on the horizon
Hearing and seeing new things are all part of downtown Boise life. This morning was no exception. Hot air balloons were continually rising from above the Connector–probably about 15 in all. Boise is such a great place to live and work! more »
marie brochiersenior director, creative team + chief cookie chef
graphic design with the planet in mind
In an on-going effort to offer our clients up-to-date, relevant knowledge about packaging trends, we invited John Bernardo of Sustainable Innovations to hold a seminar at Foerstel last week on The Essentials of Sustainable Packaging. What an amazing and complex subject, as well as timely and important to our industry!
John’s long history of consulting to assist businesses with their triple bottom line and sustainable operations, along with his association with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), GreenBlue, and the Dupont Innovative Packaging Awards provides him with a strong knowledge base and true, hands-on experience.
At Foerstel, one of our requirements in package design development is to consider the sustainable potential for each project, and we encourage and assist our customers in doing the same. John’s seminar was based on the SPC’s 8-part definition of sustainable packaging, which provided a deeper understanding of how these criteria can be integrated into packaging development. This definition has been widely adopted throughout the packaging industry and provides a common vision, framework and strategies that work towards more sustainable packaging.
A key point in the seminar was that trade-offs are an inherent part of pursuing sustainability. The SCP definition considers all facets of design and production, which results in the bar being set so high that today there is no such thing as a completely sustainable package. But there are eight steps, so the key is to choose one or two to focus on initially, determining which aspects of Sustainable Packaging are most important to your company and its mission and vision. It’s important to inform your suppliers of your interest and emphasis on Sustainable Packaging. The other key point that we found interesting is that committing to sustainable package design and production reduction typically saves money in the long run.
Many thanks to John for a truly fascinating and significant seminar, and thanks to Treasure Valley Packaging Group and our client, Kelly Kunzweiler of Good Cow, for attending the seminar with us!
janet deyoungaccount team + alias unknown (break) 208 287 4482
john-out to lunch
Mati and John
Around the office, we have always had an “inkling” that John marches to the beat of a different drummer. So the fact that this fellow designer has decided to take a 6-month sabbatical to work on a personal project has come as no surprise.
Eleven years and two print runs later, the Inklings product is available and ready to share, but they’ve had problems getting it into the right distribution channels. That’s what the 6-month sabbatical is for—a new plan.
Good luck you crazy kids.
laura herrickdirector, account team + gym freak (break) 208 287 4489
local, organic farm tour
Early last Wednesday morning, strong coffee in hand, Jim Hall and I made the 2 hour journey to Buhl, one of Southwest Idaho’s quaint farming towns. We volunteered to help with the Organic Farm Tour sponsored by NCAP (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides). As members of NCAP and with a good portion of our business being in the organic food industry, Jim and I thought volunteering would give us the opportunity to learn more about local sustainable agriculture. Little did we know how much our help was needed. Jen Miller, the only NCAP staff member in Idaho, handles each event from beginning to end.
NCAP organizes these tours each summer at several different farms to give organic farmers a forum to discuss and learn from experts and their peers in the sustainable agriculture community. This particular tour was hosted by Mike Heath at his farm, M&M Heath Organic Farms. Mike is a leader in Idaho’s organic agriculture and has been farming organically for 28 years. He currently runs 450 acres of certified organic production!
The day included several speakers from University of Idaho, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Idaho’s Bounty, tours of two of Mike’s fields, a 15-minute downpour that drenched us while we toured the first field, and a delicious lunch that consisted of all local foods from Mike’s and neighboring farms. We were amazed at the network of programs and agencies available to assist organic farmers. Valuable information was shared about agricultural trials and tests, non-pesticide alternatives for potato blight and other common pests, the best process for rotating crops, and more! You cannot help but admire this community of local farmers and organic agricultural specialists in their quest for a better food supply and a better environment. Foerstel applauds the local organic farmers in Idaho!
janet deyoungaccount team + alias unknown (break) 208 287 4482
it’s a win, win, win!
Here’s something that really gets us excited - The first annual Good Food Awards recognizing the trifecta of good food: delicious, socially responsible, and sustainably produced.
In its inaugural year, with an organic all-star judging panel that includes Alice Waters and Nell Newman, Good Food Awards will be given to winners in seven categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles and preserves. Awards will be given to producers and their food communities from each of five regions of the US. The Good Food Awards seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.
holly funkdirector, web + word wrangler (break) 208 287 4491
it’s the real thing baby
Stahlbush is a real farm, run by a real family, growing real(ly) good food. The ad we created for them tells the story in a way that reflects their down-to-earth style and their commitment to sustainable practices.
debbie ertman-johnsondirector, creative team + imaginary friend
it’s spudtacular!
When your product is spudtacular, your trade show booth should be too. Don Odiorne, aka, Dr. Potato, at the Idaho Potato Commission asked us to come up with a trade show booth like no other, to promote his new video series, Stunt Tater. See all of Stunt’s episodes at spudtacular.com.
marie brochiersenior director, creative team + chief cookie chef
you say po-TAY-to, i say po-TOT-o
Dan Quayle says potatoe. Oh well, it’s all good if it’s associated with the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC). Who doesn’t enjoy promoting the biggest commodity of our great state? Spudtacular.com is the latest, greatest promotion dreamed up by IPC’s VP of Foodservice, Don Odiorne (also known as Dr. Potato). Don asked us to provide some items for his next trade show event, promoting Spudtacular.com. Coasters, signs, cards–like I said, it’s all good.
marie brochiersenior director, creative team + chief cookie chef
shakespeare takes the stage
This time it is the web stage! We are pleased to present the re-launch of IdahoShakespeare.org.
Complete with a Box Office, Calendar and overall information architecture–and a hot new look–the site has launched for what will be yet another wonderful season of performances.
We are thrilled to contribute to an organization that adds so much color to the cultural community here in Idaho. Check out Bat Boy: The Musical and Midsummer’s Night Dream - both now playing!
On Saturday evening, we celebrated the launch of the site and beginning of the season at Bat Boy (hilarious - a must see!). It was wonderful to be in the Amphitheater again eating good food with great people and enjoying such amazing talents. Other highlights from the night: alpine glow (after weeks of rain here in the high mountain desert) and two eagles soaring overhead throughout the show. A perfect night and wonderful way to celebrate work by our rockin’ web team.
holly funkdirector, web + word wrangler (break) 208 287 4491
white wall + creative people = results
The modern architecture in our building (aka large white spaces) prompted us to create some modern art of our own. Each of us took home a 16×16-inch canvas and in a month we brought them back together to display who we are collectively. Ralphie, our resident cat, painted her all-black masterpiece with metallic paint, to hold all the paperclips she collects from around the office.
marie brochiersenior director, creative team + chief cookie chef
