When designer Gary Anderson arrives in Aspen next week, it will be his first return since 1972, when his iconic recycling symbol was unveiled at that year’s annual International Design Conference.
Anderson’s “chasing arrows” recycling symbol is recognized globally and has become an icon representing environmental consciousness and waste reduction efforts; it is seen on recycling bins, packaging and products worldwide.
On March 18, from 6 to 7pm, Pitkin County Library and the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies will present “The Recycling Symbol: Born in Aspen.” Anderson and Recycle Colorado Executive Director Liz Chapman will converse with moderation by Andrew Travers, the Bayer Center’s Penner manager of educational programming.
In what began as a nationwide competition to design a recycling symbol for cardboard and paper, the sponsor was Container Corporation of America, started by Aspen Institute founder Walter Paepcke, one of the largest producers of cardboard and cardboard boxes.
At the time, Anderson was a 23-year-old student completing a master’s degree in urban design at the University of Southern California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Architecture when he saw a poster announcing the competition, scheduled to coincide with the inaugural Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
The first-place winner was awarded $2,000, with the stipulation that “the money was used for something educational,” Anderson shared. After graduating from UCLA and wanting to learn more about his ancestral roots, he used the money to enroll in an educational program for English-speaking students in Stockholm, Sweden.
Anderson said numerous factors influenced the creation of the recycling symbol. One significant inspiration he recalled was a childhood field trip to a printing press, where the continuous motion of paper through rollers left an impression. He also learned about the Möbius strip — a twisted loop with one continuous side — both of which contributed to the concept of three arrows moving through three dimensions.
Now, at the age of 76, Anderson recalls his first visit to Aspen in 1972: “It had a small-town flavor, and everybody seemed pretty laid-back. Again, it was kind of the hippie era, and because it was a design conference, there was a lot of long hair on the men who attended.” He continued, “I was enchanted and thought Aspen was a great place. That’s one reason I’m eager to go back: to see what it’s like now. I have to think it’s changed a lot.”
Anderson said the symbol evokes associations beyond its literal meaning and is a nod to early 1970s culture, characterized by youth movements and environmental concerns.
“The late ‘60s, early ‘70s — I don’t think there’s been anything quite like it since. There were many things that seemed to be converging at once,” he said. “As time goes by, I think of more and more things that probably influenced my designing that particular symbol. At about that time, I had started to learn about [the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst] Carl Jung and the idea that the mandala is found in many cultures, and its meaning is the universality and interconnectedness of everything. Although I wasn’t specifically thinking about that as I was coming up with a symbol, it was something I was aware of.”
Anderson’s journey, from a young student crafting the symbol amid the burgeoning environmental movement to its widespread recognition today, offers insights into the intersection of design and sustainability. These topics will be explored at the event, which coincides with the seventh Global Recycling Day. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required at www.bit.ly/RecycleAspen