Green-i: an interactive reusable brochure paper for eco-touring

Abstract

Brochure is a small, printed advertisement leaflet containing service, product, map or/and cultural information. Back in 1993, the environmental tourism consultant Green Flag International reported that more than 40 million holiday brochures were thrown away unread [The Independent Travel 1993]. Till date, the most worrying aspect of the brochure industry is still the continuing treatment of its product as a 'free good', which eventually turns out to be paper waste. It is undeniable that paper can be recycled, but however, recycling is not as environmentally sustainable as reuse [Blevis 2008]. During touring activity, each brochure paper is used only once and it usually lasts throughout the touring period. Furthermore, an ordinary brochure paper can easily be torn or got wet especially during rainy days and becomes fragile. Considering the above downsides of using an ordinary brochure paper, we study and explore the sustainability use of flexible transparent display to blend various brochure aspects seamlessly into touring activity and subsequently design an interactive eco-friendly brochure for cultural heritage touring activity, called Green-i.