3-D Printing Homes: Mexico or Mars!

It's amazing to think that 3D homes are being built for poverty stricken areas like Mexico, while the same technology is being used to build habitats for life on Mars. Two models that exist simultaneously, use the same technology, and have diametrically opposed outcomes: one to stay on the Earth and make it affordable and habitable, and the other to leave the earth and make another planet habitable, and it's highly doubtful that model will be affordable to most.NASA has been working with companies for several years on developing the technology to create sustainable homes for Mars. A recent article by Business Insider, reports that NASA is seeking volunteers to spend a year living in these homes pretending that they are on Mars.In San Francisco, the organization New Story is focused on providing housing solutions to those in extreme poverty. They claim they have built the world's first community of 3-D homes and have developed a micro-mortgage model to help finance them.One question that arises when considering the materials being used is whether or not these homes are sustainable and eco-friendly or are we adding to the waste stream on Earth and about to bring our bad habits to Mars? One article from a 3-D Building company, Build with Rise, states that by limiting construction waste and material transportation costs, 3-D printers drastically reduce the carbon footprint associated with building homes. If you companies use sustainable and renewable materials, the effect on the environment will be event better.Many feel the era of 3-D printing has arrived. As time goes on and printing methods are perfected, it will be interesting to see which model dominates. Will we use the technology to save our existing planet and populations, or use it to make an exit from our dying planet to somewhere new?Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/business/3D-printing-homes.htmlhttps://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-martian-habitat-icon-3d-printed-space-texas-2021-8https://www.iconbuild.com/updates/icon-3d-prints-the-first-simulated-mars-surface-habitat-for-nasahttps://thespaces.com/ai-space-factory-designs-homes-for-planet-mars/https://www.buildwithrise.com/stories/3d-printed-homes-sustainable-alternative

Making Sustainability the Focus

Creating user experiences with augmented reality will soon be as ubiquitous among graphic designers as creating a business card. It's inspiring to see work from other designers doing similar things."Medusa" is an installation created by Tin Drum in collaboration with famed Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. The installation looks at the relationship between nature and art and evokes a similar experience to augmented reality.The installation is one example of the designers featured in the 19th edition of the London Design Festival. Other work showcases the work of students from the Royal College of Art who were charged with using single-use plastic to create new materials and resulted in a collection of handcrafted items that champion waste as a creative resource.The festival also features vibrant murals and artwork installed in communities throughout London that represent the diversity of people living there and celebrates multiculturalism.Climate change, sustainability, and multiculturalism are moving to the forefront in many  conversations. Graphic designers can support these efforts by looking for opportunities where they can help spread the message.

Sustainable Digital Design

"If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest polluter."Let's face it, ephemera is the mainstay of graphic design. We make a living designing things that are meant to capture the viewer's immediate attention. In the process there's often a bit of excess. In the print world, this can result in litter on the landscape — think of all the post election signs, billboards, flyers, etc. In the digital realm, it takes the form of how much power is being used for data centers, telecom networks, and end user devices.UX and UI designers can work with their clients to set page weight budgets and limit the size on files that are transferred as a web page loads. This includes paying attention to the size of assets and minimizing the number of custom fonts used and limiting the use of video and animation. Designing in dark mode lowers the drain on batteries. Not only will this require less power, it's a win-win as it will create a smoother user experience.Designers can help make a difference and sign up to do so by taking the pledge and signing the Sustainable Web Manifesto.The manifesto calls upon designers to do the following:

• use services that are powered by renewable energy and use the least amount of energy and material resources as possible.
• use products and services that are accessible and allow for the open exchange of information and allow users to control their data.
• avoid dark patterns when designing
• design products and services that are regenerative and resilient

Designers need to respond to the needs of their clients, however, they can do it responsibly and educate them on the benefits of designing sustainably in the process.https://uxdesign.cc/essentials-for-designing-sustainable-digital-experiences-85563fab928https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-carbon-footprint

