The Recycling Symbol: Born in Aspen

You know the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol, one of the most recognizable designs on Earth. But you probably don’t know the story of its creation and Aspen’s role in its roots.

The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies and the Pitkin County Library invite you to hear the story from the symbol’s creator, Gary Anderson, who as a college student in 1972 won a national contest to create a symbol promoting recycling. Sponsored by Walter Paepcke’s Container Corporation of America and judged by Aspen icon Herbert Bayer and other leading designers, the contest concluded with the symbol’s unveiling at the 1972 International Design Conference at Aspen. Anderson is returning to Aspen for the first time to discuss his symbol’s creation and its sometimes-controversial legacy, joined by Recycle Colorado executive director Liz Chapman in a conversation moderated by the Bayer Center’s Penner Manager of Educational Programming, Andrew Travers. This event coincides with Global Recycling Day.