Big news! We're incredibly excited to announce our official membership in the Environmental Paper Network, joining the like of Green Press Initiative, Environmental Defense Fund, and many other nonprofits working toward a greener paper industry. Re-nourish is the first graphic design-focused organization to join the EPN and as such, ensures the graphic designer's voice will be included in the conversation currently underway throughout the supply chain. Read on for the full press release... San Francisco, CA; Champaign IL; Boston, MA – Sustainable graphic design resource Re-nourish.com has joined the Environmental Paper Network, a diverse coalition of leading environmental groups, in an effort to … Read More>
Eric's latest BP culture jamming piece "Violi" will be on display tomorrow at the Krannert Art Museum (Champaign, IL - University of Illinois) until September 26, 2010. The opening for this show starts at 5 PM CST and ends at 7 PM. -- I oppose British Petroleum's plans to dramatically increase the pollution it releases into Lake Michigan from its refinery in Whiting, Indiana – plans which call for 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more solid waste to be dumped into Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes account for 95 percent of the surface freshwater in the U.S. and provide drinking water for more than… Read More>
Designers, Drinks & Social Change this month is going to be Series II from the topic: "Are Designers Becoming Obsolete?" Designers, Drinks & Social Change this month is going to be Series II from the topic: "Are Designers Becoming Obsolete?" WHEN: August 19th, 2010 WHERE: http://www.tokbox.com/tiltstudioinc/ddsc … Read More>
My poster "Drill Spill Kill" will be on display at the Great Oil Leak Show August 6-7 at Bricks and Bombs in Baton Rouge, LA and August 14- September 14 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette, LA. The poster will be printed on 100% PCW New Leaf Everest 70# text. This poster and others in the show of similar political rhetoric will be on sale for $20. The proceeds will help support Gulf Aid of Acadiana … Read More>
You have been invited to listen in to our first D… Read More>
We're excited to announce that we won the 16th Annual Communicator Award of Excellence for an Activist Website. What does all this mean for Re-nourish? Well, it always feels good to get a nod, because it helps reinforce that all the hard work is totally worth it. Although our goal at Re-nourish has not been to collect awards (even though the competitive me still thinks it's fun), but rather to get our online tools and resources into the hands of working designers everywhere. Awards like this one help us get noticed so we can do this more effectively. The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), an organization of professionals from various disciplines of the… Read More>
We're super excited to be named one of HOW's Top Ten Sites for Designers! They're digging the waste reduction calculator (the only one of its kind made just for graphic design projects), and our greener printer database. Both of which we have big plans for in the future. And both of which are free to use right now! I also happen to be a huge fan of some of the other folks on the top ten list, like Alan Ariail's Art of Hand L… Read More>
In the fall of 2009, Eric Benson's senior studio class at the University of Illinois embarked on a service learning project to brand and give life to the Sustainable Student Farm that is 100% funded by student fees. The farm is designed to eventually be self-sustaining providing fruits and vegetables to one of the largest university cafeterias in the United States: Ikenberry Commons. After months of hard work, even after the class had ended, the students launched the farm's website: … Read More>
We're excited to announce a new semi-regular column here on the Re-nourish blog! Ask Re-nourish is your chance to ask that burning question about sustainable graphic design, ink, paper, printing, and so on. We'll do the research, consult the experts, and give you the answers you need. Just email ask@re-nourish.com with your question! Do you know of any companies that can offer us a better deal on paper that has less of an impact on the environment than what we current… Read More>
In case you missed the tweets (you are following us, right?), we're super-stoked to be featured in the May issue of HOW Design! As one of the leading magazines for professional graphic designers, HOW is an incredible resource with all an around awesome editorial team. We're honored to be included. [Download the full article] … Read More>
On Saturday May 15, 2010 the AIGA response_ability Conference (hosted by Bowling Green University) will start in Toledo, OH. Our very own Eric Benson was the acting Sustainability Chair, tasked to make sure print and material decisions reflected the guiding principles of sustainability (and of course here at Re-nourish!) He will also be moderating a roundtable discussion on graphic designers and systems design. Speakers at the conference include: Joshua Onysko, Rick Valicenti, Nathan Shedroff, Robyn Waxman, Barbara Sudick and Rick Poynor. --- If you feel so inclined … Read More>
Brian Dougherty, Principal at Celery Design Collective and author of Green Graphic Design will be presenting in Eric's Design Methodology class Monday April 19, 2010 at 1 PM at the University of Illinois. He will be discussing his book and the future of graphic design. The talk is funded by the Office of Sustainability at the University of Illinois and the … Read More>
Forgive us while we diverge slightly from our usual focus on graphic design. Our own Eric Benson was asked to participate in a formal debate last week, in which he took the "no" side to the above question. I've taken the liberty of asking Eric for his opening remarks, because I think they apply significantly to what we graphic designers do, as well. You can listen to the full debate, which runs about an hour, at your leisure (fair warning: you may encoutner a circular argument or two, some general untruths, and a little mic feedback). "Good evening. “Is Sustainability killing Ar… Read More>
