GREEN PATRIOT POSTERS (Project Green/NOMAD Films) is being made into a documentary short film. And you can help Kickstart it!

Move America Forward

Energy Pioneer Solutions is a startup from Hastings, Nebraska that’s focused on local solutions to national problems. They’re an energy company, only they don’t drill, or frack, or remove mountaintops. Instead, they’re seeking to reverse more than three decades of rising energy costs in the residential and commercial property sectors with a very practical idea; to make our homes and buildings energy efficient.

To tighten them up. To put the power back in the hands of the homeowner, allowing them to save money, have a more comfortable home and to do the patriotic thing. After all, the greenest energy we have is the energy we don’t use.

It’s not as visually stimulating as a field full of wind turbines, but its effectiveness and just how easy it is to do makes it absolutely essential for how America moves forward. We’ve got a lot of old homes in this country. Homes that are drafty, inefficient and not doing anything to help make us a more secure nation. This company is doing something to change that.

At times it sounds too good to be true. It seems too easy. But that’s just because the program is that good.

I’ve worked with Energy Pioneer Solutions for over a year. It’s been great to be able to help tell their story and inspire people to sign up to be an Energy Pioneer. Now, with the New BLK involved, we’re looking to make Hastings the most energy efficient town in America. Stay tuned.

TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch Van Jones lays out a case against plastic pollution from the perspective of social justice. Because plastic trash, he shows us, hits poor people and poor countries “first and worst,” with consequences we all share no matter where we live and what we earn. At TEDxGPGP, he offers a few powerful ideas to help us reclaim our throwaway planet.

TED2004 In James Howard Kunstler’s view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about. (An oldie but a goodie.)

Green Patriot Posters the book edited by Dmitri Siegel & Edward Morris

IMAGES FOR A NEW ACTIVISM

Green Patriot Posters the book was released at the end of 2010, a year tied for the warmest on record with 1998 and 2005. The book brings together the strongest contemporary graphic design currently promoting sustainability and the fight against climate change at a time when one of America’s political parties is looking to rewrite the Clean Air Act so that it can’t be used to fight that very same climate change.

The book showcases 50 posters selected from the project Website in detachable, ready to hang format. It’s edited by Edward Morris and Dmitri Siegel and includes text by Michael Bierut, Thomas L. Friedman, Steven Heller, Edward Morris, Dmitri Siegel and Morgan Clendaniel. In addition to the site and the book, Cleveland saw bus adverts by Michael Beirut, Dorchester was home to a public art campaign and San Francisco had bus shelter placement thanks to some successful crowdfunding.

Green Patriot Posters {dot} ORG

Bierut Bus in Cleveland

Bike Your City Bus Shelter by Jason Hardy in San Francisco

Green Patriot Posters Reinvigorate Environmental Message at Wired and the Destroy This Book excerpt can be found at Design Observer. Most People just don’t get climate change. Few grasp the need and more important, the opportunity to transform our society. So the people who do get it need to be louder, more insistent and more effective at getting the message across. Certainly a very true statement.

For our part, Jason and myself were both included in the book alongside some of the finest poster designers working today: Shepard Fairey, Joe Scorsone and Alice Drueding, Felix Sockwell and Jame Victore. Power to the Poster in general was well represented.

Inside spread

Jason Hardy | Let’s Ride

• A bicycle is a beautifully simple machine. Two wheels, a frame, and a crank — that’s all you need. So I wanted to make a simple poster celebrating one of those key components — the wheel. The call to action is simple: Let’s Ride. I chose a light green for the background to touch on the environmental benefits of cycling and also because, as we all know, green means go. Cutting carbon can be fun, too — get a crew and let’s ride!

Let's Ride by Jason Hardy

Justin Kemerling | (Re)Make America

• I think about the idea of America a lot. The history of things. How we got here and where we want to go. It’s been a long process in working towards becoming the land of opportunity with freedom and justice for all, and the whole bit. And we have such a long way to go. It’s brick by brick. It’s DIY. So pick up your talents and get to it. Until your hands hurt. This image of the “America in bricks” found it’s way into my design work, really speaking to the idea that many parts make a whole. Optimistic. Hopeful. Good reason to get your hands calloused.

