Illustration of green leaf on hemp paper background.

This button is created by Busy Beaver Co. out of hemp paper. It contains 25% hemp, 75% post-consumer, and 100% acid and chlorine-free. This type of button is said to be one of the most sustainable buttons on the market. The world’s earliest paper was said to be made by the Chinese from hemp fibers around 150 BCE. It spread to the rest of the world and is used until 1883 when the use of wood paper emerges. Over time, the use of wood paper led to deforestation, causing global warming, climate change, and degrading natural habitats and biodiversity.

As a source of paper, hemp has higher renewability than wood trees, as one acre of hemp equals roughly 4-10 acres of trees produced over 20 years. The image is a symbol of a hemp stalk. Hemp stalks contain a rich amount of cellulose, which is the main ingredient of paper. Hemp stalks contain approximately 85% of cellulose, while wood trees contain only 30% of cellulose. Using hemp paper over wood paper has environmentally sustainable benefits, as it can help reduce pollution and environmental effects. Not only does hemp paper reduce fallen trees, but hemp also regenerates soil, and eliminates the release of toxins produced by wood papers. Hemp paper is also more durable than wood paper, and it is free of chemicals that wouldn’t harm the skin. It may take a slow transition for companies to switch production from wood paper to hemp paper, as it takes high costs to change the equipment.

Green text over white text inside of black filled circle, all on bright pink background.

The Youth Climate Strike took place on March 15th, 2019. Inspired by the 14-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, students worldwide participated in school strikes demanding adults take responsibility for climate change. Tired of inaction for decades, their demands included world leaders acknowledge and prioritize the rapidly changing climate, a push to enact the Green New Deal, and 100% renewable energy by 2030. More than a million people participated in over 2200 events globally.

Illustration of man playing pipe flute or horn with bycocket hat. Left of the hat is white text in handwriting font. Below the piper is white text in print font. All on orange background.

“Follow the Piper Generation” was a tagline used to advertise the Hammond Piper Autochord in the early 1970s. A brand new Hammond Piper Autochord in 1971 cost $899, which if you calculated the inflation to determine a price today, would be $5,188 in 2021. The Piper Autochord had a cassette player/recorder attached underneath the keys, and there are sounds controls which made the Autochord sound like a piano, harpsichord, sitar, guitar, marimba, banjo, trombone, accordion, flute, violin, or trumpet. There are seven different rhythm options, namely: latin, western, parade, rock, ballad, waltz, and jazz.

 The Autochord was advertised as being for a beginner organist, but the instrument would still sound great after you learned the basics. The instrument came with its own special type of color-coded music scores. Many organ enthusiasts, however, complain about the fact that the switches to turn on the different sound options work the opposite of most switches today, the switches are turned off when they are pushed up. The instrument did not have foot pedals like most organs, instead the Piper played an automatic bass part.

Duke Ellington promoted the Piper Autochord in 1973. There are posters with his review of the Autochord which feature a picture of him sitting on top of the Autochord. One of the effects available on the Autochord is called dynamute, which Ellington describes as “the wa-waa sound a trumpet makes.”

Image of gray fuse encircled by black text on yellow background.

Established in 1927, Littelfuse is a manufacturer of “technologies in circuit protection, power control, and sending.” Their technology is used for many different professions and tasks, and their products can be found in TVs, computers, cars, airplanes, etc. The company has twenty-two locations in North and South America, twelve locations in Europe, and nineteen locations in Europe. In 2019 they employed eleven thousand people, had more than fifty buildings, and made 1.5 billion dollars. The company became an independent corporation in Illinois in 1991.

Littelfuse, the company name, is spelled that way due to copyright issues when Edward V. Sundt was establishing the company in 1927, as the name Little fuse was considered too common. Sundt sold his car when he was twenty-seven years old to gain the money to start the company. His first product he patented was a small, quick fuse that was used to keep test meters from burning out. Later, during World War II, the company focused on circuit protection for aviation and communications, and then in the 1960s the company became involved in the space exploration industry. Littelfuse started working with micro-circuitry, and two subminiature fuse lines were used in the Gemini spaceflight. The next highlight of the company's innovation was their involvement in computers during the 1970s, when computer usage greatly increased. 

A fuse is included in circuits in electronic devices, and a fuse's job is to break the circuit’s flow of power if the current is too high so that short circuits do not cause damage to electronic products.

White text on black background.

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Pink crown above a red heart containing blue letters, all on blue background.

The Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) Fraternity was founded at the Virginia State Female Normal School, now Longwood University, on October 15, 1898. ZTA is part of the National Panhellenic Conference and has initiated over 280,000 women. Their goal "is to connect members through a close bond of sisterhood and to build up a purer and nobler womanhood in the world." 

Blue background. Red, yellow, and black font. Brown alien creature with yellow eyes and an enlarged brain that is held up by two sticks drinks yellow liquid out of a test tube with a long purple straw. A spilled test tube at his feet in a puddle of yellow liquid.  

The Hard Rock Hotel is a restaurant and entertainment venue known for displaying various music memorabilia. Among notable things on display, they are also known for their souvenirs and sellable merchandise. There is a community dedicated to collecting Hard Rock Cafe shot glasses. The Hard Rock Shot Glass Collectors (SGC) have been around since the early 2000s. They hold events to get together and talk about their mutual hobby. Funds raised for these events often go directly to charity. Their 2010 events held in Hollywood, Florida and Miami, Florida, took place on June 11th and 12th. In an effort to raise money for The Vitas Hospital, four pin-backs were created for the event. All pins had a monster theme and could be purchased for $3 each. The Vitas Hospital was chosen in memory of their late friend and collector.

Black Background with an upper torso of an Ape with arms crossed in the center. White text. A white atom symbol with an A in the center is on the ape's left arm. 

"I ain't no monkey! I'm an ape, just like you," reflects one of the American Atheist views. American Atheists is a non-profit organization whose members' actions and world outlook are only based on science, excluding religious dogma. Therefore, their identifying logo is represented by the atomic symbol.  

Light brown background with black shadowed blocked text with smaller black text below.

Located in Chicago, About Face Theatre was established in 1995 by Artistic Directors Kyle Hall and Eric Rosen to raise LGBTQIA voices in the performing arts. Since its founding, the theatre has put on dozens of productions “that tell complicated stories representing all facets of gay life.” The organization holds an annual Equity Mainstage Season and year-around educational programs designed to foster awareness and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. The theatre is also heavily involved with Chicago’s queer youth by partnering with local schools to empower students and catalyze dialogue.

The name “About Face” was chosen for the theater by one of its founders Kyle Hall because it represents “a turning of the tide – changing perceptions and the direction of discourse by, of, and about queer lives and experiences.”