Ryan ChartrandCommunication Institute will host a “Green Media” conference Thursday that will feature some of the top graphic communication professionals from across the nation.
Presented as part of International Printing Week, the conference will focus on green policies within the industry and will discuss what is being done to improve sustainable business practices. The event will be free to all Cal Poly students and staff.
“We want to promote the importance of sustainability and the importance of people thinking about doing things that keep the environment in mind and reduce waste,” Graphic Communication Department Chair Harvey Levenson said.
Donald Carli, senior research fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Communication, will be giving the keynote presentation covering sustainability, climate change and the evolution of greener graphic communication supply chains. He is also the co-founder of SustainCommWorld, the organization presenting the event and responsible for coordinating the speakers.
“The schedule is comprised of six different sessions and a lot of them will have panelists,” said Lyndee Sing, Graphic Communication Institute program manager. “It won’t be your typical PowerPoint conference, but it will be very active.”
With approximately 15 speakers in attendance, each session will include a wide range of opinions and offer students new perspectives regarding the green revolution currently hitting the industry.
One session, titled “Bringing Greenery into the Mainstream,” will discuss the challenges ahead for the industry and will focus on what designers, buyers, students and other stakeholders can do to help ensure a sustainable future.
“Greener Expectations: The New Normal” is another panel discussion that will be led by supply management professionals and will explain the changing expectations for the industry and the impact that new sustainability guidelines will have on the future of print and other communication media.
Both of these are important issues, seeing that the graphic communication industry consumes a mass amount of energy and resources through production each year and produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste as a result.
The event will take place in Harman Hall at the Performing Arts Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Students are encouraged to attend the daylong event, which costs regular attendees $395 but is free with a Cal Poly ID.
A reception and banquet will follow at the Embassy Suites Hotel after the day’s events and will feature U.S. public printer Robert C. Tapella, who will discuss what the U.S. government is doing to promote green policies.
“It’s important that people are continually aware and helping to reduce waste and global warming to make sure that the world exists for future generations,” Levenson said.
The cost of the banquet will not be covered, but students are still welcome to participate at their own expense.