Filed under: business, design (and branding), happenings | Tags: climate change, design (and branding), global warming, ohio floods
We moved into our house July 2006. Since then we have experienced:
- An ice storm
- Severe Drought
- Blizzard
- Severe Flooding
My basement is wet. Streams of water are flowing toward the center main drain. This house was built in 1944, and it’s a solid as a rock. The rain seems to have overcome our sump pump (our second one since moving in), but when the pump pit over flows, the water streams directly into the drain. This wetness – hard to call it “flooding” – caused me to realize that the drain cover is partially rusted. I guess this has been an issue for a long, long time. The tile-on-concrete floor is doing well, too. Though last night we were taken aback when we saw 4 perfect spouts of water flowing the bottom of one wall, forming a solid stream that ran directly to the main drain. Unseen until last night, these holes are perfect 1/4″ holes apparently drilled to relieve pressure on one wall when it’s really wet. The more I get to know this house, the more amazed I am by it’s simple-yet-efficient design!Unlike my hand-wringing Leftist pals, I do not think this is the result of man-made Global Warming/Cooling or the so-simple-it’s-silly phrase now being thrown around, “Climate Change” (seriously – Climate Change??? who thinks of this? soon Sun Setting will be a global concern).
To me, it is quite pompous to say that the weather is the result of people when weather records only go back 100 years or so. Who’s to say that the last 1,000 years haven’t been a hiccup in what is really ideal on Earth? Make no mistake: The snake oil of people-caused Global Warming or whatever is bunk.
But it is also entertaining, even in the skeptic’s seat. On one hand, new Green Initiatives in corporate America have drummed up new business opportunities in design and branding. Trying find renewable materials to use in packaging or printed pieces just makes design projects more interesting. Though I do get a kick out of proposing the options of virgin paper versus recycled paper for a project, and virgin paper is picked almost every time because the ink will “pop” more when the package is on-shelf. Depends on the product, I suppose…
I was in a Target store a few months ago and saw an end-cap with “green” electronics. The packaging was designed and printed on uncoated stock, matte colors, very flat from a design perspective. Flat is also seen as “simple” a la most Target packaging. It is not good or bad design – I don’t believe in good or bad design, it’s all relative to the client and their goals. Anyway, I saw these “green” electronics products, and laughed aloud saying “God bless capitalism.” I mean, here is a situation where someone realized that they could sell more widgets if they tweaked production a way or two, redesign the packaging, and leave the consumer believing they just did a little something to save the planet!
Personally and professionally, I have no problems with Green Initiatives so long as the Koolaide isn’t forced down anyone’s throat. Let the free market figure out sustainable ways, and who knows – maybe Green production methods will result in better ROI for everyone!
