Blowing in the wind: Designarchy purchases Renewable Energy Certificates!

Ninety eight percent of the electricity produced in the United States comes from non-renewable sources such as coal, nuclear, oil and gas. The production of conventional electricity is the largest source of pollution in the United States. One *very inexpensive* way to offset our "footprint" in the environment is to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates, or "green tags", which represent the delivery of one megawatt-hour of renewable power back to the grid. By purchasing 8.92 MWh per year, Designarchy is preventing the emission of 11,440 pounds of carbon dioxide in the air, which is the equivalent of removing 1.1 cars from the road for a full year or planting 1.4 acres of trees.

If you are interested in learning more about green tags, read all about it in the February topic of green notes.

Designarchy attends “Compostmodern” conference in San Francisco

Compostmodern is a one-day multi-disciplinary design conference held in San Francisco every year. As creators of visual messages and artifacts, designers are beginning to understand their collective role as agents of change. The conference showcased and confronted some of the everyday issues between sustainability and design. Some of the topics included: clothing manufacture in the USA (non sweatshop), green building, the impacts of overpackaging, the reinvention of everyday objects, forecasting and cultural awareness.

BookWorm Watch: ReadyMade

ReadyMade is a cool magazine that looks at everyday objects that have lost their commission and reincarnate them in a whole different context. Their main intention is to retool our imagination with the notion that we can look at any everyday object and get inspired to create our very own utilitarian and artistic new object. Their first book is out and it's divided into the categories: paper, wood, plastic, metal and fabric. Some cool projects include using old CD cases to create a Wall Mural, a chandelier made from empty water bottles, a messenger bag made out of newspaper plastic tubes, and lamps made out of anything you can drill a hole in. The projects are surreal, elegant and fun and the artiste in you is really going to come out!

ISBN: 1-4000-8107-6 (published by Clarkson Potter)

Starting this year, Designarchy will donate 3% of receivables to animal organizations on a monthly basis. It is with great pleasure that January's donation went to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee which has an unbelievable commitment to the old, sick or needy elephants that have been retired from zoos and circuses. Our contribution went to Misty's Tuberculosis medication fund, a disease she contracted due to neglect at the Hawthorn Corporation. Check out the sactuary website is www.elephants.com

When the printing budget is a concern, you can choose a paper with texture and/or color to bring in an added dimension to the piece. A recycled paper with a texture can add a new flair and create a look that is unique to your company making it stand out from the “crowd.” If you print in large quantities, and budget allows, there are also all sorts of new and unusual tree-free papers as well, such as kenaf, bagasse, banana, cotton, coffee and even reclaimed denim scraps.