the adventures of DESIGN in
SUSTAINABILITY
Bhavika Shah I Applied Theories in Sustainability I Professor Scott Boylston
The Adventures of Design in Sustainability This is the story about how design has and will impact sustainable efforts in the world. From graphic design to industrial design to architecture, these are just a few examples of the fields in design that have defined consumer behavior. Yet, as the world becomes more eco-conscious and sustainability becomes not only prevalent but also essential, the field of design will need to adapt how it defines itself in order to move forward and be on the forefront of the sustainable social movement.
Contents The starting point.
Status of the world today How we got there Defining design Design’s role in today’s world
Ascending.
Problems created by current lifestyles Problems created by design Introduction of sustainability
Reaching the peak.
Transition into sustainability Design’s bifurcation point
Going back down.
Forming the path How design can change the world Case studies
On to the next.
Status of the world tomorrow Design’s new definition Design’s role in tomorrow’s world Where we go from here
Terms Sources
the starting point.
“Product-based wellbeing is the “promise of democratization of access to products which increase individual freedom.” –Design, Ethics, and Sustainability
Status of the World Today Today’s world has been defined by consumerism. Consumerism, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is the theory that increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable. 30 Consumerism is generated and perpetrated by the expansionist model which is when “the world consists of markets in which products function first and foremost as tokens of economic exchange.” It is “dominated by a belief in the power of technological innovation to enhance human experience because materialism has become so integral to notions of happiness that product development is not almost inextricably bound to striving for human betterment.” 12 Therefore, consumers define success by the amount material objects they own and how quickly they can get them. This creates a market where the newest and most up-to-date products are constantly being created, bought and then thrown out for the next newest product since each new product promotes the “promise of a better life.” 12 This product-based wellbeing influences the current market in terms of what and how often products and technologies are created. One of the causes that has exacerbated consumerism and product-based wellbeing is adoption of the GDP, Gross
Times Square in New York City is an example of today’s current culture of consumerism. Here we can see the concern for well being is by the status of what and how much you can buy.
Domestic Product, as the measure of national economic success. According to investopedia.com, GDP is commonly used as an indicator of the economic health of a country, as well as to gauge a country’s standard of living. Since GDP only measures the flow of products created and bought, companies within countries are incentivized to constantly create more and more so consumers can buy more and more. Overall, consumerism has resulted is today’s conventional capitalism where: • Economic progress can best occur in free-market systems • Growth in total GDP maximizes human well-being • Any resource shortages that do occur will elicit the development of substitutes • Concerns for a healthy environment are important but must be balanced against the requirements of economic growth 9
Capitalism is about the single bottom line: economic growth. This rapid consumption perpetuated by the expansionist model and capitalism can be seen in nature as a Type 1 system. A Type 1 system is one of “rapid growth strategy in order to grow [the] population. It maximize throughput of material, and then heads for the next horn of plenty, with no time for recycling or efficiency. 1 While these systems are important to start life and population growth, if prolonged, they can ruin the environment that allowed them to grow. Type 1 systems are “only appropriate at the start-up stage of succession.” 1 Therefore, as long as capitalism and our current consumption patterns follow this Type 1 system of growth, the environment suffers and deteriorates. “Global capitalism does not alleviate poverty and social exclusion, it exacerbates them.” 8 So the big question is, how did we get here?
Type 1 systems “spring up to take advantage of abundant resources.” –Biomimicry
How We Got There The industrial revolution, which took place during the 18th and 19th century, pushed the idea of product-based wellbeing and created “unsustainable expectations for a small, densely populated planet.” 10 This was a time of rapid growth in all sectors from technology to design. It changed Europe and North America from agrarian societies to industrial societies through the advance of powered machines, factories, and mass-production. Industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living. 19 The idea of product-based wellbeing came from the technologies developed by the industrial revolution that “reduced fatigue, left more free time, and extended the opportunities for individual choice – in short, it increased individual freedom.” 10 The appeal of these technologies made humans think they were smarter than nature, that they could conquer it. Since “we suddenly had unlimited resources, like any opportu-
The picture above shows an eample of a Type 1 species. These plants maximize throughput of materials through rapid growth before moving to the next location. The picture to the right represents the Industrial Revolution where the idea of product-based wellbeing was introduced through mass production and factories.