The Power of Advertising

When times get tough, advertising is often the first budget to be cut. However, a quick look at history offers a different point of view and how powerful it can be.After World War II advertising played a huge role in establishing single use plastic. Advertising from this era convinced people how inconvenient returning glass was all while manufacturers of plastic worked hard to make it thinner and more fragile, establishing our firm and unshakable relationship with the disposable. As Odile Madden, a conservation scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute states, “We were trained to buy this stuff, these identical, multiple objects that are meant to be used for a short period of time and then replaced with an identical one ― and that took cultural training."Looking further into this topic reveals more contributors to the cycle. The anti-littering campaigns that followed were started by a consortium of industry groups who wanted to divert people's attention away from legislation to control industrial polluters, much bigger culprits than American consumers. The "Keep America Beautiful" campaign shifted the focus away from production on a grand scale, to consumers, who were a much smaller part of the problem.In recent years, the United Nations has put forth 17 Sustainable Development Goals. #14 is "Life Below Water" with the mission of conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. One of the positive implications of COVID-19 has been the drastic reduction in human activity, providing a chance for our oceans to recuperate.Graphic designers working in advertising may not be as powerful as the industries they work for, however, they should be aware of the role they play and question what they are being asked to do. The messages they create can pack a powerful punch, both for and against our environment. June 8 has been designated World Oceans Day. Let's create messages that celebrate our oceans and call for their preservation and use advertising to help heal our planet, rather than destroy it.Sources:https://sdgs.un.org/goalshttps://www.marketingsociety.com/the-clubroom/rethinking-role-plastic-and-marketinghttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/origins-anti-litter-campaigns/https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2017/10/26/a-beautiful-if-evil-strategyhttps://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-top-10-most-dangerous-ads/http://www.technomarketinginc.com/marketing-budgets-cut/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vintage-ads-plastic_n_5cdb1768e4b01e9bd3540ffa

Celebrating Earth Day and Students as Citizen Designers

Graphic Design students are tasked with learning about color, typography, space, and form. It's a bonus when projects can include issues of global citizenship and environmental awareness.Students at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York worked with students at Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa through COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) this semester to learn about environmental issues in each other's local communities before COVID19 closed down both of their campuses.Michael Gruia and Marcela Daloia's topic was Spekboom, a carbon miracle worker indigenous to South Africa that is more effective in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the Amazon rainforest. The local community in South Africa is taking matters into their own hands and planting as much as possible. They asked Rockland Community College students to help spread the word.You can learn more about Spekboom here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200203-the-south-african-plant-fighting-climate-changePlease let us know if you have a student project that can help spread environmental awareness.

Do the Green Thing

As scientists issue dire warnings about the state of our planet, designers across the globe are working to "Do the Green Thing."Pictured above is street art created by Portuguese artist Bordalo II who uses everything from burnt aluminum cans and old appliances to scrap wood and old tires to create life-like animal figures. In the process, he keeps this material from ending up on the streets, in the oceans, and in landfills.Other initiatives include work by photographer Benjamin Von Wong who works on issues of social responsibility and sustainability. One recent project by Von Wong is to call attention to e-waste and the fact that less than 15 percent of electronics and circuitry that we throw away each year is recycled into new products. Von Wong strives to shed light on this disturbing statistic through his elaborate hyper-realistic visual style.Founded more than 10 years ago by Andy Hobsbawm and Pentagram partner Naresh Ramchandani, "Do the Green Thing" is a public service for the planet that uses creativity to tackle climate change. They've spent the last decade making films, posters, podcasts, and products to inspire more than 45 million people to live more sustainably.As we celebrate another Earth Day, take inspiration from these photographers, artists, and designers and think about ways that you can "Do the Green Thing."http://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/6-designers-who-use-waste-inspiration-new-productshttp://99u.adobe.com/articles/58984/pentagrams-naresh-ramchandani-do-the-green-thing

Do the Green Thing

Do the Green Thing is an organization dedicated to making films, posters, walkcasts, and everyday things to inspire people to live more sustainably.Working with a collection of creatives from around the globe, Do the Green Thing publishes every couple of months on topics that affect our everyday lives.Last October they took on the cosmetics industry and how the elevation of global beauty standards and harmful psychological effects involving self-image, there has been little debate about how our pursuit of beauty affects the environment. Besides the overconsumption and waste generated by the cumulative use over time, there are also the ingredients themselves. Microbeads that bypass filtration systems are ending up in the sea. Preservatives in moisturizers have been linked to genetic mutations in frogs. In addition to offering facts, the article discusses the differences between generations of consumers and solutions.This year as we celebrate Earth Day, do the green thing, and sign up to get their latest issue.Sources:http://dothegreenthing.com/issue-4http://www.designindaba.com/news-features/showcases/do-green-thing-creativity-vs-climate-change

Incorporating Earth Day into our every day practice

Happy Earth Day 2016! As scientists offer dire predictions of doom due to global warming, it’s inspiring to see how some global citizens are making changes.Whether it’s incorporating projects to raise awareness and inform into the classroom or applauding companies who are adopting green practices, there are a multitude of things we can do.Ikea has been accused of planned obsolescence in creating products; they've made a step in the right direction in their plans to use packaging made from mushrooms that will decompose in weeks.Tátil Design has made strides in bringing environmentally friendly designs and designs inspired by nature to Brazil. Creative director and founder Fred Gelli brought his background in biomimicry to the firm and has established a practice focused on sustainable design.Photographer Michael Ciaglo photographed the devastating side effects of recycling e-waste and the injuries like burns, lung problems, and other debilitating physical injuries that result.Whether you photograph it, make art out of it, create projects out of it, write about it, or talk about it—take a moment and think about how you can incorporate greener practices into your life, and, please share them here!

