Because I founded AIGA Portland’s sustainability initiative two years ago and have worked to advance that program, I was asked to contribute a chapter to the book. My story is about wanting to do something to make a difference, and my personal journey of working within the design community to advance the cause of sustainable design by bringing this discussion to as many people as possible.

Sustainability is a hot topic that is just now starting to reach the interactive community, hence the focus on sustainability at the 2010 SXSW conference in one of the keynote addresses and in the “Greater Good” session track.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: VALERIE CASEY

Valerie Casey is the founder and Executive Director of the Designers Accord, a global coalition of designers, educators, and business leaders working together to create positive environmental and social impact.

In her keynote address, she stated “despite the fact the interactive community has been absent in conversation about sustainability… the interactive community will take the greatest leadership role moving forward”.

“By bringing the creative community together we can begin to look at sustainability,  and environmental issues, social issues and cultural issues with an entirely different perspective. One that brought creativity and optimism to bear instead of doom and gloom. The kind of doom and gloom that  paralyzes you. There’s no one of us in this room that can make a real change by ourselves. Instead we have to really depend on the collective and collective wisdom.”

“I believe that it’s the interactive community that’s gonna lead this movement next. It will require systems thinking and the interactive community are the ones that has that innate in their DNA way to look at systems problems. Sometimes we arbitrarily paint what we’re reponsible for in a narrow way to give us an excuse to not be responsible for what falls outside of that.”

“What would happen if our purpose was oriented towards cultural sustainability instead of commerce?” What if we used games to engage people in complex issues instead of dumbing things down? What if community strategy drove divergent thinking instead of group think? What if social media was actually about social impact? I think that the interactive community is the connective tissue between all of these universes. And we have this potential to be the bridge across all of these.”

After the keynote address at SXSW, Valerie posted this article on Fast Company to address the questions about what actions the interactive community can take now: Designing a Movement: Seven Principles for Sustainable Action

• Edited video recap: SXSW Valerie Casey keynote address

DIGITAL’S EMERGING ROLE IN UNCONSUMPTION

This session, led by Dr. Nita Rollins, Futurist at Resource Interactive, focused on the concept of unconsumption: actions and forces that reduce a consumer footprint.

PRESENTATION ON SLIDESHARE

Here are some of my notes from the session:

• During what is now called the “great recession”, non-traditional organizations like Goodwill, eBay and Craigslist experienced growth while traditional consumer outlets were struggling.
• There was an increase in buying used goods, swapping goods and bartering.
• For the job market, green jobs are growing at a rate of 2.5 times the rate of traditional jobs.
• Extremely conspicuous consumption is being replaced with a new frugality: the lazy environmentalist.
• The age of the super consumer is gone. Long live the unconsumer.
• One third of consumers are willing to pay more for the “green premium”.
• People are eager and curious about supporting their ideals, but they need information.
• Digital is the force that can bring people together, so why not use branding to promote unconsumption.
• The commercial imperative and the environmental imperative need to be merged.

Seven ways to reach the unconsumer:

1. offer no-holds barred sustainable marketing
2. create a rental system for one-time use items like bridesmaid dresses
3. sell vintage goods: selling old is the new new
4. prepare for consumer relations scrutiny. do your homework and don’t greenwash. back up your product information.
5. clarify sustainability for consumers: they want to know what they can do to make a difference
6. think about packaging in its deconstructed form (i.e., packaging that can be made into a useful products)
7. plan for recycling and upcycling: support swapping on-site

More info:

• Unconsumption
• The Journal of Murketing
• Rob Walker’s Unconsumption Project

In his book, Brian tells us how we can find and use better materials for print projects, reducing the impact of printing by specifying recycled paper with high post-consumer content, nontoxic inks, and learning how to eliminate waste on a press sheet. Beyond materials, there is the potential to actively help influence the strategies and ideas on projects, as well as change the behaviors of your audience, clients and peers.

“This book is a must read for designers who want to stay relevant in one of the most significant design opportunities of the 21st century” Clement Mok, designer, entrepreneur, AIGA Medalist

Presenters at the first SHIFT: A Green Salon

• Chris Erickson, Parliament: “Green Office Renovation”
• Matt Miali, B&B Print Source: “Is there such a thing as a sustainable printer?”
• Laura Whipple, Pinball Publishing: “The Wonderful World of Chipboard”
• Bram Pitoyo, W+K Media Laboratory/Typography Lover: “Tips/tricks for screen energy efficiency”
• Johnny Levenson, Designer: “The Creation Station: Kids creatively reusing materials to design their own toys”
• Martha Koenig, Art Director & Designer: “How to Make a 100% Organically Clichéd Green Ad”
• Jackie Scherer, User Experience Designer: “Lean Design for Information Flow”
• Kristin Rogers Brown, Creative Director at Oliver Wyman: Case Study: “Learning Journal” for OW Leadership Development
• Eric Hillerns, Pinch: “The five P’s in redefining Pinch. A Design Office. Process, Practice, Partners, People, and Pinch House.”

When we moved our business from Kansas City to Portland, we knew we were moving to one of America’s most ardent centers for sustainable living… from agriculture to recycling to LEED buildings. What we didn’t know was how deep sustainability’s roots go here. Every client we have worked with in Portland has touched on the subject of sustainability.

Reclaiming Neighborhoods || Located in Southeast Portland, Roots Realty works to find homes for people who love Portland and its many colorful neighborhoods. As we worked with Roots to develop their website, we learned how dedicated they are to reclaiming older homes and rebuilding inner city neighborhoods. Their own offices reflect this dedication with an extensive laundry list of sustainable attributes, which include retrofitting an oil furnace to heat their building using B99 Biodiesel which is over 99 percent renewable plant based oil, specifically non-GMO canola oil grown in Eastern Oregon. Their system even uses a locally made recycled steel fuel storage tank.

Finding Beauty in Nature || We also developed a website for Marsh & Fear Garden Solutions, a landscape design firm located in Portland’s John’s Landing neighborhood on the western bank of the Willamette River. Anne Marsh and Gary Fear are dedicated gardeners who work to bring their love of gardening and the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest to homes in the Portland region. Their knowledge of native plants is immense, which we learned first hand when they took us hiking in the Columbia River Gorge and pointed out all of the native species – from rhodies to bleeding hearts – that have always made their home in Oregon.

Reducing Your Footprint || Clearly, the most direct involvement we’ve had with sustainability came from our effort to develop and design a presentation on Portland’s green building leadership. We worked with PAE Engineers, Portland State University and the Portland chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council to prepare the supporting media for a talk PAE and PSU representatives gave at the international GreenBuild Conference in Chicago which told the story behind PSU’s LEED buildings (four currently and more in the works).

Sustainable systems are important to us. And we’re happy to be a part of what’s happening here in sustainable Portland.