Sustainable Design Studio Open House in Richmond

Yesterday I attended an open house at Acorn Sign Graphics for their new design studio which is located across the street from their fabricating facility in Richmond, VA. The studio incorporates a variety of green and sustainable strategies and show cases the many green solutions Acorn provides.

Acorn has been a leader in green and sustainable design by not only designing green signage but also in the way they run their business and treat their employees. The design studio shows how companies can incorporate green in their every day businesses.

Below is a short video that highlights many of the green features of the studio. My favorite is the conference room door which uses all recycled or re-used component. 

A New Life for Plastics

GreenBiz.com is hosting another interesting webinar on plastics and bioplastics. Below is a brief summary. CLICK here to register. A New Life for Plastics: End-of-life Solutions in the Age of Greener Materials

October 5, 2010, 8:30 AM PDT / 11:30 AM EDT Plastics in the waste stream have long been a concern, and companies have been finding new ways to address this challenge. After all, why must a polymer that has the potential to last thousands of years in the environment be used in single-use packaging applications? Many companies are now turning to biopolymers instead of traditional petrochemical-based plastics to address waste management challenges and create localized energy. Biobased plastics can degrade in two ways: in oxygen-laden environments, and in environments that lack oxygen. Certain biopolymers have been shown to have characteristics that allow them to degrade in an industrial composting setting. This free, one-hour webcast will shine a light on how global biotechnology and chemical firms are driving innovation to help find a solution to plastics in the waste stream. Join us as we explore recent trends in the plastics industry, including: Use and inclusion of biopolymers Innovative technologies linking plastics to energy generation End-of-life considerations from the design phase Standards development You will learn: the benefits of using biopolymers over traditional plastics the differences among commonly-used biopolymers and their end-of-life solutions challenges faced by the plastic manufacturing, waste management and packaging industries how degradation of biopolymers can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels