Jean Hansen of HDR and I are happily discussing green design

As part of 3form’s Greenweek festivities this year, I was fortunate enough to travel the west coast and meet with members of the architecture and design (A + D) community who have set themselves apart as leaders in sustainable design. It was inspiring to hear what motivates them, what green design concepts they’re most passionate about, and how they ended up being so involved with this important effort.

To see for yourself, check out our brand new Green Leaders video. You’ll be glad you did. I definitely walked away from these discussions extra motivated to find ways to further reduce our environmental impact. Our hope is to continue the conversation and find additional inspiration by visiting other regions – so please let us know about firms and individuals in your local A + D crowd who are leaders and innovators in sustainable design.

Thank you to the following firms who helped make this video possible: HDR, Perkins + Will, SERA, ZGF Architects, Leddy Maytum Stacy, Anshen + Allen – part of Stantec Architecture, Zagrodnik + Thomas, Streamline Development, KW Designs, Martinez + Cutri, and Bainbridge Design.

"Action!" Paul Spadone of Streamline Development is ready for his close up

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2011

As you may know, we just held our 7th Annual Greenweek – the week each year when we focus our attention and reflect as an entire company on the environment and our collective environmental performance.

Every year we develop a new Greenweek logo and campaign promoting the year's goals and activities. For the designers, it's a really fun opportunity to collaborate on a project that has looser design constraints. Our main goal is to try and out-do the design from the previous year!

For a little design trip down memory lane, check out our Wall of Greenweek Logo Fame, below, and tell us which one(s) you like best...

2007

2008

2009

2010

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Learning is FUN!

So much fun . . . and educational, to boot.

Donning our "Think-Feel-Do" 3form Greenweek 2011 t-shirts, the team assembled to present and observe our eco-presentations - which we only had a day and a half to put together.

And they came in all forms. From traditional PowerPoints, to hilarious videos, to game show formats, and even a very wet(!) demonstration, all were informed, enlightened, and recommitted to doing our part for the environment - at home and at work.

Congratulations to the Sales Coordinators/Customer Support/Project Managers team for their super-informative performance about Best Practices for Water Cooler Use, as the winners of the vote for best presentation!

Meanwhile, check out one of the other many awesome performances . . . right here. (You'll be glad you did.)

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Go, Varia Swing!

The first qualifying rounds of the Greenweek waste sorting race are done and it's a bummer they weren't televised for all to witness.

One astute observer dubbed the event a "tornado of trash."

More like a tornado of properly-sorted recyclables – or at least that was the goal. Who's in the lead? Let’s just say the fine folks who bring you our Varia panels from swing shift really know their stuff.

Check back to see which team takes the crown this Friday at Trash Happy Hour.

It\'s all quite simple...

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I hopped aboard UTA to get to work today

Greenweek is in full swing at 3form, as evidenced by the uncanny lack of automobiles in our parking lot!

Today was "Empty the Parking Lot Day," and 3form employees really stepped up to the challenge, choosing alternative methods of delivering themselves to work - including carpooling, vanpooling, cycling, longboarding, walking, and busing.

How do we feel about that? Hot, sweaty, tired . . . and GREAT.

Just imagine the impact you can have if you made green choices like that every day . . .

Two of many 3formers who pedaled to work today

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Greenweek 2011

3form Greenweek 2011 kicks off today and we couldn’t be more excited. This will be our 7th annual Greenweek – the week each year when, as a company and as individuals, we celebrate and give extra attention to the environment and our environmental performance. The kick-off starts with us taking a retrospective look at our achievements (we done good!) and renewing our dedication to thinking differently and lowering our impact on the environment.

This year’s theme – thinkFEELdo – challenges us to not only make solid decisions and do better but to ground our actions in what inspires and motivates us individually.

From waste sorting races, to bike-powered smoothies, to So You Think You Can Green performances, 3form staff are in for a week of challenges, education, friendly competition and a chance at fabulous prizes.

Check in tomorrow to see how successful we are with our Empty the Parking Lot Event, which challenges staff to get to work in a way that’s not a single-occupancy vehicle.

And for the first time ever, we’ve added an external component to Greenweek. Stay tuned for a brand new 3form video that highlights what inspires and motivates some of the top sustainability leaders in the architecture and design community.

Don’t worry, we won’t let you miss a thing. We will have daily blog posts, Facebook updates and Twitter blurbs, complete with photos and videos. And you never know, maybe we’ll take the fabulous prizes external, too.

Hope your week is green!

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