To all who took a few minutes out of their Saturday morning (in the US) and evening (in the UK/China/etc.) to watch my quick explanation of our site – thank you! It was quite an honor to be asked to participate in such a highly regarded lecture series – TEDx. To be honest, despite giving dozens of talks in and outside of the classroom, I was truly nervous before getting on stage. However, as I truly believe in the mission of Re-nourish, once the slides/timer started, I let my excitement for the topic at hand take over. After the talk ended I received a lot of positive feedback and a number of messages from our Facebook group… Read More>
You've only got a couple days left to submit your poster to the Green Patriot Poster project, a communications effort run by the very cool Canary Project: During World War II the United States was able to mobilize industry and motivate its citizens in breathtaking speed. Factories were overhauled and consumption habits transformed. Strong, graphically compelling posters played a crucial role in the success of this campaign. These posters presented the actions of individual citizens as … Read More>
As the Pepsi Refresh Everything competition draws to a close,* the three of us have been doing a ton of talking, reflecting, questioning, and planning (and the occasional heavy drinking). As with our previous foray into the world of social media popularity contests, we’ve been grappling with the question of what is the best approach to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish? Which is, at it’s most simple, to build an efficient organization tasked with making graphic design a more sustainable industry. That aim has gotten more complicated as we’ve gone through the planning and strategizing required for grant funding, legal paperwork filing, and so on. While a Refresh Everything gran… Read More>
As part of the "Electronics and Sustainability: Design for Energy and Environment" symposium being held today on the University of Illinois campus, Re-nourish's own Eric Benson will be moderating a panel from 2:45-4:45 CST. The panel will focus on how academia and industry can collaborate through research to solve the many environmental issues connected to the technology industry (e.g. e-waste). The panel will feature: Willie Cade (PC Rebuilders and Recyclers) Jim Lynch (TechSoup Global) Chris Newman (Environmental Protection Agency) Mark Newton (Dell Computer) William Olson (Motorola) De… Read More>
Re-nourish member studios are a special bunch (no, not that kind of special). We're all essentially working toward similar goals: do good work, don't mess up the world in the process. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised to discover that Re-nourish is so well-represented in Peleg Top and Jonathan Cleveland's recently released Designing for the Greater Good: The Best in Cause-Related Marketing and Nonprofit Design. "Designing for the Greater Good...offer[s] readers insight into some of the best nonprofit branding campaigns to ever hit the market, featuring twenty-four inspiring case studies and hun… Read More>
If you're in New York this week, you may want to stop by the Center Gallery at Fordham University to see the gallery's current exhibition, Visual Voices: the Freedom of Expression. On display are posters from fifteen artists and designers, including the likes of Luba Lukova, the Guerilla Girls, and...get this...Jess Sand. It's pretty snazzy to be included with such good company. But you'll need to hurry, because the exhibition closes Wednesday, Feb. 10. Visual Voices: The Freedom of Expression Center Gallery, Fordham University Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street | New Yo… Read More>
Eric Benson and fellow researcher/educator Peter Fine (New Mexico State University) will be presenting their article entitled: "Sustainable Design Education Rethought: The Case for Eco-Modernism" at the Fourth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices. The conference will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 13 – 15 of February, 2010. The talk by Benson & Fine will occur on Saturday, February 13 from 4:15 – 4:45 PM in Room 5. To attend the talk you must register for th… Read More>
Opening on February 12, 2010 (6-9 PM) at Gallery 125 in Trenton, NJ, "Art D'Eco" will feature the artistic works of 24 emerging artists that create using recycled or recyclable materials. Re-Nourish's Eric Benson will be showing a newer piece entitled "Caffeinated Lamp" made of recycled Starbucks coffee sleeves, used Ikea allen wrenches, fabric made of recycled glass, and an overturned and empty Frappuccino bottle. If you live in the area, take some time to stop by and enjoy the show. &nb… Read More>
This is it. We made the initial cut and are now eligible for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant. But we need your help. We know you're constantly bombarded by "asks" these days, whether from businesses or nonprofits, or just walkin' down the street. But we shamelessly need your vote. If you're sick of having to sift through the greenwash to get to the real information about sustainable design, if you're looking for tools to make designing easier, if you want to see your industry stay competitive in a rapidly changing economy, then please, help us grow. The bulk of the money will go toward … Read More>
Letters to the editor tend to be pretty reactionary. And I tend to ignore them, even when I disagree vehemently. But I read one recently in GD USA (a graphic design trade magazine) that really got to me, and so I fired off a response. They published it. The original letter that set me off actually had some valid points. The writer was essentially calling out the "hypocrites" of green design, which I really, really appreciate. Of course, the hypocrites the letter-writer was referring to were the designers featured in the previous issue of the magazine (myself included). Kinda hit close to home, I suppose. Here's just part of my response: … Read More>
Our own Eric Benson serves as a faculty member advisor (at the University of Illinois) for the International E-Waste Competition. The competition has officially opened for registration and will award a total of $16,000 US in two categories for a total of six monetary awards. Each category contains three separate awards: Platinum, Gold and Silver. More information is available on the official competition site and in this press coverage.… Read More>
