Oct 26 2007
Creative thinking by the corporate world and special environmentally focused public sector agencies has been gaining momentum. Below are two totally different real examples.
The Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) has become a popular tool for corporations to inform shareholders and employees of how the company is integrating sustainability into their operations.
"Many corporations now have Sustainability Directors in place who create and implement internal and external sustainability programs and publications," says Anne Giacalone of MGT Design, Watchung, NJ. Informed design firms who work on these projects demonstrate a green initiative by specifying recycled paper and working with companies that keep sustainability in mind during their manufacturing process.
MGT Design adapted their corporate Annual Report design skill set to include the design of these specialized reports. Total awareness of paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has become extremely important to both the designers and printers.
Pictorial Offset Corporation located in Carlstadt, NJ, printed 9 CSRs last year. According to Gary Pawlaczyk, Pictorial's Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, "If a corporation who is not presently 'carbon neutral' wants to reduce their carbon footprint, they can use a printer who runs a carbon neutral manufacturing facility to produce their printed documents. The corporation essentially is using our accreditations to promote their environmental stewardship to their customers."
On a completely different front, The New York/New Jersey Clean Ocean and Shore Trust (COAST) was created to examine environmental issues and maximize the benefits of their shared marine and coastal waters. COAST joined the states' need for dredging their navigation channels with an opportunity to reclaim abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania.
Since dredged sediments can no longer be disposed of in the ocean, the project combined dredged material from NY Harbor with coal combustion ash from power generation to form a cement-like fill used to reclaim a dangerous strip mine.
Restored to its pre-mining contours, rainfall now runs off into local streams and the site supports a mountain meadow habitat for wildlife. COAST Executive Director Andrew Voros says, "This project demonstrated creative thinking and cooperation among officials in 3 states to their mutual benefit."