Spring/Summer 2008 - ASID Georgia Chapter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .INDESIGN f e a t u r eMelissa Maples, Industry Partner ASIDtalks with David MahoodDavid Mahood is an independent consultant, sought-after guestspeaker and principal of Olive Designs, an environmentallyfocused commercial furniture manufacturer.Mahood offers sustainable manufacturing consulting services tocommercial, residential, hospitality, and other furniture and furniturerelated manufacturing operations. His services include“green” design development and manufacturing, as well as generalsustainability training. He’s helped manufacturers locatesustainable materials, eliminate potential harmful toxicprocesses, create simpler, more recyclable designs, reduce energyand waste, and create templates for a transition to sustainablepractices.MM:DM:You’ve been in the furniture industry for 22 years in variousroles (consultant, speaker, manufacturing, marketingand sales). Obviously “green” is more than just a trend, buta way to design. What are the challenges your clients facein adopting sustainable practices?Every new client or project offers its own unique “green”opportunity because of the diversity of capabilities andcommitments. The real positive fact I have witnessed inmy ten years of covering the concept of manufacturingand environmental responsibility is that the understandingof sustainability has grown tremendously. Today, exteriorand interior designs are being conceived environmentallyresponsible, that wasn’t the case five years ago. Producersstill have a longer learning curve, understandably so,due to infrastructure costs associated with substantialchange.MM: There’s a lot of confusion around how manufacturersdefine their “green” products. It’s also known as “greenwashing”.Can you explain what that means?DM: Greenwashing is inevitable. What company wants to bethe one that consumes the last teak tree or the one thatbreathes the last non-toxic breath of fresh air? Greenwashingis the exaggeration or misrepresentation of theenvironmental benefits of a product or service. That doesn’tsuggest that a specifier or consumer is absolved ofresponsibility as a result. The best defense against greenwashingis being informed. Asking basic questions relatedto origin of materials, means of extraction and manufacturing,and social responsibility should yield enough informationto make a reasonable judgment. I counsel myclients to know what they can do and where they want togo and be forthright about it.MM:DM:What are some informative websites?There are numerous informative websites. The ones I personallyam involved in are www.sustainablefurniturecouncil.org,www.sustainablehospitality.org,www.nexusboston.com, www.greensage.com.MM: You just got back from Indonesia. What were you doingthere?DM: I completed a forty day consultancy for SENADA, an organizationultimately funded by USAID for Indonesian competitivedevelopment projects. I gave sustainability 101seminars to ten pre-selected home accessory or handicraftbusinesses in the Jogjakarta area in South CentralMM:DM:MM:DM:MM:DM:MM:DM:Java. After assessing their operations and suppliers, Ideveloped a sustainable manufacturing profile for each.In addition, I created a short and long-term action plan andwrote corporate briefs highlighting their commitment tosustainable practices.What kind of product are they producing? Are they meeting“green” standards?Products range from commercial and hospitality lighting,to woven mats, baskets, table runners, and handbags, tohome and commercial furnishings made from reclaimedteak. Since most Indonesian handicraft producers rely onlocally grown rapidly renewable materials like pandanus,agel, water hyacinth, mendong and bamboo, their productsmeet most sustainable standards for material selection.Indonesians typically design, source, and build, local.As a result, they understand their role in supporting thelocal villages surrounding Jogjakarta and Solo.Did you learn anything that surprised you?What struck me as ironic was that none of my clients hadever promoted their businesses as sustainable or environmentallyfriendly prior to my training. Since I performsimilar consulting services to hospitality manufacturers inthe U.S., I was particularly struck by the simple, naturalapproach of the Indonesians. I provided information foreach of my clients to supplant their traditional means ofmarketing with a new message of “sustainable Indonesia.”With products made from rapidly renewable sources,grown and harvested locally, supporting local villagers paidfair wages, Indonesians have a sustainable story to tell.What do you say to designers that face price objectionsevery time they try to specify low or no VOC paints orcertified wood furnishings or some other more environmentallybenign product?I believe that everyone benefits from environmentaleducation. No client would fail to recognize that purchasingenergy efficient appliances, equipment, and services,has an abbreviated period of return on investment withthe proper information. And that also applies to everythingelse. Just because we don’t levy environmentaltaxes on unsustainable imports doesn’t mean that thereisn’t a price to pay. Alterations in normal climate patterncome with a price tag. C02 emissions come with a pricetag. We don’t pay it now but we will later on. Any structurebuilt and furnished in a sustainable manner will beworth an unknown amount in the future but that amountwill far exceed a similar structure built otherwise. It isalso important to be able to sell a design based on a goodenvironmental story. I believe that innovative environmentalinitiatives tell a unique story. Statistics have longshown that many purchases are made to satisfy personalinterests.How does someone get in touch with you for guestspeaker or consulting opportunities?My email address is the most convenient.dmahood@olivedesigns.net. My number at my OliveDesigns’ office is 336.841.2180. Thanks, Melissa.One green deed spawns another.s p r i n g s u m m e r 2 0 0 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28