Re-nourish needs your input!We're planning the core curriculum for a series of webinars on sustainable graphic design, and we need you to fill out this super-quick (five minutes, tops) survey to tell us what you'd like to see covered:Fill out Re-nourish's 10-question surveyPlease pass the link to your designer colleagues and fellow students - the more input we have, the more tailored the webinars will be.Thanks!… Read More>
Eric's article "The Intersection of Identity Within Pattern & Structure: A FLYSPACE Continuing Collaboration" is now online in the latest issue of Multi: The Journal of Diversity & Plurality in Design Vol.2, No.2. This article features two pieces of Eric's work "Shadow Dress" and "Recycled Table" that were created during a collaborative project entitled "FLYSPACE" with Lois Weinthal from Parsons New School in NYC and University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Lois, an architect/educator, and Eric, a graphic designer/educator/activist, were interested in a collaboration that didn… Read More>
This past year has left us a bit breathless. So breathless, in fact, we've often neglected keeping our readers updated on all the behind-the-scenes activity. So, in the spirit of transition, we thought we'd take a minute to recap and let you all know what you can expect from Re-nourish in 2010.What we've done so farWe've managed to accomplish a fair amount in 2009. Our merger with Rethink Design this summer resulted in a core team dedicated to delivering practical, reliable sustainable graphic design resources unlike any currently found online. Not only did we completely overhaul Re-nourish.com, we've laid the groundwork for a new organization whose primary aim is to break through the politics and platitudes of a tr… Read More>
Three posters from Eric's "Renewable Electrification Administration" series and a one-off printed entitled "The Future Will Be Decentralized" will be on display at the "Hello!": Graphic Design Group Invitational at the John A. Day Gallery at the University of South Dakota. The show opens January 11, 2010 and runs two weeks until January 29. If you are in the area, the reception will take place on January 22. "Hello!" is the first exhibit of Graphic Design work at the John A. Day Gallery and will feature posters fro… Read More>
Two pieces "Recycled Table" (made from recycled steel, reused glass, and industrial felt) and "Shadow Dress" (organic cotton) will be showcased at the Connexion Gallery's "Less is More: 2010" opening December 4th, 2009 in Dunwoody, GA. If you're in the area, the show opens at 5:30 PM EST and will remain on display until January 31, 2010. (See more images from these two pieces here.) Show description for "Less is More: 2010" – maybe more important today than ever before as it challenges our tradition and cultural self-perception. Influence of climate changes o… Read More>
As the creators of Re-nourish.com, the industry's most comprehensive free and independent sustainable graphic design resource, we're extremely proud to announce that we did not win the Cooper Hewitt People's Design Award on October 22. We're proud because being voted into the top three amid such established design minds as Ideo, Frog Design, and nearly 200 other firms represents a significant public endorsement of Re-nourish's mission, and a challenge by working designers everywhere to reconsider the status quo's current definition of "good design."Re-nourish feels strongly that the design industry needs to mov… Read More>
Help Re-nourish Spread the Word! Re-nourish is constantly updated and expanded based on the input we get from stakeholders at every point on the supply chain. And we've gotten a lot of input - overwhelmingly positive, thankfully. In fact, Re-nourish is now up for a Cooper Hewitt People's Choice Design Award! This is particularly exciting for us not so much for the win itself, but because if Re-nourish was to win this award - from such a venerable institution, and the People's Choice at that - we think it would send a really strong message to both the rest of the industry and the public at large that sustainable design is truly, fun… Read More>
Ever since Re-nourish launched this site anew, offering practical tools and comprehensive learning around sustainable graphic design, we've been consistently humbled by the positive responses we've received. It's clear that designers at all levels, and those who work with them, are hungry for straight talk and real information. But to do this legitimately - without greenwashing and without catering to special interests - we have to answer some seriously complex questions. What impacts should be considered? How should those impacts be measured? Where should the bar be set? Who should get a say? How do we integrate the efforts of others without reinventing the wheel? These questions often put us in the position of challenging conv… Read More>
We got the good word this weekend that Re-nourish placed third in AIGA's (re)designAwards competition, which recognizes "those designers whose work best represents an environmentally and socially sustainable approach in every element of their professional lives." We're obviously extremely excited to be recognized for our efforts - especially among such an impressive roster of winners - yet the three of us (myself, Eric Benson and Yvette Perullo) have found ourselves wondering aloud about the real implications of such an award.I've always been on the fence about awards competitions - I've never entered any of Roughstock'… Read More>
There are currently no universal, reliable Sustainable Graphic Design Standards(c) available to designers, their clients, or consumers -- no way to know, quickly, whether or not a project, or a studio, is legitimately sustainable. As a result, studios struggle to educate clients about their environmental efforts, clients don't know where to begin the decision-making process, and everyone ends up either confused, mislead, or just disgusted with the whole business. Re-nourish aims to change all that with our Sustainable Graphic Design Standards(c). We've developed a tiered set of standards that allows anyone to immediately place a given printed piece (or the studio that produced it) into a sustainable context. By providi… Read More>
