Poblocki Sign Compnay - Embracing Environmental Responsibility

Poblocki Sign Company in West Allis, WI has embraced the environmental movement with open arms. Poblocki has taken a holistic approach to green by integrating environmental practices throughout their entire organization.

In an effort to lead by example, Poblocki is working on gaining LEED Silver certification for their manufacturing facility as well as employing two of their team member to become LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED AP).

Look for the complete product line of Poblocki Sustainable Signage soon. CLICK HERE for more information.

Choosing Laminates

There are many factors that go into choosing materials for a project. Since signage is part of a buildings interior, we typically build and design around particular ideas and specifications.

Laminates have been widely used in interior design over the years and are being incorporated into signage more and more (making signs part of the deSign). So, how do you choice which laminate to use? Are any "Greener" than others or are they all the same?

Most of the top manufacturers of laminates produce a product that is similar to what their competitors produce. A few companies like Wilsonart, Formica and Nevamar have separated themselves from the rest of the pack by having several of their product lines GREENGUARD certified.

GREENGUARD Environment Institute (GEI) is a third-party testing program for low-emitting products and materials. All GREENGUARD Certified products are regularly tested to ensure that their chemical and particle emissions meet acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) pollutant guidelines and standards. GREENGUARD Certification is a valuable tool for architects, designers, product specifiers, and signage companies use low-emitting products for indoor environments. All GREENGUARD certified products meet the requirements needed for LEED points.

Selecting laminates for environmentally conscious signage is all about methodology. Sometimes you have to use laminates for a variety of reasons. In these cases, choosing one that is GREENGUARD Certified is a good place to start.

Green Holiday Marketing Greetings

Have you seen some of the innovative Green holiday wishes that are going around? Below are two of the many that have been created this season . Please feel free to share any others that you've seen.

Eblast Greeting from ASI Modulex

Animated video on the home page of 3form's website

I Have A Green Sign

Here is a catchy little YouTube video about green signage. We can all take away the fact that building green signage truly isn't as simple as adding green paint. There are a lot of methods and concepts that go into truly building environmentally conscious signage.

As Kermit so eloquently puts it, "It's not that easy being green." But with a little help and motivation, we as an industry can prevail!

What is LEED?

At the White Board on BNET.com

Video: What is LEED?
"Going green" is becoming commonplace in the corporate world. Paul Holland, general partner at Foundation Capital, explains LEED, the metrics used to certify the "green-ness" of a construction project.

"A Green Sign for Greenspace" from Sign Business Magazine

Sign Business Magazine published an article titled "A Green Sign for Greenspace" in their October 2008 issue. The article was written by Mardeen Gordon of California Sign Group about designing and building green signage for a client. To read more CLICK HERE.

Sustainable Marketing Prodcuts

As we develop environmentally conscious businesses and products it becomes equally important to let others know who we are and what we stand for. This is one of the main reasons that the LEED rating systems has incorporate an area for education. The idea here is to make other people aware of what you as a company or organization are doing.

Everyone can agree that there is a level of personal satisfaction for doing the right things whatever they may be. Marketing the things that you do as a company promotes these things that you do while building an image of your organization. A company's image gets business which allows the company to continue doing more good things.

There are many companies that have emerged like Sustainable Group who manufacture marketing products that use recycled materials and environmentally conscious methods. It is difficult to sell the idea of being a green company when the image that you project isn't all that green.

Using green marketing products is a great way to show the people you do business with what you are all about without having to say it!

Binders in Photograph:

Cover
- 120 point Bending Chipboard
- 100% Recycled, FSC Certified Chipboard (85% Post-Consumer Recycled / 15% Post-Industrial Recycled)
-100% Recyclable

Cloth Tape
- Aqueous Acrylic Coated Natural Cotton Cloth
- Environmentally Friendly, Odor Free, Neutral PH

Assembly
- Steel Rings and assembly are removable

Green: What does it Mean?

If you polled a dozen people about what Green means you'd most likely get as many different responses. Not even Google can produce a definitive answer. The term clearly means something different to everyone in every industry. In a general sense, Green refers to sustainability, environmental consciousness and the fundamental way you live your life.

So, what does Green really mean?

The United Stated Green Building Council http://usgbc.org/ has done a great job defining what Green means for buildings with the LEED rating system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED focuses on five area; site planning, water management, energy, material use and indoor environmental quality. You can quickly see how LEED has a specific focus creating a foundation to compare and rate buildings against each other in terms of environmental efficiencies and the like.

While LEED is a fantastic rating system, it does not necessarily correlate specifically to other sectors of business and/or life. The take away from LEED is that there is the ability to create environmentally conscious ways of designing and building products that are specific to each industry and company. Everything is different in it's own unique way.

The common bond here is to be aware of the impact we have on our surroundings and try to be responsible about the ways we go about our lives and business. Not everything works universally and effectively. As long as the common goal of environmental responsibility remains constant, a difference can be made.

So, what does Green mean to you and how can you make a difference buy implementing this in your life?

3forms Path to Zero Video

Screws Not Glues

A simple yet powerful statement. Using screws or a similar type of mounting system allows signage and other architectural components to be replaced, reused and recycled without causing a great deal of damage.

Adhesives can be used not only to mount signage to a walls but also in building the layers in which the sign or system is made. Although some pieces need to be permanently mounted together, the vast majority of components do not. Developing an alternative way to build components using modularity and mechanical fasteners allows for flexibility at the end of the signs life.

Traditionally adhesives are not very environmentally conscious especially for indoor air quality. When the need for adhesives is necessary, the goal is use a small amount while making sure that the correct product is being used. The goal in choosing any product is to match the longevity of that product with the intended purpose so that there is not a failure which will cause unnecessary waste before the products end of life.

Of course, the recommend course of action when applicable is to used screws instead of glues!

10 Things You Can Do Now to be Green in EGD

The key is an ongoing strategy unique to the longevity, maintenance, and durability needs of an EGD project. But regardless of project specifics, EGD professionals can immediately improve the sustainability of any project by taking the following steps:

1. Don’t segregate sustainability from design.
2. Specify locally sourced, sustainable materials that can be recycled.
3. Integrate green communication strategies.
4. Do more with less. Design for less waste.
5. Design easily recycled modular components.
6. Use screws instead of glues for assembly and mounting.
7. Use low-VOC paints and energy-efficient lighting.
8. Get to know one green product at a time.
9. Ask questions and share information.
10. Integrate green standards for fabricators into RFPs.

Source: SEGD Green Paper