RSA Animate - Drive

The illustration in these RSA Animate videos kicks so much ass. There’s a few of them making the rounds lately, but I thought I’d share this one which illustrates a talk on what motivates us. (Hint: it’s not necessarily money)

I wonder if they’re using IdeaPaint for a whiteboard.

What we’ve got here is a graphic from the website of French Paper Company highlighting their production of clean, renewable energy. President Jerry French had this to say about the company’s energy:

100 percent of French’s paper production since 1922 has been manufactured with hydroelectricity generated on-site at the French Mill on the bank of the St. Joe River, avoiding the use of fossil fuels and an estimated 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Also, unlike many of the big paper conglomerates, French does not buy secondhand ‘green power’ credits from power companies for good PR and environmental certifications. French actually sells surplus kilowatts back to the local power supplier.

Very impressive. Although, it would be great if I could find more info on the paper sources themselves, and which of French’s papers (if any) are FSC-certified.

The problem

In the wake of this week’s coal mining explosion which killed at least 25 miners, I was pretty shocked that it got so much news coverage. It’s definitely a huge tragedy, but I couldn’t help thinking about the devastating effects that coal has to the general public on a regular basis. According to this report, the burning of fossil fuels costs the U.S. roughly $120 billion a year in health costs and nearly 20,000 people die prematurely from its air pollution. Coal burning, it says, is the biggest single source of those external costs:

Those pollutants include small soot particles, which cause lung damage; nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog; and sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain.

And that’s not even taking CO2 into account, of which coal burning is also one of the largest emitters. Obviously we aren’t giving up on coal anytime soon. But the fact is, our dirty energy has so many hidden costs that if we were to pay anything close to the true cost it has on society, we would have surely found better alternatives by now.

The solution

So what can you do about it? Here it is, two easy-as-hell things you can do to cut down on dirty energy and actually save money in the process:

1. Your power company most likely has a renewable plan you can sign up for. Do it. We’re on Xcel Energy’s wind-powered plan at the 100% level, which actually costs only a fraction more than the standard plan. Doing so will help increase demand for renewables.
2. Conserve. I’m not talking about sitting around freezing in the dark. I’m just talking about reducing wasted energy. If you’re not using something, turn it off. Set the heat down at night. Install efficient lighting throughout your home. Stuff like that.

When we switched to the renewable plan we became just a little bit more conscious of our usage, and our bills actually went down! Win-win, right? Absolutely, but you have to actually do it. And so do millions other people. If you run a business, do it there too (it’s good marketing). Get people on board. Spread the word.

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(Image by Shepard Fairey)

Okay, this one’s a biggie. The Story of Stuff is an award-winning video packed with so much good information that classrooms across the country are now showing it to teach about consumption and sustainability. You may think you know enough about these issues by now, but trust me, you won’t regret watching this entertaining 20-minute video.

Here’s a short clip:

Be sure to watch the full video at www.storyofstuff.com. If there’s only one thing on the entire internet that I would suggest sharing with others, this would be it. There’s also a new Story of Stuff book available today.

Update: Author/narrator Annie Leonard was on The Colbert Report!

Productivity Future Vision

This is a pretty awesome video by Microsoft showing a glimpse of what our increasingly digital future will hold.

GOOD Business: Comet Skateboards

This is a cool video about Comet Skateboards, a company that proves being involved in the community and finding more sustainable production methods are also good for business.

Moxie Sozo

This week I had the pleasure of stopping by Moxie Sozo, a Boulder, CO based ad agency. They were a very gracious group of hard-working and extremely talented people. They’re also the first certified Zero Waste, 100% carbon neutral, 100% renewable-energy powered design and advertising firm in the world. That’s not only responsible, but a great marketing move.

Moxie Sozo is helping organize The Haiti Poster Project benefiting victims of the recent earthquake. Entries are due March 15th.

On Alex Bogusky’s latest FearLess QA show, the CP+B Chairman sat down with two guys from Green Garage, a Boulder start-up focused on helping you make your car run cleaner and more efficiently. It sounds like a bit of a marketing ploy since keeping your car running smoothly is ideally what all garages do. But these guys do sound like they’re taking extra steps to protect the environment, save you money, and cut down on unnecessary maintenance. They also come and pick up your car, which is awfully convenient.

Driving a car will never be a very “green” thing to do, and these guys admit that. But like just about everything else, it means there’s always room for improvement. I think it’s a cool thing they’re doing and it’s another cool project for CP+B to be involved with.

Proving time and again that green marketing is more about what you do than what you say, New Belgium Brewing has announced that the largest privately owned solar array in Colorado has gone live at their plant. I’ll drink to that!

SustainAble: a handbook of materials and applications for graphic designers and their clients

Whether graphic designers like it or not, our profession is not the most environmentally friendly. Aside from all the excess consumerism we may be contributing to, our print work can eat up a shit-ton of paper. And as much as we may push for recycled papers, our clients may not go for it. The key to sustainable print design is to educate yourself and your clients, and to understand how it can be environmentally and economically beneficial. This book can help us get there.

Available at: Amazon / Better World Books