UK.

We’ll ask participating bloggers and publishers to tweet these posts and use any other social network they usually use to spread the word on these reviews. We’ll provide further instructions later on about the best ways to magnify the effect of your post. As soon as the posts are published, we’ll release a post with all of the links so we can all interlink, comment and actively participate in this green lit conversation.

They’ll ask all the participating bloggers and publishers to tweet posts and use any other social networks, like LinkedIn and Facebook, to spread the word on these reviews.

As soon as the 100 posts are published, Eco-Libris will release a post with all of the blog reviewer’s links, so we can all interlink, comment and actively participate in this green lit conversation.

This is a wonderful concept, bringing attention to responsible, eco-friendly printing as well as “green” topics and having us all publish at the same time, gives this the importance it demands.