Sustainable Design

1400 Words3 Pages

The definition of Sustainability in the Merriam Webster Dictionary is simply ‘involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources (Merriam Webster, 2014)’. In design we consider sustainability in two different ways:

• The functional and financial sustainability of a product, design or even a design process

• The impact of resources or renewability of a product, design or process (University, 2014)

Designers today have a social responsibility with what they produce as our products are the future and we can have a massive impact on sustainability by making our business decisions based on the environment. White and Stewart note that “The diverse set of risks and opportunities that now confront companies make consideration of environmental and social impacts in design more than a nice thing to do. Increasingly, it is becoming a matter of remaining relevant and viable in domestic and global economies.” (White & Stewart 2008, p. 5) Sustainability is not a new topic it is how humans have evolved. It’s humans that have undermined their own planet over time that have made it a contemporary issue.

EVOLUTION AND RECOGNITION

Whilst sustainability did not become a noticeable issue in design until the 1970’s, we can see the evolution over time. The American Indian back in the 1800’s would hunt buffalo, however they knew this was their main resource for survival so they greatly respected it. The way they hunted and utilized the whole animal meant there was no waste and never a threat of extinction. The hide was used for clothing, blankets and smeared with smashed buffalo brains as waterproofing and then used to make teepee’s (History Learning Site, 2014). Native people (first designers) of our planet knew that...

... middle of paper ...

...ch 29). Buffalo and the Native American. Retrieved from History Learning State: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/buffalo.htm

Knight, A. (2009). Hidden Histories: the story of sustainable design. Proquest Discovery Guides, 3.

Merriam Webster. (2014, March 29). Sustainability. Retrieved from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustainable

Nations, U. (2014, March 28). Kyoto Protocol. Retrieved from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php

University, F. (2014). Contemporary Design Issues - Course Learning Materials Week 2. Ballarat: Federation University.

Valluzzo, A. (2014, March 29). A Tale of Two Chairs. Retrieved from Antiques and the Arts Weekly: http://antiquesandtheartsweekly.wordpress.com/

Woodham, J. M. (2005). A Dictionary of Modern Design. New York: Oxford Press.

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