nistic system, we went hog wild with one important difference…we are in a finite container called Earth. Like adolescents who think they are immortal, we acted as if we had some sort of magic shield against the consequences of our plundering and polluting.” 1
We also began to measure success through efficiency and control since companies that used those methods could decrease input while increasing output. Organizations began to compare themselves as machines, and employees were “being treated like cogs in a machine” while those in power controlled those machines. 8
Defining Design producing of an object utilitarian character or of free art work, or whatever it may be. “Design is “Design is a creative activity whose the activity that generates plans, aim is to establish the multi-facet- projects, and products. It produces tangible results that can serve as ed qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole demonstrations of or arguments for how we might live.” life cycles.” There have been many definitions of design and what it means to practice. Below are a few examples:
–ICSID 2005
“Design is an attitude which everyone should have; namely the attitude of the planner- whether it is a matter of family relationships or labor relationships or the
–Expansion or Sustainability: Two Models of Development
Design: to plan and make (something) for a specific use or purpose –Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Defining design in several definitions presents the broadness of the discipline. This is important to note because since design doesn’t have set definition, it can always change its parameters to include new trends and ideas within the field. While they are all different, one commonality between them is the concept of planning. If design and planning go hand in hand, how can design stay true to its core concept as it moves forward and redefines itself?
“The underlying premise of design practice is that the role of the designer is to provide services to [the] clients within the system of consumer culture” –Design for a Sustainable World
Design’s Role in Today’s World “Since design’s beginning, it has been firmly embedded in consumer culture.” 11 According to Robert Buchanan, there are domains in design that categorize how the profession is described. The first one is the design of symbolic and visual communications, which include professions such as graphic and game design. The second domain is design of material objects; this includes the professions of industrial and fashion design. The third domain is the design of activities and organized services, which include architecture and service design. 7 Although design in categorized in these domains, the definitions of design show that these domains encompass a great deal and are open to interpretation. “The openness of the field of possibilities where designers are operating is one of the factors that characterizes their actions.” 10
Currently design is limited by the contrains of the client’s wants and needs, as explained by the two pictures to the right.
Design role today is one of a cog, where those higher up tell designers what they wanted without having a complete understanding of what was needed or best for them. These domains define the type of designer they need, but the actual practice is one where the designer is trying to please the client and their needs without consideration to other users, other nonusers, or even the environment.
ascending.
“If present growth trends in word population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next one-hundred years.” –Limits to Growth
Problems Created by Current Lifestyles Consumerism and product wellbeing perpetrated by the expansionist model and capitalism have had severe consequences to life on earth, especially in concern with overuse of earth’s natural resources and pollution.
curate since even though new technologies increased agriculture and manufacturing processes, new growing economies such as China and India and globalization have created even more consumption by a larger population. 4
There have been several reports generated discussing these effects from the Limits of Growth created in 1972 by the Club of Rome to most recent 2014 IPCC report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). These reports map out the effects that will happen to human population, natural resources remaining, global pollution, food and water per capita, and various living ecosystems, if the expansionist model and capitalism continue unchecked.
Our Common Future, was one of the first call-to-action reports written by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. This report brought to light that human activity was not isolation by part of the system of Earth “whose health depends on the health of all its parts.” Instead of a detailed blueprint, the report was a “pathway by which the peoples of the world may enlarge their spheres of cooperation.” It described successes and failures of sustainable efforts, the interlocking crises with specific examples of natural and manmade disasters that connected by human activity, sustainable development for
One of the first reports that included a problem statement and graph that could be updated over time was the Limits to Growth by the Club of Rome in 1972. It mainly analyzed the current world situation and the potential limits for growth in the future but did not give a direct plan for change. The key point of this graph showed that due to our current practices of consumerism the population and several other factors including food per capita and natural resource depletion would hit a limit in 2030. Although the report was written in 1972, the projection is fairly ac-
This graph is the projected trends perceived by Limits To Growth compared to the actual results to present day.
