Dave Kellam

The folks at smashLAB and ideasonideas have started a new initiative called Design Can Change. The flash presentation focuses on the impact that designers have on the environment and their role in sustainable development. It’s primarily targeted at print designers because they have the largest ecological footprint… think pollution from the pulp and paper industry.

As a book design student, I’ve done a lot of printing over the last six months and am probably responsible for the destruction of a small forest. It’s hard to avoid, things just don’t look right on-screen. I’m almost ashamed to admit that our typography department didn’t even recycle waste paper until about a month ago. Seeing bins full of paper trimmings every night was kind of depressing.

The presentation will take some time to go through, it’s not overly short. The interface is a little bit awkward, but I’m not overly fond of websites that are completly constructed in Flash. They also seem to be focused on the North American market, it would be nice to get a list of eco-friendly European paper suppliers.

You can read more about the development and impetus for the project at ideasonideas. It’s also worth giving 1000 Words: A Manifesto for Sustainability in Design (at Core77) a quick read.