Journal 08

Design and the Environment:

            Most people – including myself – would assume they knew exactly what “design & the environment” and that would simply be designing products that are recyclable or made of “BPA” free materials.  In a way, that is correct but its only part of a greater whole.  Design and the environment is about those things described above but its more about designing all aspects of our lives to have less of an impact on our world.  A book we read in class (Cradle to Cradle) address many of the ideas about design an the environment, mainly that it’s not only about making products safer and healthier for us as humans but also creating everything in our world to use less resources, and maybe even give more back as we move into the future.  Design and the environment can refer to product design but it also refers to the design of all things that fill out world. 

Sources & Summaries:

-Minnesota Pollution and Control agency: Product Design andthe Environment

            This is a page provided by the Pollution Control Agency of Minnesota that has many different guide sheets on different aspects of product design from power supply, to chemical and materials selection.  What was most interesting about this page were the different topics they thought to address that I – personally – hadn’t thought about.  For instance the fasteners that hold products together, or extending product life (which seems like something many companies would be against).  

-US EPA, Design for the Environment:

            This page has an incredible amount of information on “green” design for consumers, manufacturers, and purchasers about a “DfE” label.  The page I linked to specifically ahs information about the DfE label, how the EPA determines what products are deserving of the DfE label, and what the DfE label means for consumers.  The idea that the EPA is creating a universally identifiable label in order for people to make more conscious decision about what they purchase is awesome.

-HP Environment:

            This is the electronic giant’s website about how they have devoted a certain portion of their resources to being green since 1922.  They talk about their “design for the environment” program which they – funnily enough – term as their DfE program (seems incredibly similar to the EPA’s efforts).  They focus on three main areas, energy efficiency, materials innovation, and design for recyclability…and go on further to discuss how they achieve these “priorities.”

-Inhabitat:

            Probably the coolest site that I found in relation to “green” design.  This is more of a website that focuses on collecting and sharing ideas on green design, or designing to save the world.  I thought this site was amazing because it organizes the ideas into specific categories like interiors, or technology…it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of designing to impact our world less.

-EDC (Ecological Design Collborative): 

            This site deals less with product design and more with architectural design…a more literal interpretation on the intersection between design and the environment.  The specific page I linked to describes what this “company” is all about, aka coming up with “ecologically and economically-sensible” buildings (among many other things).