“meeting the basic needs of all,” and finally the institutional gaps that have been slow to respond to sustainable developments. Although the report stated key points in order to sustain resources for the coming generations, it was mostly ignored due to its lack of accommodation for dynamic growth and emerging global economy. 18 Therefore, in 1992, Agenda 21 was created as the second call-to-action, written by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Conference and adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This 300-page document included four sections: social and economic dimensions, conservation and management of resources for development, strengthening the role of major groups, and means of implementation for international institutions and financial mechanisms. Each section provided “a set of principles to work with and a basis on which to develop
strategies for change.” 11 Throughout this detailed report, Agenda 21’s main objective called for a “global partnership for sustainable development.” 17 The IPCC is a leading international, scientific body that has published reports on climate change since 1990. The most recent report, released in 2014, is separated into two volumes: Global and Sectoral Aspects which describe the impacts of climate change by categories such as ocean systems, freshwater resources and human security; and Regional Aspects which describe the impacts of climate change by continent and their respective effect per each category. The report is the most “sobering yet” in regards to its projections on how climate change will alter human society in the coming decades. The report was delivered at a 48-page summary to all major institutions and top political leaders around the world. 20 Doughnut Economics is a model that takes the data from all the research these reports have generated and used to create an easy-to-understand visual of the current state of the world and how it compares to the planetary boundaries. These boundaries include climate change, rate of biodiversity loss, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, stratospheric ozone depletion,
This graph projects how climate change will affect the various regions around the world, as predicted by the IPCC 2014 Report.
ocean acidification, global and freshwater use, and change in land use, atmospheric aerosol loading, and chemical pollution. In most of these categories, humans exceed the boundary, some by 650% (as seen in the consumption of freshwater). 3 Two reasons or traps that have exacerbated the problems shown by the reports and the Doughnut Economics model are the tragedy of the commons and escalation. These traps, as described by Donella Meadows in her book Thinking in Systems are described below: Tragedy of the Commons: “When there is a commonly shared resource, every user benefits directly from its use, but shares the cost of its abuse with everyone else. Therefore, there is a very weak feedback from the condition of the resource to the decisions of the resource users. The consequences is overuse of the resource, eroding it until it becomes unavailable to anyone.” 13 In the terms of sustainability and tragedy of the commons, people, governments,
and even countries don’t take into account their effects on air pollution, ocean acidification, and freshwater usage since there are no means to take responsibility for a single area. For example, air pollution in China affects worldwide weather patterns, but they are not accounted for because it is not a direct correlation and there is a very weak feedback loop. 21 However, there is a way out: “Educate and exhort the users, so they understand the consequences of abusing the resource. And also restore or strengthen the missing feedback loop, either by privatizing the resource so each user feels the direct consequences of its abuse or (since many resources cannot be privatized) by regulating the access of all users to the resources.” 13 The reports and models have been a good method to educate and exhort the users (people, governments and countries) to see their collective impact on Earth’s resources. Yet, it has only been recently that users are taking responsibility for their
impacts and changing their methods. One example is the Montreal Protocol treaty created in 1987 and put into place in 1989. It aimed at healing the ozone layer with participation from countries worldwide to ban substances that deplete the ozone layer. The worldwide cooperative effort resulted in the current status of the stratospheric ozone depletion to be less than that of the pre-industrial revolution, as seen in Doughnut Economics. Nevertheless, institutions have been slow in cracking down on the overuse of natural resources. One solution for strengthening the feedback loop of resource depletion is elimination of subsidies that misrepresent the amount of resource available. This would include oil, coal, water, and energy. If those subsidies were eliminated, users would have a better understanding of the amount available due to pricing and limit their usage or find other forms of renewable resources to meet their needs. Escalation: “When the state of one stock is determined by trying to surpass the state of another stock-and vice versa- then there
Comic depicting the irony that human consumption still believes that the world is limitless when natural resources are being depleted at an unsustainable rate.
