LEED and Your EGD Strategy Teleconference

SEGD Teleconference

LEED and Your EGD Strategy
Theme: Sign Codes

September 10, 2009 1:00pm EST

(Course lasts 80-90 minutes)

Designers, fabricators, and manufacturers all face the same question when it comes to green products and projects: What does certification mean? This course will provide an overview of LEED and of other green certifications, resources for products and projects, and strategies for utilizing certifications.

Speakers: Dawn Craft, ASI; Danny Schneider, Vista System; Naomi Pearson; Michael Santos, Nova Polymers; David Miller, Nova Polymers

Member Price $40
Non-member Price $120
Click here to register.

EcoRite at NBM Show

Last week I walked the NBM trade show in Baltimore. Every year or so I like to walk this show to see if there are any new and interesting products on the market. Since the NBM Show covers screen printing, apparel, digital graphics, signs and awards/engraving, I thought I may see a few things worthwhile.

Unfortunately, there were few companies that exhibited and even fewer that had anything interesting to offer. I did however talk to a company called EcoRite Imaging who sells a variety of so called eco-friendly substrates that are worth taking a look at http://www.ecoriteimaging.com/. They have 3 different products lines which are biodegradable plastics engineered to attract microbes that efficiently break down the polymers.

Green Trade Arcticles

Sign and Digital Graphics magazine has publish a couple of articles in their May and June issues relating to green in signage. I always enjoy reading articles focusing on green in trade publications and getting a feel for what the writers feel the majority of readers are interested in.

The May issue has an article titled Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This article has an interesting chart of materials that are said to be green. The June issue has a follow up article titled Lean, Mean and Oh So Green.

ISA Suppiers and Distributors Conference

The ISA held its 3rd annual Suppliers and Distributors Conference last month in Bloomingdale, IL. The purpose of this event is for manufactures and distributors to get together and discuss industry related topics.

As you can imagine, the economy was the topic of many discussions and presentations. Green was also discussed and certainly stirred up some interesting conversations.

Unfortunately I think that with the economy the way it has been for the first two quarters this year, many people of the distribution and supply side are not as focused on green or environmental issues as one would like. The lack of enthusiasm toward these initiatives was disappointing, but on the positive side, those of us that are trying to push the green envelope gained some insight what others in the industry thought.

Most people are really uninformed about what green means and what it has to do with the sign industry. Many people are not very familiar with what is going on in the design community and in the building industry - the things that are going on around us that ultimately impact our businesses. At Nova we have been trying to get people to understand that signage is part of a bigger entity and that outside forces ultimately impacts us.

I believe there is hope for significant change in the material and processes that define the sign industry but it will take a committed effort to get it done. Industry events such as the Supplier/Distributors conference are valuable ways to spend time with peers and discuss real topics that are occurring. These are the types of events that help push people and let's them see what other around them are successfully doing.

The ISA along with the SEGD have a lot of influence with their members. Industries look to the trade organizations for leadership and direction into where the industry is going. Both the ISA and SEGD have taken steps towards promoting environmental efforts and need to continually lead the way for their members by providing relevant resources and information while working together to ensure that the design, fabrication and manufactures are all working together towards the same end goal.

Green Buzz Webinar

By the Numbers: Greening Your Business Operations July 22, 2009 - 11am ET

In this 50-minute session, sponsored by IBM, Joel Makower will join four industry leaders to discuss how companies are putting analytical tools to work as a competitive advantage in addressing environmental challenges, from waste reduction and energy efficiency to strategies for reducing greenhouse gases, toxic emissions, and water use.

The webinar takes place live on Wednesday, July 22 at 11am Eastern Time; follow this link to sign up:

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102645310005&s=71063&e=001O3Rs2xY8NOWmtgDOmF430Z5IRuRuaW1KMCrg8f7n1D5xQTw7ptATIeOrhwMfLUuwnj5XSF_fk1p2dJwzUJTVqt70opyc4C5V7ZFlauvWLE-tQ3iQn4YCRWivn304lPU_ZXE4R0e7f_FX3EJlCI6f84haL9KABWRJCzvitVH19aQA7T8h-bDn6fTnNISrtvbNzq-I2KXvPgQ=

SEGD Green Resource Site

Last week the SEGD Green Committee met to discuss the long awaited SEGD Green Resource Site. The site will be part of the SEGD website and will have a great deal of information relating to green design, materials and methodology.

The Green Resource Site is part of the overall green education program the SEGD is launching and will coincide with several workshops, teleconferences, magazine articles and white papers. In The Green Resource Site you will find things like

- Case studies

- Bibliography of books, websites, organizations, certifications

- Glossary of terms

- Wiki

- White Papers

- The Complete Audit

I will be posting updates with related information as we move through the remainder of the year. The Green Resource Site is scheduled to go live early this fall. Stay tuned and remember that if you have something to share, please don't hesitate!

Top 100 Green Design Firms

This month ENR has published a list of The Top 100 Green Design Firms in the US. The group generated $2.85 billion dollars in revenue in 2008, an increase of 63.9% over $1.74 billion in 2007. This number is based on the revenue generated for projects actively seeking third-party certification from groups like USGBC.

