Best in Sustainability ’11

Happy new year! Here is a recap of our top blog posts from 2011. Susan Crow, MCAD SDO alum, shared what it’s like to build a sustainable luxury brand from the bottom up in her piece Eco=Lux Jewelery. Published October 2011. “Real luxury is knowing the jewelry you are wearing is as ethical as it

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Faculty Focus: No Remorse

If you haven’t done so already, check out my recent interview about my path as a sustainable designer and my spring 2012 class, Packaging Sustainability. In question #1, I was asked, “What spurred you to become a sustainable designer?” In my answer, I shared a snippet from my personal eco-epiphany. Here’s the whole story. Every

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Student Spotlight: Wear What You Eat

Last spring I was invited to participate in Cittadellarte’s (City of Art) University of Ideas (UNIDEE) thanks to a grant from Fondazione Zegna. I was eager to examine sustainability in the context of the Italian luxury fashion industry and I am pleased to share a two-part post about my experiences. This second installment of my

Packaging Sustainability

Wendy Jedlička (CPP, MIM) is a front-line sustainable packaging designer. We recently caught up with her to discuss her career in eco-friendly packaging as well as her fully online course devoted to the subject, Packaging Sustainability. The course begins January 17, 2012 and registration is open. This is a 15-week course that is part of

Alumni Update: Heroes + Habits

How does one present the concept of sustainable design to a diverse audience ranging from designers to business executives? Brian Dougherty of Celery Design Collaborative knows how: mix eye candy with substance. (To watch Brian Dougherty’s entire Green Drinks//Living Principles presentation, click here.) On October 12th, AIGA Minnesota’s sustainable design initiative, reDesign, welcomed Brian to Minneapolis

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Faculty Focus: Info Design for Sustainability

This past summer I had the opportunity to present at the International Institute of Information Design’s (IIID) GreenID conference in Vienna. While there I was struck by the phrase, “context brings understanding.” As information designers, we seek to clarify complex information. And sustainability is certainly a topic area that involves a lot of complexities in

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7 Billion Shades of Green

Have you ever selected a product over its compatriot simply because it is seems, or perhaps even touts, being “green?” How about eco? Biodegradable? Organic? Remember ozone friendly? If you’re at all like me then you likely have. Lately though, I have become very skeptical about what is truly good for the planet and it’s

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Firm of the Future

Future-proofing needs collaboration, innovation, education and inspiration Use these four primary catalysts for transformation to optimize your company’s journey and change your business mentality. Make no mistake, the transformation from a firm of the past to a firm of the future is challenging, especially while operating amid of a perfect storm of social, economic and

Cindy’s Sustainability in 7: Advice from the Road.

You may have caught many of the Sustainability in 7 video series that Core77 ran earlier this year. I decided to create my own based on what I learned from my recent 1000 mile cycling road trip for sustainability called Ride the Talk. 1. Make a plan, then change it. My ride really taught me

Sustainability Alive in Deadwood, South Dakota

Deadwood, South Dakota, is the final resting place for Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, and has more buried residents than unburied ones, yet it is unearthing new ways to breathe life into its sustainability efforts. Deadwood was founded in 1870 (illegally) to host the onslaught of gold miners that flocked to work in the

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