When
visitors to San Francisco see the colorful new banners on display
around Moscone Center, they’ll know the city is welcoming them.
What they won’t know is that, beginning in March 2013, they’re
being welcomed in a far more environmentally-friendly way as a result
of a new fabric that’s being used to make the banners.
As
part of their commitment to the environment and sustainability and in
keeping with the City’s efforts overall to be more green, the San
Francisco Travel Association is in the process of installing banners
made of an eco-friendly material called EkoFlex, from AAA Flag &
Banner.
“San
Francisco Travel felt that it was important to spearhead this effort
because we want to ensure that San
Francisco’s
visitors and residents have a better and healthier experience while
in the city. This initiative is one of the many ways that
San Francisco Travel is working alongside the Mayor’s Office and
City leaders to ensure San Francisco remains a desirable place to
visit, as well as to live and work,” said Matt Stiker, San
Francisco Travel’s executive vice president and chief marketing
officer. “We are extremely excited to move forward with this
initiative, thrilled that AAA has re-configured their manufacturing
processes to be more green, and ecstatic that they want to introduce
this new product in San Francisco.”
San
Francisco is an environmental leader on many fronts. For example, in
2012, Moscone Center received LEED® Gold certification, the first
convention center on the West Coast to attain the green building
honor. San Francisco has the largest fleet of hybrid taxis in the
nation. The city also expanded its plastic checkout bag ban to all
retail businesses, encouraging residents to conserve resources by
bringing their own bag and charging ten cents if customers want a
reusable bag at checkout. Composting and recycling are mandatory for
residents and businesses, which has helped San Francisco achieve the
highest recycling and compost rates of any city in North America.
"San
Francisco has always been a city of firsts when it comes to
sustainability and now that extends to our city's street banners. I'm
pleased to see the San Francisco Travel Association embrace our
city's goals of zero waste and toxics reduction by eliminating the
use of PVC, a harmful and non-recyclable material, and up-cycling the
banners as well,” said Melanie Nutter, director San Francisco
Department of the Environment.
"AAA
Flag & Banner is focused on converting the current harmful type
marketing materials to ones that create a win-win for both the
stakeholders and the environment. Having best in class advertising
and environmental responsibility are no longer mutually exclusive
ideas. AAA and their clients are leading the way in walking the talk
with sustainable advertising practices,” said Craig Furst,
president of AAA Flag & Banner Manufacturing.
“Until
now, the EkoFlex material has been used in test cases to see if it
would stand up to weather conditions and extended exposure. We have
over a year and a half working with this product and it is still
holding strong,” Furst said. “We are thrilled to help get PVC off
the streets and believe we have found a great alternative.”
In
2012, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy tested the
eco-friendly materials on banners to celebrate the 75th anniversary
of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"The
Parks Conservancy produced more than 100 banners that were displayed
on major thoroughfares throughout San Francisco to commemorate the
Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary. We plan to recycle the
attractive banners into bags and other interpretive items when they
are taken down following the year-long celebration this May,"
said Greg Moore President & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks
Conservancy.
Other
organizations in San Francisco have been testing the eco-friendly
banners for the last 18 months, including the America’s Cup Event
Authority and the California Academy of Sciences.
“Sustainability
is at the core of the Academy’s mission—from recycled denim
insulation inside the museum walls, to biodegradable coconut husk
trays used to plant our 2.5-acre living roof. Using EkoFlex banners
allows us to extend our mission to the streets of San Francisco while
sharing our newest exhibits with the public, said Aaron Pope, Manager
of Sustainability Programs at the California Academy of Sciences.
“Often street banners are discarded after their initial use. By
using EkoFlex, we’re able to explore creative uses for this
environmentally-safe material, giving our vibrant banners a second
life.”
In
addition, while banners made out of PVC have historically been
discarded to leech their dangerous chemicals into cities’
landfills, the EkoFlex fabric can safely be re-purposed for second
life, for example made into bags by San Francisco’s own Rickshaw
Bags, which has been a partner in leading the change.
Rickshaw
Bagworks is an enthusiastic participant in this important
collaboration to eliminate harmful PVC material from outdoor
advertising. Though many companies promote eco-friendly products made
from reclaimed PVC banners, Rickshaw has instead advocated for the
elimination of PVC altogether, and the use of more environmentally
friendly PVC-free alternatives. PVC releases toxic byproducts at each
stage of its lifecycle -- in manufacturing, use, and disposal.
"We
have turned-down countless well-meaning requests to make bags from
reclaimed PVC banners,” explains Mark Dwight, founder and CEO of
Rickshaw Bagworks. "It is our belief that recycling merely masks
the real challenge, which is to design PVC out of our waste
stream." Rickshaw applauds AAA Flag & Banner for
their commitment and leadership in sourcing, testing and promoting
alternative materials for outdoor advertising, and we are delighted
to see this grassroots effort taking root in San Francisco -- a city
that prides itself in taking a leadership role in environmental
initiatives.
The
San Francisco Travel Association is the official tourism marketing
organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For
information on reservations, packages, activities and more, visit
www.sanfrancisco.travel or call 415-391-2000. The Visitor Information
Center is located at 900 Market St. in Hallidie Plaza, lower level,
near the Powell Street cable car turnaround.
For
an insider’s perspective, join more than 500,000 people who follow
San Francisco Travel on Facebook at www.facebook.com/onlyinsf and
more than 100,000 who follow “OnlyinSF” on Twitter
at http://twitter.com/onlyinsf.
American
Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel
Association.
San
Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more
than 31 international points on 30 international carriers. The Bay
Area's largest airport connects non-stop with 75 cities in the U.S.
on 15 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival
information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural
exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit flysfo.com. Follow
SFO on twitter.com/flysfo and facebook.com/flysfo.