Follow this link to the news story in Architectural Record. There are links to an article describing the Top 100 on the ENR website. There is also the list of the top 100 and a few interesting comments on the Top 100 that are worth taking a look at.

TOP 20

1. HOK, St. Louis, Mo.
2. URS Corp., San Francisco, Calif.
3. Perkins+Will, Chicago, Ill.
4. AECOM Technology Corp., Los Angeles, Calif.
5. HKS Inc., Dallas, Texas
6. Gensler, San Francisco, Calif.
7. HDR, Omaha, Neb.
8. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, Portland, Ore.
9. Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., Raleigh, N.C.
10. Tetra Tech Inc., Pasadena, Calif.
11. LPA Inc., Irvine, Calif.
12. Perkins Eastman, New York, N.Y.
13. SmithGroup Inc., Detroit, Mich.
14. Callison, Seattle, Wash.
15. KlingStubbins, Philadelphia, Pa.
16. Corgan Associates Inc., Dallas, Texas
17. RMJM, New York, N.Y.
18. Anshen+Allen Architects, San Francisco, Calif.
19. RTKL Associates Inc., Baltimore, Md.
20. Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Mo.

Paper Stone

There are two series of recycled paper-based PaperStone products: 1) 'Original', which is made from 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard and 2) 'Certified',is made from 100% post-consumer standard office paper. It has been certified through the Smartwood program of the Rainforest Alliance to meet FSC standards.

PANEL SIZE
The standard PaperStone panel is 60" x 144". Other panel sizes are available.

PANEL THICKNESS
PaperStone panels are available in 3/4", 1" and 1-1/4" thicknesses.

Click here for the Paper Stone Information Guide

The “Six Sins of Greenwashing”

TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. published a 'Green Paper' in November 2007 titled The “Six Sins of Greenwashing”.

Most of us are aware of all the greenwashing that is occurring across all industry today in light of the growing demand for environmentally conscious products. Terra Choice conducted a survey of big box stores and identified over 1,000 products making over 1,700 environmental claims. They found six consistent misleading patterns - The "Six Sins of Greenwashing"

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off - Is the "green" claim restricted to just one, or a narrow set of environmental issue(s)?

2. Sin of No Proof - Does the claim help me find more information and evidence?

3. Sin of Vagueness - Is the environmental and scientific meaning of the claim specific and self-evident? If not, is the specific meaning given?

4. Sin of Irrelevance - Could all of the other products in this category make the same claim?

5. Sin of Fibbing - When I check up on it, is the claim true?

6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils - Is the claim trying to make consumers feel "green" about a product category that is of questionable environmental benefit?

This paper is a very interesting read and does a good job classifying many of the things we often see in the market place. The paper also offers insight into how to market your product correctly and offers many resources and links.

CLICK HERE to view The "Six Sins of Greenwashing"

APCO Invenergy Project

APCO, Atlanta, GA, recently created exterior identification signage for six Invenergy wind farms in Texas and New York. Invenergy is the largest independent wind energy developer in the United States.

According to APCO's recent news release "Sign designer Steve Kismohr of Harley Ellis Devereaux in Chicago was looking for an exterior sign solution that was modular and long lasting and APCO's PolySign system was a perfect fit. With a 7-year warranty and an even longer expected life span, the signs will withstand the elements to provide a lasting solution. When and if changes to the signs are needed, the removable panels are easily refurbished.For the Camp Springs Energy Center in Scurry County Texas, Invenergy elected to install its main identification sign on a large granite boulder (above right) which was already on site, an eco friendly solution eliminating the need for custom fabrication and providing a unique look. The Camp Springs Energy Center itself consists of 87 GE 1.5 SLE wind turbines and generates 130.5 MW of electricity, enough to power 50,000 homes."

Growing Packaging?

Last week I attended East Pak at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC. One the things I was looking for was new and innovative packaging materials.

Many companies cliamed they were green and some did have intresting things. One company however stood out from the rest, Ecovative Design. This company has developed 2 unique products; Greensulate organic insulation material and EcoCradle which is a compostable packaging material made with renewable resources.

- EcoCradle™ can be produced in almost any shape or size with minimal retooling, using less energy in production and creating less manufacturing waste.

- EcoCradle™ isn't comprised of fossil fuels and requires very little energy to produce.

- EcoCradle™ utilizes neglected resources from local waste streams.

- EcoCradle™ is meant to be thrown away. Throw it in the trash or your garden as a fertilizer.

This product caught my attention as the campnay that is producing it has a great philoshy and they are really working on devloping real products with a real environmental impact. Click Here for more info on EcoCreative Design

What's your Green Message?

What is your Green message? What do the signs you design and build say about you and your company? Are you pushing new ideas on your customers and creating change in the sign world?

I have a good friend who says that to be successful at anything in life you must give people what they need, not necessarily what they want. This philosophy applies to the signs we design and build everyday.

Pushing clients toward modularity and other environmentally friendly methodologies is not always easy but it must be done in order to start changing the way the industry operates. Over the last few years things have changed to where a story can be built around the "why" something needs to be a specific way - long term cost savings, energy reduction, PR etc.

So, do your clients know your Green message?