Interview: Noah Scalin and Skulls 06/17/2009
  I had the pleasure of interviewing Richmond’s Noah Scalin, an environmentally conscious social entrepreneur. He was born and raised in our lovely city, although he left to study and live in NYC for ten years. In 2001, Noah founded Another Limited Rebellion (ALR), a local design company that employs the Triple Bottom Line business model: people, planet, and profit. Stuff admires Noah and ALR because his company is a perfect example of local industry thinking beyond profit to consider the effect services provided will have on our community and our environment. We also are very interested in his Skull-A-Day blog that quickly became a sensation and exemplifies creative reuse. Below are a few of the questions I asked Noah with his answers summarized as we had lunch at Harrison St Coffee Shop.   STUFF: How does ALR provide eco-friendly services? ALR considers the 3 Rs when providing services. Reduce the amount of materials disseminated enough to remain effective; ultimately in service of the goals of the client. Reuse - When possible products are designed to be used more than once and/or in more than one way (i.e. a brochure that is also a poster), saving clients money and preventing wasteful production. Products are made out of recycled and recyclable materials as much as possible. He formats these services based on the needs of the client for each job. STUFF: Is being environmentally responsible cost-effective for a business in your opinion? Noah says it is cost-effective in the long-term even though day-to-day expenses can be higher in some instances. Being wasteful will lose a company money, although he is not advocating taking extreme measures. He said, "If you do not design paper, you have to deal with what types of paper already exist. Highlighting that your company employs corporate responsibility pays off for marketing, customers are more attracted to the company that uses recycled materials." STUFF: How did the Skull-A-Day project become so popular? Noah originally started the project as an opportunity for a creative outlet with no limitations, aside from the subject matter. It evolved organically as the audience grew, fans encouraged him by sending him ideas and pictures of their own creations. As the project expanded, more opportunities came along, including a published book called SKULLS. SKULLS was chosen as one of the top 10 books for reluctant teen readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association. ***STUFF Program Director, Sarah, was one of his fans and sent in her own skull design! We hope to use the success of Skull-A-Day to show that not only books, but creative reuse can also be cool. You should check out the Skull-A-Day blog that started it all for more pictures. -Elisabeth | About STUFF
STUFF is a community organization in Richmond, Virginia.
The mission of Stuff is to provide Richmond with a community space for creative reuse, education, environmental awareness, and fun stuff. The vision of Stuff is to become the first community destination for art and reuse supplies and educational materials in Richmond. Stuff operates under the following core values: Filling the education gap with Stuff; learning goes beyond the classroom. Stuff happens; spontaneity breeds creativity. It's more than just stuff; there is value in our trash. Taking responsibility for our stuff; we have an obligation to reuse. Stuff brings us together; community is rooted in cooperation. ArchivesJune 2010 |
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