The Devil We Live (and Die) With

Cape Mongo, a film by Francois Knoetz, was featured at the 2016 Design Indaba conference last week. Portraying our detrius as monstrous creatures, Knoetz's film is about five mythical monsters that are created from our everyday waste: glass, paper, plastic, VHS, and metal. The film offers clues about the origins of each of the creatures and the temptations we face in falling prey their contents as they revisit their imaginary pasts.Knoetz created each suit and wore them throughout the streets of Cape Town. His performances took him everywhere from upscale malls to landfills to historic sites to street markets. His goal is to call attention to our ever-present relationship with waste as well as its intersection with issues around housing, food security, inequality, and racial segregation.Several other designers at the 2016 Design Indaba presented solutions aimed at dealing with these issues. Recent graduate Billie Van Nieuwenhuyzen presented Edelplast, a range of contemporary jewelry made from e-waste. Van Nieuwenhuyzen hand weaves discarded cables and then forms them into a marble-like material to create fine art pieces.The infinity burial suit by Jae Rhim Lee provides an alternative to the toxic chemicals that are currently used to preserve dead bodies. Lee contends that current practices deny death, poison the living, and harm the environment. As an alternative, she has designed a "mushroom death suit," a wearable suit filled with spores of a hybrid mushroom that aid in the decomposition of the body, delivering nutrients to the ground around a burial plot rather than delivering toxins.Kudos to the designers and artists at Design Indaba for giving us much to consider in how interact with the environment—in life—and in death.Sources:http://www.designindaba.com/videos/creative-work/francois-knoetzes-mythical-trash-creatures-reveal-our-terrible-treatment-wastehttp://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/e-waste-jewellery-looks-marblehttp://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/burial-suit-better-decompose-your-body 

Fashion Week: It’s Complicated

New York Fashion Week kicked off this past Thursday, and with it some complicated topics graphic designers are very familiar with:

Design Plagiarism

High fashion brand Saint Laurent is showcasing a dress with graphic lipstick prints that retails for $3,490 - but looks a lot like a dress from Forever 21’s 2013 collection that sold for $23. Saint Laurent is most likely safe from being sued for copyright infringement because copyright law prohibits the protection of a design if it can only be depicted in a limited number of ways— tubes of lipstick may fall into this category. However, it doesn't protect them from being called out for it.

Social Awareness

As New York Fashion Week Live reports, “one of the great ironies of fashion is the disconnect between the beauty of the products, and the way the materials are often sourced.” Consumers are increasingly demanding more humane treatment of animals and people, as well as the use of more eco-friendly materials. Fashion designers are responding and young designers like Max Gengos, are embracing the concept of “responsible luxury” when deciding on which materials to use and the conditions in which their products are produced.

Sustainability

We live in a culture of disposability. This extends to “fast fashion,” where cheap garments are produced quickly to keep up with trends. America buys 20 billion garments a year, 1 item per person per week. This results in 12.7 million tons of clothing thrown away each year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space and 85% of textile waste is not recycled. Ultimately this leads to overtime, overcrowding, and unsafe conditions for overseas workers employed to keep up with the demand.

Cultural Influence

Celebrities like Emma Watson and fashion designer Stella McCartney are speaking out in campaigns like this recent one for British Vogue on Fashion and Gender Equality, demanding empowerment for women and a better message for women of all ages and sizes, allowing them to feel good about who they are.As we enjoy the glamor of New York Fashion Week, we may also do well to consider the complicated relationships surrounding beauty and image.Sources:http://newyorkfashionweeklive.com/http://www.thefashionlaw.com/https://www.notjustalabel.comhttp://www.ecouterre.com/http://www.elle.com/http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/

