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.

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.

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?

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.

Mission from Earth Hour:

“On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America. View the toolkits, to find out what else you can do to get involved including leading the Earth Hour movement in your community.”

Earth Hour has captured the world’s imagination for the past three years, and in 2009 nearly one billion people turned out their lights from 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Check out this wonderful Video:

Dear President Barack Obama,

When I first followed you, the Illinois State Senator, you were about to give a speech at the 2004 democratic convention. I listened to your hopeful, inspiring message and knew then, you’d aspire to great things. I had a feeling then that if anyone could sail this ship through tough waters it would be you.

Now you’re the President of the United States. I’m proud to say that I voted for you, and I couldn’t be prouder of my fellow citizens for changing the course of history. But the people our country are suffering now, and you need to listen closely to small business owners like myself.

2009 was the worst year I’ve had so far since establishing my business 16 years ago and it’s now March of 2010 and it is starting to look even worse than 2009. I suffered but managed to climb back even after September 11th, and this is worse than the months that followed that attack to our nation and my neighborhood. I wasn’t sure that I would survive then, and I’m not sure I can survive now.

The banks are tight with lending, the credit lines are running slim, and the job prospects are few and far between.

If I’m just one, in many small businesses, how are we going to survive? What can you do to help me?

I hope that you will do all that I hoped for when I voted for you, which is CHANGE Washington D.C! If you cannot get the republicans to agree, then you have the majority, so just get us what we need. Pass health care reform, help small businesses all that you can. Get the banks to open the channels of lending till we get this economy moving again. We’re waiting and hoping…

Susan

I’m wondering if the “designer” is lazy and not interested in converting the images or just doesn’t know any better. The reason I’ve put the word “designer” in quotes is because perhaps the person building the InDesign file is just an office worker or someone who learned the InDesign and Photoshop programs, but just doesn’t know what’s correct.

So, my first question is, when the files are sent to the printer, does the printer contact the “designer” and say some of the images are in the wrong format, or is he lazy also, and just prints the document.

If you’re going to print something, a jpg or gif file is the wrong format and probably the wrong resolution as well. One of the reasons people may send jpgs or gifs or even pdfs is because they are perfect for emailing and posting on a website, but they must be converted once received, not only into a print format (cmyk) but the resolution must be correct (300 dpi or higher in some cases).

Below is a little chart to follow just for formatting imagery: