A More Subtle Shade of Green – NeoCon 2009

Although this year’s Neocon did heavily encourage and promote Green awareness,  the information was pretty low-key and more about practical integration rather than simply a necessary marketing strategy.  This was also seen in the roll-out of new designs, exhibitions and strategies for businesses-from small to big.  As companies like Steelcase and Herman Miller (seen below) have spent years integrating sustainable practices, they therefore seem able to go back to focusing on design aesthetics, functionality and ergonomics as talking points.

Several other companies promoted their “healthy”, “earth-friendly” or “naturally inspired” products, tagging several certifications along the way such as UGBC, C2C, FSC, Greenguard, Greenspec etc.  As Penny Bonda recommended in NeoCon: Through a Green Lense, “Remember, as you engage with showroom personnel, to ask: Where did the product come from? What is it made of? How is it made? How is it maintained? What happens to it at the end of its life? How much energy does it use?”.

I would be very interested if anyone spent much time on this and/or concurrently, what they were told.  It seems those aforementioned rating systems are insufficient to not only answering these important questions, but also to ensuring their validity and consistency.

On a biased note, it was good to see Ecolect’s Materials PettingZoo™ there, as this is a good start in the direction of transparency, accessibility to information and specific materials, and most importantly – CHOICES.  As design student Elizabeth Wheeler commented, “The interactive element of The Petting Zoo was really helpful and I got more ideas about what I can design using more eco-friendly materials”.

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