Transforming from Standalone to Grand Scale

The conversation among educators and practitioners about the role of graphic design often centers around how to move graphic designers from creating standalone solutions to solving problems on a grander scale.Many graphic designers are not satisfied with serving the needs of business and commerce, but want to be involved in doing good. Whether projects involve human rights, global warming, or other issues involving social awareness and sustainability, there is a common thread of wanting to create change for the better.But how do graphic designers get there? Traditionally trained to create solutions to specific problems—standalone interventions—how can they make the leap to designing for large scale cultural change?Social Design Pathways is designed to help. The site features a free, downloadable matrix that can be used as a guide, map, index, and evaluation tool. The matrix is a practical guide that can help individuals and organizations clarify their project. It aids in the complex task of looking at the big picture, as well as drilling down and looking at the specific tangibles required. The website and the downloadable matrix also feature examples of how to use the matrix along with best practices.A work in progress, all the creators ask is that you attribute it and share your experience—expanding the knowledge base and helping further development.Learn more and get your copy here: http://www.socialdesignpathways.com/

Visualizing Global Dying

Milton Glaser’s new logo is meant to change how people perceive climate change. As Glaser observes, the phrase “global warming” sounds comforting and non-threatening. He wants us to consider the more ominous words, “global dying,” which many feel is much more accurate about the state of our planet.Glaser says, “Those of us responsible for communicating ideas to others must bear the burden of the consequences of such communication. If one is looking for a purpose and theme to their life, avoiding the worst event in human history is a good place to begin.”

Hauntingly beautiful, as most of Glaser’s work is, the logo’s transformation from green to black evokes images of pollution, smoke, death, and the disappearance of light. The sphere also suggests an aerial view of the Earth, with only a small section of health and life remaining.

Designed as a simple visual for posters and buttons, the logo is available for purchase as a badge and is being sold in sets of five for $5. Proceeds will be put towards the production and distribution of more badges. The hope is that the campaign will go viral. Glaser says, “If half the people on earth wear the button even the ‘masters of the universe’ (large corporations) will be moved to action.”

Get your badges and help spread the message.Sources:http://itsnotwarming.com/http://www.dezeen.com/2014/08/04/milton-glaser-its-not-warming-its-dying-climate-change-campaign/http://www.wnyc.org/story/milton-glaser-takes-global-dying/

A great big club with spikes

In a video interview with Hillman Curtis, graphic designer James Victore likens graphic design to a great big club with spikes on it, best used to hit people over the head with.Graphic Design Advocacy—International Posters for the Digital Age: 2001-2012, is a traveling exhibit that does just that. Curated by Elizabeth Resnick from MassArt, the exhibit features 122 posters spanning the first decade of this century that address some of the most controversial and heart-breaking issues of our time. War, 9-11, the Gulf oil spill, global warming, human trafficking, and the tsunami in Japan are just some of the moments captured. In an interview for Print Magazine with Steven Heller, Resnick talks about the effect the internet has had on poster design, “the Internet has enabled designers to make and post visual commentaries without concern for the costs of labor, printing, and posting their work to air their opinions.”The exhibit has traveled across the globe for the past year, both on site and online, and is still traveling. While many lament the disappearance of print, it’s comforting to know that one of the strongest visual vehicles for protest and dissent—the poster—is still a powerful agent of advocacy. It’s inspiring to see what graphic designers can create as they wield their great big clubs with spikes.Sources:http://graphicadvocacyposters.org/posters/http://www.printmag.com/design-inspiration/graphic-advocacy-takes-a-stand/

