The origins of the three arrows of
recycling are rooted in the very first Earth Day in April, 1970.
At this time in American history, there was a growing awareness
of environmental conservation that coincided with an already
active counter-culture of activists and concerned citizens.
The Container Corporation of American, a paperboard company, was
beginning to realize a growing environmental movement. With an
existing recycling track record and Knowing that paper product
recycling was an effective method of conserving natural
resources, the CCA planned to spread the word and promote
awareness. They sponsored a nationwide art contest for a design
that would help identify the company's products that were
manufactured using content that was recycled or recyclable. The
winning symbol would represent the process of recycling paper.
More than 500 young students and activists entered designs into
the contest held in the Spring of 1970 in Aspen, Colorado. After
being evaluated by a panel of judges, a winner was declared. A
23 year old student from the University of Southern California
at Los Angeles named Gary Dean Anderson took home the first
place prize of a $2500 tuition scholarship.
Gary Dean Anderson grew up in North Las Vegas, Nevada in the
1950's. Like many families during this era, Gary's family lived
a thrifty lifestyle having a very recent memory of the Great
Depression. This translated into very little waste and reusing
most of what we now consider trash for other purposes. It wasn't
out of environmental concerns, but out of financial concern.
This background was perhaps an influence on Anderson's continued
and growing interest in conserving resources.
Gary Dean Anderson's design process of what eventually became
the recycling symbol, he drew heavily on influences from the
Mobius Strip made famous by artist, M.C. Escher. The Mobius
strip can be described as a continuous loop having only one side
and one edge. It is both finite and infinite simultaneously.
Anderson created his design completely by hand before the
prevalence of computer graphics programs.
During my research on the history of the recycling symbol, I
found several articles stating that the Mobius Strip was
"chosen" as the universal symbol of recycling. The fact is
however, that while the Mobius Strip was indeed an inspiration,
it was Gary Dean Anderson's brainchild and design that is now
synonymous with recycling.
information by: Recycling Revolution
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