Category: Going Green Ideas

Eco-friendly Graphic Designing

Promoting greener image in the community is a way of creating awareness for the environment. But by helping create a greener product, you initiate the steps of actually saving it from gradual damage. Graphic designers can also make this step in saving the environment. Small business owners and freelance designers can make simple changes to the way they deliver their services to establish a more environment-friendly operation. Also, establishing eco-friendly graphic designing operations helps save money both for the client and the designer.

Eco-friendly graphic designing is all about practicing more sustainable designs. This move goes beyond converting to non-toxic and recyclable materials. It also involves the use of energy saving means. The primary aim of practicing a sustainable design is to reduce the use of available resources, as a way of reducing waste. Preferring and using re-usable and recyclable materials definitely have positive impacts to the environment.

The main job of a graphic designer is to produce creative ideas that will effectively send the client’s message across. By working a greener image, you also get to involve your client and add value to your relationship with him. More and more consumers are turning a new page in preferring greener products and services. In simple words, greener product packaging and greener design are readily interesting and difficult to resist. For instance, more and more conscientious clients and buyers are going for paperless, bio-degradable and low-emission products. Apparently, brands and businesses that support eco-friendly movement have experienced a significant increase in their demand or sales. This relatively translates to an increasing demand for eco-friendly graphic designing jobs as they save print costs, energy costs and shipping costs while optimizing profit and promoting a much healthier Earth.

Graphic designing materials like paper can be saved by opting for PDF and email formats. Digital and electronic design presentations and signatures are fully adequate and as effective as paper. To establish adequate lighting and save on energy costs, converting to LED and other modern task lamps can yield huge savings on overhead costs. If the client still prefers printed campaigns, make extra effort to use recyclable materials for your full colored catalogs.

However, no matter how committed you are to your eco-friendly graphic designing campaign, the clients are still the ones to decide about the design or outcome of your designs. Eco-friendly details like using certain size of paper of one-color jobs may not be that interesting or convincing to the client’s taste. However, you can still persuade them for some other eco-friendly options for graphic design outputs. For instance, offer the possibility of having email campaigns and online catalogs instead of postcard campaigns. Not only do direct mail campaigns have low response rate, the cost of printing and mailing makes this option less appealing. In this age of internet and electronic gadgets, paperless graphic campaigns are proven to create better results. Try to persuade your clients for more sustainable and cost-effective paperless campaigns.

If printing is necessary, you can always talk to your printer about using eco-friendly paper and printing ink options that does not compromise the quality of your work. For signage and banners, work with companies that use environment-friendly inks and durable eco-friendly print materials.

Going for eco-friendly graphic designing resources and methods is a great effort to saving the planet and preserving the world’s limited resources. Not only that, your knowledge as a green graphic designer can be used to help your clients save money by marketing themselves in the more eco-friendly manner.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

How the Airline Industry Became Greener

Air travel may be the most convenient, easiest and fastest way to travel but it is as guilty as the rest of the land and water-bound forms of transportation when it comes to its carbon footprint. We might say that the airlines are the menace in the sky for environmentalists – a necessary evil, if you will. Fortunately, many measures are being undertaken to make the airline industry greener. These measures range from the use of alternate sources of fuel to changes in aircraft design both on the exteriors and the interiors. Hopefully, many of these changes will take effect in this lifetime.

First on the list is the use of biofuels in airplanes as well as on vehicles used in ground support. This is good news especially when the rising costs of conventional fuels are taken into consideration, not to mention their enormous carbon footprints from the oil fields into the airplane tanks. Even related products like the de-icing and anti-icing fluids are now being derived from natural non-petroleum sources like corn and sugar. Although there is still a long way to go before we can see biofuel pumped into all airplanes, one small step towards this goal is one step in the right direction for a greener airline industry.

Other sources of energy are also being considered particularly in the fields of nuclear and solar power. Since these are almost inexhaustible, the need to discover new oilfields can be done away with. Plus, these are the cleanest sources of energy you can find on Earth, which means that it is almost free in cost both to the pockets and to the planet.

Lest you think that solar and nuclear powered airplanes are fodder for science fiction authors and their avid readers, think again. The military has developed nuclear-powered but unmanned air vehicles while other organizations are delving deeper into hybrid air vehicles using a combination of solar and hydrogen technologies. But fuels are only one part of the equation in making the airline industry a greener one. Airplanes are being designed with the birds’ physiology in mind such that a blended wing body ala Mother Nature’s sky denizens are in the pipeline. Also, the structure is lighter in weight and narrower in body sans the large vertical tail-fin, all in the interest of improving fuel efficiency.

Since research on birds reveal that their routes change constantly and, surprisingly, conserve on energy, air traffic agencies are also exploring the possibility of providing for new energy-efficient routes. Although it may take time before this becomes a reality considering the complexity of air travel, it is good news for the eco-conscious passengers. Even the manufacturers of airplane engines are getting in on the act. Green engines are being designed with non-toxic, recyclable and recoverable materials and components, in addition to greener manufacturing processes.

As for the interiors of the plane itself, recycled materials are being used on the seats, carpets and other components. Passengers need not worry about lesser comfort in business class as airlines still adhere to strict guidelines on this matter. Indeed, we may yet see an airline industry that is as green as can be. Or as blue as the sky it calls its road.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Greener Workplaces Can Help Us All

The movement to go green is not about individuals. It is great when you make a decision to go green in your family, but your family alone can’t make the big difference that we need as a society. What we need is every person to take the step to go green. One of the best ways to start a big movement and get everyone on board is by large companies setting the standards and showing people they are willing to make the changes needed to go green.

Large companies and corporations often set standards in society. When they start making changes they can influence individuals to change, too. This is true too of the government. When the government starts making changes, people take notice. They are more likely to make those same changes in their own home.

Changes on the Federal Level

One move that the federal government is making is a switch to federal buildings that are more environmentally friendly. Kevin Kampschroer, from the General Services Administration, is the person who is leading this change. He is hoping to help the environment and also those people who work in the federal buildings.

Kampschroer is the director for the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings. This division of the General Services Administration is newly formed and aimed at helping Kampschroer with his green buildings mission. In 2007 Congress passed requirements for sustainable design and energy reduction for buildings. With the General Services Administration being the largest public real estate agency, it is Kampschroer’s mission to get them compliant with the regulations and to set an example for other real estate owners.

What Is Being Done

Through this new office many changes are being made. There is a project to transform the GSA’s headquarters into an environmentally friendly building. This building was built in 1918 and the renovations will be major to get it up to green standards.

The building will have extensive changes made to it. This includes an atrium that is lit with all natural light. There will also be a system installed to produce renewable energy right on site. To help reduce water consumption there will be a rain water collection system installed. New windows will also be installed that will help save energy and that include a special feature that turns off the air conditioning when the windows are opened.

In addition to all those renovations and additions there will also be vegetation planted on all rooms to help save energy. Vegetation of roofs can help to save on energy usage by keeping
buildings cooler. It also helps to reduce run off which contributes to water pollution.

Influencing Others

The hope with the GSA’s project is to influence others and start a movement in the private sector. By setting a good example about how going green can be beneficial in a variety of ways and that it is not that difficult to implement changes that allow you to convert buildings to be more environmentally friendly, Kampschroer hopes that all real estate owners will take the cue and start making changes in their buildings.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
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