Green 2.0

Recently, our agency joined the Designers Accord -- a coalition of more than 100,000 designers, engineers, and corporate leaders committed to environmentally and socially responsible design.
Members must publicly declare their participation in the accord, put programs in place to reduce their carbon footprint, and teach employees about the importance of sustainable values in design, amongst other criteria. Aside from enlightenment, membership can spark, innovation, foster a healthy team spirit within the company, generate financial savings and cleanup the planet!

Make sure all computers and lights are set on TIMERS. By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That can add up to $14/computer per year and when you have multiple computers in an office, it’s substantial. Anything plugged into the wall sucks energy, even when it’s not in use(think kitchen appliances like coffee makers, kettles with switches, toasters) -- so whenever possible, unplug.

BE TRANSPARENT! We post our agency’s monthly utility bills in plain sight on out office blackboard. By bringing energy consumption to everyone’s attention at home or the office, we can all play an active role in lowering our carbon footprint, and with it, the bills!

Go to CARBONFOOTPRINTS.COM and take the time to assess your carbon footprint(or your company’s) Publish it and revisit it in a few months’ time to see how you’ve lowered it.

TREES FOR THE FUTURE. Be it for travel for business or pleasure, your daily commute, or a power meeting uptown when you’re downtown -- all add to your annual carbon footprint. We contribute to Trees for the Future, giving us a means by which we can help to offset our carbon footprint by planting trees in designated countries around the world. Though burning fuel, now in the same amount, a tree is being planted -- helping to restore the planet. [treesftf.com]