Sustainability

The word sustainable or sustainability has now become one of the biggest misunderstood and mis-used words related to environmental issues. Sustainability is defined on http://sustainabilitydictionary.com/ as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Wikipedia defines Sustainability as the "capacity to endure".

Are we really doing this in our industry and have we really adopted processes and procedures and started building products that are sustainable? Have we evolved to the point were the projects we design and build have a zero landfill contribution or are we at least working towards this goal and more?

Bill McDonough said years ago "We still have people talking about 'sustainability'! Nothing is more boring. Are you proud if your marriage is 'sustainable'?"


There are many good people working hard to push environmental initiatives forward in our industry. It becomes very easy to be complacent and say, "we're sustainable" when most of the time saying we're green is a stretch.

Glossary of “Green” Terms

Below is a link to a glossary of green terms found on ISA's website - signs.org. I would be interested in any other glossary that is out there.

Glossary of "Green" Terms

Growing Plastic

Bioplastic (plastics made from renewable biomass resources) have been around for awhile now and  are being used for all kinds of applications, including signage. Metabolix is one of the companies that has created different types of bioplastic and has recently found a way to grow bioplacstic in saw grass.

Below is a great video  from BioDigest that talks about bioplastic and how they are grwoing it in sawgrass at the end of the video.

Interior Signage for World’s First LEED® Platinum Hospital

I have long been interested in doing a seriers of case studies that highlight the signage that goes in LEED certfied facilites and how these packages get built.  Below is a case study from ASI that highlights the sign package they build for the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.

Interior Signage for World’s First LEED® Platinum Hospital
Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, a member of the Seton Family of Hospitals, is the first LEED® Platinum hospital in the world. The hospital is the only dedicated, freestanding children’s hospital in the Central Texas region and offers a wide range of pediatric services.

Because the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas was seeking to attain LEED Platinum certification through the USGBC, it took meticulous care throughout the project to ensure that every element and material fit in with its green building philosophy. This outlook applied to the interior signage system as well - regardless of the fact that wayfinding signage does not contribute to LEED points.

About the Solution
ASI was selected by Karlsberger based on a previous relationship and project experience. Karlsberger was impressed with the flexibility and updateability of the InfinityTM modular line of signage and specified it for this green project. Additionally, the Infinity line incorporates recyclable materials and is produced with a low VOC, polyester, water- based paint system and a chrome-free priming process.

Each sign type throughout the facility was designed around the Infinity system’s modular components. The hospital started with Infinity’s patented, powder coated chassis, then selected additional components to create each sign type. The result was a signage system that is easily updated and expanded with minimal contribution to the waste cycle. The comprehensive system includes room IDs, suspended directional signage and regulatory signage.

ASI also supplied dimensional letters throughout the facility to identify key areas such as the information desk. Additionally, ASI created unique custom patient tower wing IDs. These IDs reflect the materials of the Infinity signs while providing clear wayfinding for visitors and staff.

Halfway Through

 As we approach mid-July we are all in summer mode with thoughts of vacations, barbecues and beaches. The beginning of summer also represents the half way mark of the year.

2010 started with a lot of uncertainty and wondering if things will ever get back to the way they were. One thing we know for certain now is that things will not go back; the world has moved on. Not necessarily bad, just different - the natural evolution of life where one must adapt to survive.

This brings me to the half way point of 2010. How many have hit their environmental goals or are on track to do so?  How many of us have changed or altered our initiatives?

I believe that sharing ideas, initiatives and progress with others helps with accountability, primarily to yourself, while encouraging others and spreading ideas.

I started out this year with the goal of changing the NovAcryl product line and incorporating all base substrates that have recycled content.  Although challenging, the NovAcyl GR product line was recently introduced and we will almost certainly have the complete product line converted by the end of the year.

The second initiative was to change the way Nova does business by creating a paperless environment and tweaking the way we interact with clients to be more efficient, cost effective and less wasteful.  This has proven to be very challenging but we have implemented several new program and have many more things to roll out before the end of the year - more to come.  

There has also been great progress made with the SEGD Sustainability Forum with the launch of the SEGD Green Resource Guide website and the sustainable issue of segdDesin magazine.  We will be doing a work show in NYC July 23 and will be rolling out the Green Certificate Program by the end of the year.

The ISA Environmental Subcommittee is also making great progress.  The committee ran a campaign to find out the level of "green" knowledge in the industry as well as to get an understanding of the industries needs.  The results have let to several initiatives including the development of resources specific to Best Practice for sign companies and suppliers.

Overall a good start to the year with much more to come.

The Future of EcoLabeling

A friend forwarded me a great article from InteriorandSources.com on EcoLabeling that talks about understanding environmental product claims.  CLICK HERE to read.

Reduce - Begin with the End

Stephen R. Covey coined the term "Begin with the end in mind" in his famous in this book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Although his focus is on personal characteristics that lead to an individuals effectiveness, the same principal can be said for building sustainable signage and wayfinding.  

Beginning with the end in mind is an important part of reducing waste and land fill contribution and is unique to each project that gets built and designed.  A typical commercial interior may change design and signage every 3 years.  The occupants of an office building may move offices several time over a 2-3 year span.  How do these things impact sustainability and overall design in the begining?

If a sign is intended to hold up over 10-20 years is it OK to use less environmentally friendly materials to reduce the waste associated with making the sign multiple times?  Even so, how will the sign be maintained and ultimately disposed of?

Why are so many wall mounted signs taped on the wall with adhesives that will destroy the wall once removed when everyone knows that the life of the sign will be shorter than the wall itself?

Can the sign system being designed be built in a custom way that allows only the portion of the sign that will change to be replaced without removing the entire sign?  If so, does this change the way replaceable components are made so it can easily be recycled or re-used?

