The Evolution of Green

Green, while still a topic of conversation, is not quite as hot a buzzword as it was a few years ago. In a VSMD.com piece titled "Smart Talk," Anne DiNardo gives us some insight as to why this is: "If five years ago the retail community was thinking about introducing the topic of sustainability into their store design strategies, today they're sharing concrete examples and data of what's already working in the field."

For many companies, sustainability has become a corporate initiative -or at the very least an operational cost-cutting strategy. Having been in the game for a few years, it seems that the conversation has changed from "What can we do?" to "How can we do it better?"

This makes for an exciting, yet challenging time for retail designers. Those that haven't much experience working with green ideas are now finding the need to expand their repertoires while those that have a green portfolio are being challenged to push the envelope further.

And in the end everyone stands to win. Retailers benefit for operational cost-savings, designers grow with the challenge, and the customers are treated to innovation mixed with great design.


-- Liz Blohm