“One of the coolest things about the conference was a small one: for the lunch and water-bottles that were provided, all the packaging plastic was made from PLA, and the “silverware” was made from potato starch plastic. Many conferences forget details like this, but they're important. We can't just talk green, we have to be green, too.”

“Today’s Compostmodern conference in San Francisco didn’t disappoint, with a design-star-studded line up of speakers from Alex Steffen of Worldchanging to Marc Alt (co-organizer of our Greener Gadgets Conference!), Adam Werbach of Act Now Productions and Scott Stowell of Open. Discussions centered around sustainable innovation in design, what it really means to design “green,” and the future of environmental responsibility in the design world. Highlights included Joel Makower’s morning introduction, which likened sustainability to teenage sex: “Everyone says they’re doing it, but not many people really are. And those who are, aren’t doing it well,” to Jane Savage’s overview of Nike’s “Considered” program which combines a forward-thinking corporate responsibility plan with innovative design. All in all the day was jam packed with exciting subject matter. We can’t wait for next year!”

“I've been to a lot of conferences about sustainability, and two stand out in my mind: Bioneers and Compostmodern. Both leave a powerful impression because they showcase (and target) people who are committed to the issues, and often have the capacity to make an impact. Compostmodern, in particular, is special because it's small and free of cynicism.

This year's theme was behavioral change and Joel Makower emceed the day-long event. With a keen eye for what's fresh (he's a green consultant to big business), he provoked speakers throughout the day. He began, “Sustainability is like teenage sex… everybody says they're doing it, but nobody's doing it well.” And then, "How good is good enough… how do we set the bars, and are we making the difference we need to make?”

“San Francisco was the home of the third installment of Compostmodern, a day of sustainable design solutions, held downtown at the Academy of Art University's Morgan Auditorium. What started out as a simple idea of getting folks together to talk about “green” design solutions in 2004, Compostmodern has become one of the most informative and respected sustainable design conferences in the US – and I was happy to be there.”

“After a very energizing weekend with the folks at LinkTV in San Francisco, we stopped by Compostmodern 08 on the way to the airport to get wound up even a little more. It was a great line up for this event’s 4th year, where “brilliant ideas, practical solutions, drama, inspiration, eye candy and some tough questions” all converge in consideration of a transition to a sustainable society. Here’s to AIGA in the Bay Area for a very good event. Keep up the good work Phil, Gaby, Marc, and Jeff. And bring it to Seattle, please.”

“The rains ceased just in time for Compostmodern in San Francisco last Saturday. No, it's not an event about the latest in composting innovations--let's get that straight. It's all about design, and the amazing stories told by leaders who have forged sustainable pathways for industry to follow.Compostmodern is a one-day, interdisciplinary conference dedicated to sustainable design solutions. AIGA San Francisco, the professional association for design, hosted the biennial event at the Academy of Art University. This year's lineup was stellar.”

“The other day a designer friend of mine asked me, “Are you a member of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists)?” She wondered how I kept in touch with the design community—as an in-house designer at a large corporation, she can bounce ideas off of a few colleagues, but was looking for further creative support. As nice as it is to be able to turn around and instantly survey five other designers on line length, leading, or cover color options, we are not an insular group of book-loving grid-mongers. Yes, we are members of the AIGA. I highly recommend their CompostModern conference in San Francisco and their biennial national convention, as well as their many lectures by prominent designers.”

“The biggest thing I took from the conference was that we must no longer think and act on the “It's all about me.” attitude and way of life. If we are going to save the planet, ourselves and our children, we must think more socially. We must end the drive of individual ownership of every single thing and begin to think of our selves as users and borrowers. We must share. We must be transparent. We must act now.”

“Alex Steffen of WorldChanging began the sessions with strong questions and provoking slides asking all Americans to consider what we manufacture in the form of our culture, how we package that to the developing world, and what environmental effects that will have on the planet. “How will we handle a China where everyone has a car?” he asked.”

