Generally, the value of the things that graphic designers create is gauged mostly in economic and aesthetic terms rather than by ethical, moral, or ecological standards. Guilty as charged. But amidst my naive ways as a design student I chose to intern at a small studio called Zago LLC. I did this because they work directly with non-profits and companies pioneering for social causes. I wanted to learn what responsible design was like from different perspectives other than a good portfolio piece of a loaded check. These to me are vain reasons to be a designer in any trade. My first project there was to create an animation for a lecture for the COP15 Conference in Denmark, 2010. The talk was based on America's energy consumption. The concept was that, if every country consumed like the U.S. we would be 10x over the worlds' capacity to sustain us. The hour-long animation is based on this fact, with a turn for hope nearing the end. See the full animation here. Art direction and flipbook: Muriel Deregrine.