(Re)Make America by Justin Kemerling

The book itself is a perfect combination of beautiful design and sustainable production. From the back cover:

• Every effort was made to produce this book in the most sustainable way possible. The trim size and page count were chosen to minimize waste; the book was printed using 100% wind power on paper made from 100% post-consumer waste fiber; and it was printed in the U.S.A. to reduce fuel consumption in shipping. Yes, this cost more. But suck it up. It’s worth it.

Published by Metropolis Books. 9.5 x 12.5 in. / 128 pgs / 50 tear-out posters and available for purchase at Artbook for $30.

WWII era posters: project inspiration.

This project, and many others like it, are so very important. Especially at a very contentious time, when taking on Climate Change just isn’t an issue many Americans are interested in addressing. It’s all Economy all of the time. And half of our elected officials don’t even think Climate Change is a) caused by our human use of fossil fuels, or worse yet b) happening at all. This project is directly inspired from World War II era posters that called for collective action, for the nation to come together to fight a common enemy. But if it was today’s America that had to fight that war, I’m not so sure we’d do very well, especially with the coming together part.

WWII era posters: more inspiration.

These messages coming from our leadership today; to be wise, careful, to use leftovers and to grow your own food would not stand. The cries of communism and socialism and conspiratorial leftist plots would abound. They pretty much do whenever any government initiative is undertaken. Remember the backlash to Michelle Obama’s wonderful organic garden; it just needs to get off our back and leave us to our God-given right to be fat, lazy and drive up health care costs faster than you can say high-fructose corn syrup.

But as communication design efforts on many fronts take on what really matters; raising money for doctors in Haiti, advocating an end to the death penalty, calling out the imperative of reversing the push into poverty by so many in this great recession, things do change. Money gets raised, public opinion becomes more compassionate, communities come together. These projects shine a light in a compelling way on the issues we need to be thinking about very seriously. It’s design as a way to shout how things need to be and what we want our future to look like. And, of course, they inspire the creation of a sustainable movement for a green tomorrow which is a very American, very patriotic thing to do.

You can call sustainability a movement. There are signs that things are getting better. We might even be approaching sustainability as “the way things must be because that’s the way it is,” with complete infiltration into every aspect of everything — energy, food, buildings, transportation, and on and on. It’s as if a grand realization is upon us. Deep down we know we can’t carry on like this. With such levels of pollution, inequality and injustice, we’ll all collectively have the “aha” moment, get a grip and use our vast quantities of creativity to remake America and our world community into a bright place for everyone to call home.

With hot years and heated debates about the action we need to take, we need more projects like Green Patriot Posters — more vision from creative individuals to inspire us along the way to that sustainable future. Otherwise, it could be the rising tides that sink all ships.

For now, you can buy this book, destroy this book and pick a side because the tone of the debate and the levels of action needed are only going to get more intense. And we do indeed need to get louder, more insistent and more effective at getting the message across.

– Justin Kemerling, Designer. justinkemerling.com

PRESS:

The Guardian UK, January 25, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2011/jan/25/green-patriot-posters

Wired, November 15, 2010:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/11/green-patriot/

PBS News Hour, Art Beat, January 6, 2011:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2011/01/green-patriots-get-straight-to-the-message-with-enviro-friendly-poster-art.html

Metropolis Mag, October 20, 2010:
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20101020/patriot-acts

Design Observer, November 22, 2010:
http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=22558

GOOD, December 15, 2010
http://www.good.is/post/green-patriot-posters-the-best-submissions/

Le Monde, October 30, 2010
http://ecologie.blog.lemonde.fr/2010/10/30/aux-etats-unis-lecologie-mise-a-laffiche/
http://veille.agence-limite.fr/green-patriot-posters-quand-des-affiches-vint

Four Streams of Integrated Sustainability

The Living Principles for Design aim to guide purposeful action, celebrating and popularizing the efforts of those who use design thinking to create positive cultural change. It’s a framework. And a roadmap. With a good amount of resources, connections to other important efforts and the beginnings of an active online community, this site (a very nice-looking site) should become the place for everyone working and thinking in the world of sustainable design.

creative action for collective good

In October 2009, the Designers Accord convened over 100 progressive individuals from academic and professional institutions all over the world for two days of highly participatory discussion, planning and action around the topic of design education and sustainability. The main activity was small-group brainstorming focused on answering these questions:

via Core77.

