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GO GREEN!
As a designer I must think about the environment so these are the principles which I stick by when doing my work. For more information on these articles go to the following links:
What You Can Do. co.uk
Climate Care.org
Green Sleeves by Computer Arts
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To be a greener designer is going to be a challenge for me but with the resources on the website and the helpful organisations out there I hope to spread the word (not preech) about designers thinking about climate change and other environmenal threats which in one way or another is caused by our design industry. |
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Use Less Electricity or Choose a Green Tariiff |
To reduce carboon footprints try to limit the electricity you use which will also save you money. The lights in your office should be energy-saving bulbs and turn them of when you are not in the room. Consider the power usage of your PC (greener Technology). Laptops use less power! Switch your PC and monitor off at the end of the day. Green electricity tariff maybe a good idea where some or all of your electricity comes from reneable soruces. What you can do! |
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Print Less or Re-use Paper |
Try to print less and make sure you recycle waste paper rather then throwing it straight in the bin. Try prinitng black and white for text documents and drafts and also using both sides of teh paper. If you can get your monitor calibrated and colour-matched you can look at soft-proofing documents on screen. |
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Buy Green products and use Green suppliers |
Where can I get more environmentally-friendly products from?
What do you buy for lunch? is it local and has no packaging.
Everyone loves a cuppa but is it Fair Trade tea and Coffee (thats not to say coffee and tea are good for the environment).
Vegetable ink and low-emission printers? maybe expensive but with enough support they will drop. |
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Use public transport or jump on your bike |
I know its an issue for people with wonderful cars but if its a short journye walk it or cycle. Good for the environment and you get some exercise away from staring at the computer monitor all day. Look at long-journey train travel which is good also because you have more time to do work on laptop and sketchpads. If you fly to see clients, you lucky things, try looking at offsetting your carbon emmissions at Climate Care. |
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Get involved and contribute to enviornemntal charities |
Come on people - spread the word. We are designers so we have the power to influence clients and other designers. For food look at gardening, local allotments and gardening courses. |
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Protect endangered forests from destruction |
Before you buy paper look at the certificated which should be on it. If it has certified symbols on it for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) then yippy. If not get the hell out there! FSC mixed sources link |
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Greener Technology |
Look at the following features on your computer:
Energy efficient!
Upgrades - are they recycled material and non toxic chemical composite
Energy Star Programme and TCO
Providing manufacturers with guidelines for energy efficiency in desktop computers.
HP (Hewlett Packard) joined WWF to "reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities worldwide..."
Apple have been recycling electronic equipment which they collected since 2001
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