We ask many of these questions everyday and give in to our client for multiple reason including budget.  Many times we know that throughout the life cycle of a project, changing things upfront saves a lot of money.  This is the job of sign professional to educate and consult with clients to understand the big picture of these packages.  It all start with the end - how do you get somewhere if you never look to see where you're going, especially when sustainability is concerned.

Quest for Greener Inks

Sign Builder Illustrated has an article called "The Quest for Greener Inks" in the current June issue.  The article talks about UV inks growing in popularity because they cure instantly and are VOC-free.  The article also talks about how UV technology is growing and how manufacturing companies are working on modified inks that allow printing on flexible substrates.

CLICK HERE to view the article.

Three R's in Green

I wrote an article for this months issue of segdDESIG magazine that focused on the 3 R's in Green - Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle.  These three topics really cover the gammit related to environmental consciousness and touch on everything from landfill contribution to value engineering to modularity.

Many of the examples sited in the article have been discussed on this blog in the past.  Breaking things up in these three topics - Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle proves to be an easy and fun way to discuss environmental consciousness related to recycling and material waste.

Reduce - design and build for better material yield.  Begin with the end in mind and allow for more possibilities at the end of a products life. 

Re-Use - design with life cycle in mind - if a system needs to be in place for X amount of years and the reality is that components will change, build so the core can continually be Re-Used.  Can a product be disassembled allowing components to be re-used for other projects?

Recycle - sounds like the easy one but it's not.  Very little of what we build gets recycled because of the nature of the products we make, how they're made and how they're installed.

Maybe Recycle is the third R because if the other two R's are done, recycling what's left won't be so hard.

Are We Sharing Yet?

As I was putting together yesterdays post, I couldn't help but wonder how many other products or news or projects are out  there that nobody knows about.

There are now many well know and even famous LEED certified building across the country all of which have signage and egd elements. Who knows about these projects and how the signage and wayfinding was done?

The internet has created instant access to information and social media has created an outlet to connect and share things with each other. Utilizing these outlets is the best way to further the environmental movement in our industry and it starts with sharing. 

Progress has been made and the latest issue of segdDESIGN is proof that there have been many project built and strategies implemented to date. Our job now is to continue pushing the envelope and share with each other our successes, failures and new products or strategies we come across. 

NovAcryl GR Press Release

One of my goals for 2010 was to develop and introduce a new line of photopolymer substrates that meets the growing need for greener solutions in signage.  This means that quality and aesthetics not be compromised, and most importantly, no increase in cost.

Contrary to popular belief, this is not a crazy goal but one of necessity for survival in today's world - creating new products and services that meet our clients goals while matching the worldview of the evolving market we serve.

Nova Polymers Introduces
a New Green Alternative Solution for ADA Signage

NovAcryl® GR™ Photopolymer is the latest addition to Nova's diverse line of photopolymer substrates for ADA Compliant Room Identification Signage

Fairfield, NJ -- NovAcryl® GR™ is a new line of photopolymer sign material for high-resolution raised graphics and ADA-compliant room identification signage. NovAcryl® GR™, offered exclusively by Nova Polymers, allows sign designers and fabricators the ability to create a green sign solution without design limitations or increased costs.

NovAcryl® GR™ is a result of Nova Polymers partnering with 3form®, a leader in the manufacturing of eco-friendly substrates, to offer an environmentally conscious and affordable product that can be used for signage projects that require a green solution or will be used inLEED Certified facilities.

NovAcryl® GR™ is environmentally and user friendly. This unique sign material is processed in plain tap water and bonds to 3form® Clear Ecoresin panels, which are non-toxic, Greenguard Certified and contain a minimum of 40% recycled content.

"The introduction of NovAcryl® GR™ will fill a void in architectural and wayfinding signage by allowing the industry to use standard photopolymer signage the same way they have been for years with the added benefit of environment consciousness. NovAcryl® GR™ will process and look exactly like standard photopolymer signage; the only difference will be the fact the base substrate is clear Ecoresin instead of virgin PETG", says Dave Miller, Business Director for Nova Polymers.

About Nova Polymers, Inc.

Nova Polymers is the largest North American manufacturer and distributor of photopolymer sign products. Nova Polymer is also a leader in educating the fabrication and design community about ADA regulations and environmental issues related to signage. For more information on NovAcryl® GR™ and other contemporary solutions for high-resolution raised graphics and ADA-compliant signage, visit www.NovaPolymers.com or call toll-free 888.484.6682.

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segdDESIGN Sustainability Issue

Open publication - Free publishing - More graphic

The May issue of segdDESIGN No. 28/2010 — the Sustainability Issue — is now available.  If you haven't seen this yet, please take a look as you will notice something a little different about this issue.

The focus of this issue is on sustainability and environmental graphic design. The issue is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled-content paper (both cover and text). Processed chlorine-free and made with BioGas energy, the paper is certified by EcoLogo, the Forest Stewardship Council, and Permanent Paper. Also, it was printed using vegetable-based inks and zero-VOC aqueous coatings.  

The issue’s focus is on sustainability, including Guest Editor Naomi Pearson’s foundation article on Life Cycle Assessment and feature stories on model “green” EGD projects such as the Green Depot store, The Nature Conservancy’s Design for a Living World exhibition, and Portland’s TriMet transit system, among others. 

In tandem with the issue’s publication, the SEGD Sustainability Forum has launched its new SEGD Green Resource Ghttp://greenresourceguide.segd.org/, a site focused on sustainability and EGD. It outlines SEGD’s Green Audit approach, focuses on strategies geared toward sustainability, and provides a wealth of resources for EGD practitioners striving to minimize the environmental impacts of their work.

This issues is a true success and provides information, stories and content specifically related to EGD.