Celebrating Earth Day 2013

Earth Day 2013 infographic

Turning Trash into Treasure

“Waste Land" was a project created by the artist Vik Muniz where he enlisted the help of workers from the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to create art out of garbage. Muniz raised over $250,000 when he brought the portraits that were created to an auction house in London. Mr. Muniz donated his $50,000 take for the sale of one man's portrait to the workers’ cooperative. An award-winning documentary with the same name was released in 2009 and some of the project's participants visited the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio to see themselves in Mr. Muniz’s 2009 retrospective. “Sometimes we see ourselves as so small,” one tells reporters at the opening, “but people out there see us as so big, so beautiful.”In Cateura, Paraguay, Favio Chavez, an ecological technician at the landfill the town is built on, creates instruments for a young people's orchestra from trash. The “Recycled Orchestra” quickly gained more students than instruments. The students are beginning to take tours around the world and filmmakers are working on a new documentary, "Landfill Harmonic," to tell their  story.Another recent project intent on raising awareness about litter was created from 1.7 tons of garbage found on Mount Everest. 15 Nepali artists spent a month creating more than 75 sculptures from empty oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, boots, and every kind of camping equipment imaginable. Yaks, wind chimes, prayer wheels, and all kinds of unique sculptures were created. The works were exhibited in Kathmandu.The mission of Emergent Structures, located in Savannah, GA, is to increase the value and accessibility of building material waste streams through facilitation, collaboration, education, and advocacy. Some of their projects have included a collaborative fundraiser with the Humane Society of Savannah that began with a call for submissions for custom built cat or dog structures made from reclaimed materials and the "This Ain't Junk" repurposing competition with Savannah’s Habitat for Humanity. Emergent Structures wants to publish stories from all over the world about reclaiming materials and encourage people to submit their projects to Exclaim Your Reclaim.San Francisco's Recology Artist Program in Residence provides Bay Area artists with access to discarded materials, a stipend, and a large studio space at the Recology Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center.Closer to home, one of my students, Rick Diguez, was recently inspired to create a book made out of discarded stainless steel, left over scrap from a gutter installation. The result was a finely crafted book that pays homage to some of his favorite artists.Also local for me, the Newburgh Mural Project is a series of inspiring outdoor paintings featuring the work of Chilean artist Dasic. This project has transformed old buildings and tunnels into works of art bringing beauty into neighborhoods struggling with poverty and crime.What have you seen lately that inspires you to turn trash into treasure?Sources:http://www.emergentstructures.org/http://www.good.is/posts/landfill-harmonic-making-music-from-trash-in-a-paraguay-slumhttp://www.recologysf.com/AIR/http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/uncategorized/one-mans-trash-is-another-mans-art/?pid=1836http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/11/turning-mount-everest-trash-treasure/4008/#http://www.wastelandmovie.com/synopsis.htmhttp://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/10/20/arts/design/1248069211361/clip-waste-land.html

“Walking the Walk” of Sustainable Design

Working sustainably and avoiding the landfill is a goal that many graphic designers aspire to. In reality, creating work that adheres to the principles of sustainable design is often challenging and graphic designers sometimes find themselves struggling to “walk the walk.” Client budgets, availability of resources, and coming up with innovative ideas are just some of the obstacles they face.thomas.matthews studio has a number of projects that feature sustainable design. The "Your Ocean" project tells the story of the impact of human beings on the ocean and its ecosystems. The exhibit that was created for the National Maritime Museum in London was made completely from reclaimed, recycled and sustainable materials. Gallery walls are made from reclaimed wood. One of the walls is even clad in left-over materials from the gallery build itself. Other materials used are old road signs, charity shop fabrics, old mobile phones and crushed CD plastic. (1)Emergent Structures is another inspiring organization located in Savannah, GA. Their objectives include reducing waste streams from the built environment through community-based collaboration; utilizing renewable and reclaimed materials; increasing usage of construction and demolition waste; and creating new tools and models with communities. (2) One recent project utilized reclaimed wood from one of their ongoing deconstruction projects to create a center bar for a new business that opened in the historic district, The Sparetime. The project also involved a local craftsman and cabinet maker, Anders Thomsen, who constructed the bar from the reclaimed wood.What have you seen that inspires you to “walk the walk” and design sustainably?Here are some resources for practicing sustainable design; some feature case studies for more inspiration:http://www.designersaccord.org/http://www.livingprinciples.org/http://lovelyasatree.com/http://re-nourish.com/?l=homeNotes:1) http://lovelyasatree.com/casestudies.htm2) http://www.emergentstructures.org/?page_id=288Sources:http://thomasmatthews.com/http://www.rmg.co.uk/http://lovelyasatree.com/casestudies.htmhttp://www.emergentstructures.org/?page_id=288

Keeping Score of Sustainable Design

With Earth Day 2012 less than 3 weeks away, it’s the perfect time to question how sustainable your graphic design practices are.With the confusion caused by the abundance of green logos, along with the feeling by some that sustainable design is unattainable (as  designer Jessie McGrath argues in her MFA thesis that “the idea of sustainable design is an illusive goal because a product can never be truly sustainable by virtue of the fact that it is a product,”)(1) some graphic designers may be discouraged to even try. However, there are some tools available. The Living Principles Scorecard, designed by Phil Hamlett, is an assessment tool that graphic designers can use to help them navigate the murky waters.The Scorecard, designed to be used in both the studio and the classroom, rates levels of sustainability on a scale of 0-4 (with 0 being “Doing Nothing” and 4 representing “Restoration”) and is divided into 4 categories:

1. Environment
2. People
3. Economy
4. Culture

Nathan Shedroff, Living Principles ambassador and Chair of the MBA in Design Strategy Program at the California College of the Arts, states, “the tool allows designers a quick assessment of a solution’s sustainability opportunities without a lot of work or a whole culture change. That change can come over time, as more and more people within an organization or studio use the tool over and over.” (2)The Living Principles Scorecard is available for download and designers, educators, and students are all encouraged to use it to help them assess how sustainable their graphic design practices are.Sources: http://www.livingprinciples.org/introducing-the-living-principles-scorecard/Notes:(1) http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/?p=861(2) http://www.livingprinciples.org/introducing-the-living-principles-scorecard/ 

When do labels become too much of a green thing?