SPUR's Agenda for Change

Included in the Meeting of the Minds 2010 conference was a presentation by Gabriel Metcalf from SPUR. Focusing on the innovations we need for more sustainable cities, the conference was a gathering of leading thinkers, architects, designers, political officials, policy experts, environmental advocates, urban planners, leading foundations, community activists, and on and on. There was a lot covered in two days that I’ll write more on this week. But one of the most engaging presentations was from Gabriel on the work of SPUR. Their Agenda for Change includes Community Planning, Disaster Planning, Economic Development, Good Government, Housing, Regional Planning, Sustainable Development and Transportation. It’s really worth exploring further.

via www.angelamorelli.com

Angela is an Italian designer. She has great work. She believes that a sustainable behavior is not only dependent on the likes of few people who avoid letting water run for hours while having a shower.  There must be a social infrastructure to support them.  Information Design plays an irreplaceable role in that direction, in order to educate people, to visualize complex topics making them accessible to a non technical audience, and to raise awareness on issues we cannot witness with our own eyes. Here, she shares some precious advice for the design of a correct poster for GOOD50x70.

The Steady State Economy project is a friendly info-graphic representation of eco-economist Herman Daly’s work on a sustainable economic system.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/oprah-earth-day-special-v_n_546852.html

This is post #2 of the “um… internet explosion” section of our Match Factory blog. In honor of planet earth, celebrate with these sustainable ideas. Enjoy.

BEGIN HERE:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/oprah-earth-day-special-v_n_546852.html

–>

http://www.theplastiki.com/

–>

http://www.theplastiki.com/lessisthenewmore/

–>

http://www.smarterplanetllc.com/

–>

http://www.adventureecology.com/

–>

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2010/sustainable-futures

PLASTIC 101

http://www.theplastiki.com/

http://www.theplastiki.com/lessisthenewmore/

http://www.smarterplanetllc.com/

http://www.adventureecology.com/

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2010/sustainable-futures

And there you have it.

The Third Teacher Book

The stack of books I need to read just keeps growing. I haven’t made a dent in awhile. So starting now until the end of summer I’m really going to get after it. The Third Teacher is first up. A project from Bruce Mau Design, it looks at designing today’s schools for tomorrow’s world and includes 79 ways design can transform learning and teaching. It’s a lovely book full of optimism and hope. From Let the sunshine in to Get eco-educated to Put the fun in fundamentals to Dream big and be brave, the efforts of committed individuals are indeed having positive impact. Now add to this list. 

Community Connections Section

Idea 34. Imagine like a child

Personal pledge cards for our community group Lincoln Green by Design.

This article is part of The Volunteer Design Chronicles appearing on Design Observer.

On a random weekend evening my wife and I decided to sit down and write some lines about environmental stewardship. They turned into personal pledge cards for a community organization I got myself involved with called Lincoln Green by Design. The cards were designed in an eco-friendly way, made out of paper scraps from past print runs. The messages were both sustainable and witty. One of my personal favorites was “I will eat local. Food not people.” Right up there with “I will stop (using plastic sacks) in the name of love.”

Our small effort was just one part of a bunch of other small efforts by a handful of dedicated creative people who jumped in and helped make this loose collection of concerned citizens into something worthy of attention.

There has never been a budget. No real hierarchy. Certainly no hard, fast timelines. The only thing we could count on was a monthly meeting led by our group’s founder. But what started as a four-page outline of goals/actions has became a visible advocate for a sustainable future in our city.

Now, in terms of visual communications, taking on the design of such a group has been an exercise in volunteering where a designer is just another citizen. And the messy workings of a community organization has led to both “pull your hair out” and “stand up and cheer.” How the identity design has worked shows it’s possible, with extremely limited resources and a good amount of stubborn dedication, to make something happen in your community. Right now. Today. There’s a good chance any given area has people who are good at graphic design, illustration, Web design, programming, writing, event planning, connection making, community organizing, public speaking and joke telling and want to get their hands dirty. Put all those together and you’ve got something that’s ready for positive impact.

1.5 inch buttons. Strength in numbers.

Here’s a quick rundown on how this all came together: I sign up for an email list at which time I find out about a gathering of like-minded environmentalists, so I go. I get invited to dinner the next night to talk about a new organization that’s starting. I get briefed at the dinner. It’s a group that wants to get our local government to think sustainably and in the long-term. The usual things are needed first: logo, brand, Web site, etc. It’s an exciting endeavor that I decide to help in any way I can. I go to my first lunch meeting with a group of about 15 people. We all sit around a big table and discuss our goals. I present my concepts. We discuss. Everybody has their say. We decide on a direction. I finalize things and we have a design.

