Green Graphics is Hanna Design’s way of describing a special initiative we began in 2007. It has always been worrisome to realize that our creativity often results in consumer waste and the loss of trees in our forests. Thanks to years of hard work by environmentalists, sustainability has finally become a mainstream concept and living “green” has become a virtue.

Hanna Design tries to do our part to limit the environmental impact of design in three ways:

1. We proactively engage in a dialogue about the environmental impact of design. By committing to this conversation, it is our hope that our employees, business partners and clients will consider sustainability a key factor in decision-making. The commitment:

• Stay abreast of transformative technologies and ideas that promote sustainability
• Foster relationships with like-minded vendors and suppliers:

• Business partners who use renewable energy
• Printers who use soy inks and recycled and post-consumer or CO2 friendly paper stocks, as well as provide print-on-demand services to reduce the number of units produced and warehoused
• Fullfillment services whose production and distribution methods require the least amount packing materials and methods of transport

2. We evaluate sustainable alternatives in design and its environmental, social, and economic impact. The considerations:

• Reduce the amount of materials required for production
• Design products that could fulfill more than one purpose
• Use materials that are biodegradable or recyclable
• Evaluate marketing strategies to determine the most effective communication vehicle that will minimize environmental impact.

3. We actively participate in initiatives within the creative community that promote sharing knowledge about green design and sustainability. How we do our part:

• We were early adopters of the The Designer’ Accord, a global coalition of designers, educators, researchers, engineers, and corporate leaders working together to create positive environmental and social impact.
• We volunteer. Our owner and president is a board member of the Institute for Environmental Solutions, a small but mighty organization committed to sustainability through science.
• We produce canvas shopping bags – chic and eco-friendly.
• We publish SeeMyVoice®, an e-newsletter which features our use of sustainable practice techniques, processes and materials.
• We participated in Greening the 2008 Democratic National Convention – helping produce the most environmentally sustainable political convention in modern American history.
• We're creating a healthier work environment.
• We contribute our time and efforts to local programs such as CASBA: Colorado Alliance of Sustainable Business Associations and Green Salons, a new initiative by AIGA to help educate designers about how they can think more sustainably in their work.
• We commit to the journey, both at home and at work, toward sustainability.

Sustainability is a Journey. As part of her commitment to the environment, Cindy Hanna tends to her community garden at The Denver Botanic Gardens. Gardeners come together to share their knowledge of organic gardening, small-scale urban ecological food production, low water-use landscaping and urban compost systems, while creating community and beautifying their neighborhood.

Recommended Reading

http://www.idealbite.com

Ideal Bite offers bite-sized ideas for light green living. Advice for real people leading busy lives.

Thinking Green: Biomimicry Innovation Inspired By Nature
By Janine M. Benyus. A scientific and amazing world view that encourages man to adapt by gathering solutions from plants and older species.

ReadyMade Magazine
Featuring hip recycled household solutions that repurpose and reuse stuff that’s on its way to the trash.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America
By Thomas Friedman. This book is a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy—both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. Friedman’s argument speaks to all of us who are concerned about the state of America in the global future. He proposes that an ambitious national strategy—which he calls "Geo-Greenism"—is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.