When does green labeling become so ubiquitous that it loses all effectiveness? The Eco Label Index lists 426 different green logos. It also provides a database with filtering that lets you search by region, find out what research they are doing, and compare them—for a fee.Businesses may have the resources to devote ample time to deciding which labels belong on their products, but for consumers the myriad of choices runs the risk of rendering them useless. For small business owners and freelance graphic designers, figuring out which products and services are truly sustainable and not merely greenwashing is added on top of their never-ending list of tasks.Cliff Burrows, president of Starbucks, asserts that eco-labels establish a level of trust. He says, "Customers have demonstrated that they are more likely to buy products and services from companies they trust." The eco-label tells consumers that a product was produced (think Fairtrade or organic) or can be consumed (think nutritional labels or Energy Star) in a more sustainable way. The eco-label combines sustainability standards-setting and branding, underpinned by the credibility of an independent body. However, Burrows goes on to say that the eco-label model may have become too successful: "A wide array of certification programs has been developed, creating confusion among customers and undue burden on farmers. The industry needs to better understand what is meaningful to customers and works best for producers." (1)In addition to the confusion about what all the eco-labels mean, the problem is exacerbated when companies use eco-labels for greenwashing— attaching a positive environmental association with an unsustainable product or service. Ramon Arratia of InterfaceFLOR explains in an article for "Sustainable Business" in The Guardian that the practice is damaging both the environment and the sustainable industries themselves. (2)While graphic designers can use resources like Lovely As A Tree and Renourish to help them make choices about paper, printing, and ink, the issue affects a much wider audience. A recent post for "Sustainable Business" on The Guardian says that an Asda study shows consumers – regardless of age, gender or income – are choosing sustainable products and services; they just need some guidance. (3)In a blog post for Greenbiz.com, author Joshua Saunders states that what we need are credible certification programs, labels, and rating systems to dominate the market. This will help minimize confusion as well as hold labels and ratings to high standards. (4)How do you assess eco-labels? Do you know what they all mean? Do you care?Sources:http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/09/23/are-there-too-many-eco-labels-and-green-ratingshttp://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/questioning-evolving-the-ecolabel (1)http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/asda-sustainability-green-survey (2)http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/waste-and-recycling (3)http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/03/greenwashing-many-eco-labels-problem/ (4)

Christmas and holiday season green tips

Every year I stress over holiday gift wrap. Usually I end up running short on time and cave into tradition—buying some and vowing that next year I am going to give up it up for good. After all, how ethical can it be to use toxic materials that can't even be used to fuel the fire? I decided to try and find out by asking the question "How much wrapping paper is wasted each year?" The answer I received according to the Clean Air Council says the United States alone wastes 4 million tons worth of shopping bags and wrapping paper contributing to the extra 5 million tons of extra waste that the U.S. throws away during the holiday seasonThis year I'm seriously trying to change. I'll see what kind of response I get from the recipients. I suspect they really won't care as long as the goods under the paper live up to their expectations.Don't cave into tradition for the holidays, hold the line on staying green. Read the many ways how you can green your holiday with Earth Friendly Holiday Season Tips.

Greenwashing with totes

Steven Heller's recent post asks the question "Are There Too Many Totes?" Heller's article talks about how when used correctly totes can reduce the number of disposable bags. Conversely, if used incorrectly (with the massive onslaught that many of us see daily) the canvas or polypropylene bags have the potential to become another blight that will end up in the landfill.MFA grad Jessie McGrath argued in her recent thesis that “the idea of sustainable design is an illusive goal because a product can never be truly sustainable by virtue of the fact that it is a product.” (Read more)Most people want to do the right thing; they just may not realize the full implications of taking or buying more totes when offered. Why not comb your closets and reuse the ones you already have?What about the role that graphic designers play; are they practicing sustainability when they design more totes for the ever-growing eco-friendly bag business?