PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA -- September 5, 2008 -- The green movement today is not so different from the way our eyesight changes around age 40. We go happily along taking our near-sightedness for granted, and then one day, we notice that we have to hold the paper a little bit farther away in order to see it clearly. That?s where the industry is right now ? moving the whole notion of greenness beyond the tips of our noses, beyond discussing the virtues of recycling and specing PCW paper.
 
Marc Alt, president and founder of Marc Alt + Partners, a design, research and brand strategy agency dedicated to sustainable innovation will bring his experience and insight to the next PaperSpecs Webinar ?Far-sighted Sustainability? on September 16, 2008. For more information on how to register for the webinar, go to www.paperspecs.com.  
 
Marc Alt Quote
 
?Mills, designers, and clients are looking deeper into the whole paradigm of product creation and consumption. A paper may be FSC certified, but what is the back-story of how that paper was produced? It?s exciting to see how companies are proactively responding to this and taking eco-friendly to a new level. The whole product, from the energy it takes to make it, to the materials it?s composed of, to how it is used and ultimately disposed of, is at the core of this new vision of sustainability,? says Alt.
 
Webinar Details
 
As guest speaker, Alt will dig into the paper industry?s accelerating move toward a more far-sighted approach to sustainability and bring this shift in thinking, designing and marketing to light. Participants will hear about:
 
- How paper mills are making use of their waste products to produce energy;
- Product life cycle analysis;
- The concept of a cradle-to-cradle life cycle and certifying it;
- How paper mills are reducing their carbon footprint and what that means;
- Why studios and clients are also seeking to reduce their environmental footprint;
- The common mistakes agencies make with greening clients;
- What small changes make a big environmental impact;
- The sustainable criteria for good design;
- How to spec, create and use green energy.
 
PaperSpecs Quote
 
?This is an extremely exciting time for designers,? adds PaperSpecs founder Sabine Lenz. ?They have a real impact on products early in their creation that affects its life up and down stream. The benefits expand outward from the environment and quality of life issues to how we run our businesses and matters of the bottom line.?
 
About Marc Alt
 
Marc Alt speaks frequently to a wide variety of audiences and companies about green design, sustainability and creating value by aligning corporate strategy with environmental and social benefit. As an advocate of business transformation, Marc develops environmental conferences, including Grow, the first conference dedicated to the intersection of design, sustainability and commerce, and Greener Gadgets, a conference exploring the challenges, possibilities and trends in the greening of the consumer electronics industry. Marc serves on the advisory board of The Designers Accord and is founding co-chair of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design.