“Valerie Casey left us with ideas on rethinking design problems. She said, “I would never want to design another toothbrush, but maybe I'd want to design something that causes you to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.” Her final announcement about The Designers' Accord wrapped the day perfectly. In less than a year, she has managed to get more than 3,500 designers of all backgrounds to agree to create a powerful knowledge-sharing platform of examples we can all reference and learn from. Casey said, “I want the Designers' Accord to disappear because sustainable design should be the same as design… This is just the beginning.”

“The social aspects of sustainability are often overlooked, misunderstand, or misinterpreted. Recently at Compostmodern in San Francisco, some of the best and brightest designer minds were gathered to address the issues of sustainability as it relates to the design of our systems and society, but mostly the focus, feature, and understanding revolved around the environmental impact and considerations.”

“Other, phenomenal presentations were given by Scott Stowell of Open and Good Magazine, Valerie Casey of IDEO, and Jane Savage of Nike. (If you haven't heard of or picked up a copy of Good yet, you will soon – it's GREAT!)”

“I first met the suave Frenchman Jean-Charles Boisset at the Compostmodern conference in San Francisco. He kissed my hand, and I swore to write an article about him (really, that’s how easy it is). He gave an excellent presentation about how his Boisset Family Winery is one of the few true innovators in the wine making industry. As you can imagine, it’s quite a stuffy business; let’s just say when it comes to resisting change, you could till a vineyard with the dragging fingernails of a traditional winemaker. But Boisset, concerned about the fact that wine regions are shifting so rapidly due to climate change—we’re talking Champagne grapes in England, people—focused on dematerializing the wine packaging process. The result is a flashy, metallic, low-impact Tetra Pak that not only looks great in your Hollywood Bowl picnic basket, it has honest-to-goodness excellent wine inside.”

“One of the great things presented at the conference that we can all get behind is the Designer's Accord. The Designer's Accord is "a call to arms for the creative community to reduce the environmental impact caused by design, and to work collaboratively to inspire sustainable change." Sounds good to me.”

“Designers, and in particular industrial designers, who are uniquely positioned at the intersection of business, technology, and culture, may bring some clarity into the many shades of green. As such interdisciplinary, enlightened vanguards of the new green conscience, they can drive an industrywide conversation and establish universal standards: "Sustainability promises to be one of the defining issues of our time, one with profound effects on our personal and professional lives," states the Web site of the Compostmodern conference on sustainable design. "For designers, it represents unique challenges as well as tremendous potential–nothing less than an opportunity to redesign how the world works.”

“Hard questions were asked and insightful conversations emerged. Joel asked VSA Partners principle Jeff Walker (who worked for GE's Eco-imagination) "How does one walk the fine line around Greenwashing?" We all know GE ain't the greenest now, but they are a fortune five company who grows the size of a Nike each year! Their changes, however small, may resonate with more influence than most ever could. Jeff remarked that the notion of "opacity to transparency" is essential to engaging with the customer and addressing their concerns head on, hopefully gaining their support and involvement in the change process.”

“Kalle Lassn (founder of Adbusters) and Paul Hamlett (originator of the conference) reminded the graphic designers that they have enormous power to create culture, and that what the green movement needs more than anything else is to change consumers' desires. "Graphic designers are to the information age what engineers were to the steam age." He advocated that designers push back on their clients to use advertising messages with more eco- and humanitarian consciousness, and said that today's designers are sissies who “kiss corporate ass” compared to the progenitors of graphic design (like Bauhaus).”

“Designers are uniquely positioned to save the world. Or so believes Valarie Casey, who commented during her recent Compostmodern presentation that designers change habits and behavior. They create accessibility. They look to nature for inspiration. And they're suckers for detail. As a call to arms for designers to reduce their trades’ negative impact, Casey founded The Designers Accord. Since January, she has been assembling a coalition of designers, educators, researchers, engineers, business consultants and corporations who want to work together to integrate sustainable design into all levels of practice and production.”

“The biggest thing I took from the conference was that we must no longer think and act on the “It's all about me.” attitude and way of life. If we are going to save the planet, ourselves and our children, we must think more socially. We must end the drive of individual ownership of every single thing and begin to think of our selves as users and borrowers. We must share. We must be transparent. We must act now.”