10/03/2024
o2-USA/Upper Midwest
Serving the design for environmental and social justice communities of: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Welcome, you're in good company. . .
Coming here was your first step to expanding eco-responsibility in the marketplace. Would you like to get more involved? Join us here at o2-UMW and the designers of the o2 Global Network. We are creating our future with each new product we bring to the market. Eco-responsibility is not just a happy-sounding theory, it's good business.
Which side of the bottom line are you standing on?
According to an article in the September 1999 Economist "Companies with an eye on their "triple-bottom-line" - economic, environmental and social sustainability - outperformed their less fastidious peers on the stock market, according to a new index from Dow Jones and Sustainable Asset Management."
| o2 | o2-USA | o2-UMW |
What does o2 mean? Two Oxygens, part of the fundamental elements of life. What does o2 — the organization — DO?
o2 is a non-profit, international network of professionals with a wide range of theoretical and practical experience, exploring the fundamental elements of design.
o2 understands the effect that design can have on the quality of the environment worldwide. We aim to influence and modify the practices of industry, to minimize the destructive impacts of humankind's activities.
o2 works in unique ways, expanding the horizons of creativity, and building bridges between art, industry, and education. We aim for holistic though realistic solutions to specific problems, and new ways of working to provoke new ways of thinking.
o2 believes sustainable design is one of the greatest challenges of the future. It is our opportunity to create a universally improved and sustainable way of life.
Our name was chosen by the founding members in the Netherlands — http://o2.org — "Their vision embraced the cool aesthetic of modern design, but allied it with sustainability. Buoyant, lively, even a bit combustible, they called themselves o2."
o2-USA: A cooperative made up of o2 chapters in the United States. Starting with the New York chapter, o2-USA continues to expand and form new chapters and liaisonships throughout the US. Coming from all disciplines of design, many members come representing the green group of their industries' professional organizations, seeking additional support for their events and greening efforts their own organization lacks.
o2-UMW: o2-USA/Upper Midwest the United States Upper Midwest chapter of the o2 Global Network. o2-UMW goes beyond industry greening and looks for opportunities for designers to get involved outside of the office. o2-UMW lecturers, volunteer designers, and professional mentors/liaisons provide experienced design work to grassroots groups working in sustainability for free, or at specially discounted rates. Look for the o2-UMW booth at area sustainability conferences and expositions, we'd love to talk to you!
The o2 Global Network on Sustainable Design was established in 1988 by a group of designers to Inspire, Inform, and Connect people interested in Design for Sustainability.
