Anyone remember the Whole Earth Catalog, how about Mother Earth News? It was 1968, sometimes referred to as the Back to the Land Movement and I would say that this was the precursor for the Green Design movement which is moving its way main stream thanks to people like Al Gore. I’ll never forget the day my sister called me from law school (about fifteen years ago – she is also ten years younger than me). She was describing some people she just met at school and referred to them as “earthy crunchy”. I never heard this expression and silently wondered if she thought I was one of “them” since I practiced yoga and liked to wear Birkenstocks.
When the concept of Green Design began to take hold in the early 1990’s, there were very few companies making these products and the majority fell into a visual genre that looked, well…”earthy crunchy”. But the Green of the 21st century is a technological revolution that is spawning the creation of the most design savvy products that are developed through innovation and mindfulness of our limited resources.
One of our favorite design resources in our studio is the polycarbonate resin panels made by 3form USA. We have used these to design backlit walls, custom light fixtures, decorative face panels for reception desks and countertops. One of the most innovative uses of this material is seen in the San Francisco bus shelters by Lundberg Design. 3form manufactured these ground breaking sustainable shelter canopies combining photo-voltaic cells and recycled polycarbonate material. You can read more about this project at 3form.com
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