As things have unfolded, I’ve become a firm believer in a community’s ability to come together and work toward a common goal for a greater good. This group is committed to making our city green by design. And with our intentions and our efforts, we will help Lincoln get there.

Several other designers started getting involved. Brochures and posters were designed. Illustrations were created. Events were planned to showcase LEED architecture. A printer who is working at becoming the greenest printer in Nebraska lent its services. A local design firm offered to build our site. A wildly successful Earth Day celebration was planned and executed.

Screenprint Posters. Power Lincoln Forever.

LEED in Lincoln Event Postcards.

LincolnGreenbyDesign.com: A community hub.

And, of course, we Facebook. Even the Mayor’s Sustainability Coordinator has taken note of the impact our little band of volunteers has had thus far and recognizes the important role we can play in shaping our future policies.

Friend us on Facebook.

What makes me smile when I think about where this group is at today, is just how haphazard, random and messy the whole process has been. Opinions differ. Signals get crossed. Ideas misunderstood. Commitments broken. Meetings forgotten about. Balls dropped. There are false starts and missteps. People move away or stop coming to meetings. New people enter the mix. We of course talk a good game which sometimes leads to that feeling that we aren’t getting anything done. All the while, slowly trudging along.

We aren’t the most efficient group around. And the design process is constantly in flux. But we have certainly built something. The design apparatus that is Lincoln Green by Design holds the thinking and activism of a volunteer community of dedicated individuals who intend to leave the world better than we found it.

Working for a sustainable Lincoln and Lancaster County.

We are a small part of a global movement working on a local level to create a sustainable future. It’s the kind of effort that’s important enough to bring in talented people who are ready to role up their sleeves and get to work. And who have a sunny enough disposition to keep at it when things go a little haywire or our budget of zero goes more into the red. It’s about community. It’s about people coming together to make change where they live. And it’s certainly something my wife and I can get behind. Enough so that we write lines about not eating local people on the weekend.

All of the work shown here are collaborative efforts between a very dedicated group of community-minded creative people. Many thanks to Katie Kemerling, Ashley Rolf, Kevin Fitzgerald, Brad Kindler, Ken Johnson, Miriah Zajic and A to Z Printing, Clint! Runge and Brandon Miller from Archrival, Christine Hunt, Stuart Long, Tyler Mainquist, Dan King, David Ochsner, Cecil Steward and the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities.

– Justin Kemerling, Designer. justinkemerling.com

Majora Carter visits Omaha. Design by Metro Community College.

The Environmental and Community Design of Majora Carter 

“We create an environment where all dreams can thrive.” How’s that for a 21st century definition of environmentalism? I was able to see Majora speak at the Green Constitutional Congress (part of Dialog:City) during the DNC in Denver in 2008. It was a roundtable discussion led by Bruce Mau that looked at the future of environmental action and what it means to strive for sustainability. Both inspiring and challenging, her vision is one of finding the hidden potential of an area. Of adding the moral costs of denying future generations a clean and productive planet. And of working together to change the world. 

Design Alliance Omaha and Metro Community College are hosting a lecture by Majora Carter at the Joslyn in Omaha on Thursday the 25th of February at 7 PM. If you’re in the area, you should definitely attend.

The No Impact Man Blog

I can’t honestly remember the first time I ended up at the No Impact Man blog. I do remember thinking after I read some of the posts, “damn, this crazy guy is really doing it. For him, it is totally on.” The lead-by-example method always gets my vote over do-what-I-tell-you. And with this little experiment, by one person, all the simple 10-step save the planet plans and the dire predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change become irrelevant. It isn’t that I don’t think global warming is an extremely serious issue we need to collectively deal with, because I do. (Come on, it doesn’t take a NASA scientist to see that humans are wrecking this home of ours. Need proof? Go drink from the tap in Appalachia. Mercury in fish? It comes from coal plants.)

But at the heart of sustainability, living more harmoniously with our surroundings is what we were meant to do as people. It’s where happiness comes from. And more than anything else, whether light bulbs, local/organic produce, mass transit, or renewable energy, it’s the togetherness of interconnectivity that makes living sustainably such a wonderful necessity. The human-speak you find in the efforts by this No Impact Man make it obvious: after we overcome the cravings of consumerism withdrawal, the joy and community that come from making no impact is the thing that will make the better place we’re all working towards.

The Movie | The Book