is a reinforcing feedback look carrying the system into a race. The escalation is exponential and can lead to extremes surprisingly quickly. If nothing is done, the spiral will be stopped by someone’s collapse- because exponential growth cannot go on forever.” 13 In terms of sustainability and escalation, users (especially institutions) are caught in an ever-rising competition of determining their worth in terms of GDP. This escalation creates promotion for more product creation and more consumption since GDP is valued upon throughput – the flow of products created and bought each year. This escalation generates burdens on not only using natural resources but also accessing natural resources that intensifies the competition. “The best way out of this trap is to avoid getting in it. If caught in an escalating system, one can refuse to compete (unilaterally disarm), thereby interrupting the reinforcing loop. Or one can negotiate a new system with balancing feedback loops to control the escalation.” 13
Since most developed nations are in the GDP race, the best way out is for institutions to change their measure of value to more than just GDP. One way is to measure financial and economic growth with human “values built into them.” 8 A good example to add to GDP is GPI, genuine progress indicator. GPI does not define success by money spent and products consumers but “by the quality of life we create not only for ourselves but for everyone with whom we share the planet.” 22 GPI measures twenty-six indicators categorized by economic, environmental and social factors “in order to give a more accurate picture of progress.” If institutions used GPI to change their measure of value, their consumption patterns could potentially change according to the needs of the citizens that reside in their respective countries instead of just pushing people to make and buy more. 22
“…By creating whole new species of permanent garbage to clutter up the landscape, and by choosing materials and processes that pollute the air we breath, designers have become a dangerous breed.” –Victor Papanek
Problems Created by Design Due to the openness of design, designers have to consider “not only the intentions behind a given action but also its implications and results.” 10 Up until this point, “the design community have been active agents in oiling the wheels of a catastrophic machine, or more precisely, active agents of an unsustainable idea of well-being.” 10 Designers develop the newest and most technologically advanced products and services, yet in order to reach this goal, they often lose sight of the implications of their designs. This has lead to seeking the wrong goal. Seeking the wrong goal is a system behavior particularly sensitive to the goals of feed-
Photo of a cell phone landfill, reveals that designers are always promoting the “need” for the newest design to consumers.
back loops. If the goals-indicators of satisfaction of the rules are defined inaccurately or incompletely, the system may obediently work to produce a result that is not really intended or wanted. 13 Since designers are looking to build their reputation as modern and technologically advanced, the main focus is on the user’s experience of the product but forgotten in the design is the beginning of the product’s lifecycle in terms of how its made and the end of the lifecycle in terms of disposal. Currently, designers are working by an ethics of disposition, which “propounds idealistic virtues without concern for the process and effects of their adoption.” 12
However, the way out of this trap is to “specify indicators and goals that reflect the real welfare of the system. Be especially careful not to confuse the effort with result or you will end up with a system that is producing effort, not result.” 13 If designers include the entire product’s lifecycle in their design, they can change the goal of design to be one of sustainable wellbeing for earth. This system view creates more challenges but more opportunities for innovation within design. “It means connecting [product design] to a larger situation of production and use.” 9
“We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us.” –Natural Capital
Introduction to Sustainability The current human lifestyle of problems created by it combine into an unsustainable way of life. Overall, they combine to create a “wicked problem” which was characterized by Horst Rittel. A “wicked problem is a class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing.” 11 The key point of a wicked problem is confusion, where any “solution” may turn into a whole new class of problems. When the definition of a wicked problem is broken down in terms of sustainability, we can see the massive flows and stocks that contribute to and bind the problem. As we seen in the numerous, sometimes lengthy reports, the information discussing climate change, natural resource depletion, pollution and population in varied due to the data ever-changing, and so deeply connected that is it hard to separate causes and effects into clean, delineated categories. Since sustainable efforts concern the world, every country, institution, and citizen are
involved which forming values that speak to everyone hard to generate. Finally, the ramifications of sustainability are extremely hard to identify since creating a solution for one sector such as fresh water might have disastrous effects to other sectors within sustainable efforts such as living ecosystems or population growth. However, even though sustainability as a wicked problem is thoroughly confusing and complex, doesn’t mean that humans should give up; it is essential to maintain life on Earth. Therefore, by using system thinking to show into the macro and micro of the problem and designing solutions
instead of solving them, consumers can increase their awareness of situations that threaten Earth, see the effects of our current human lifestyle, and hopefully transform their behaviors to create a better world. We will need to “solve for pattern – finding solutions that are good in all respects, solutions that improve not just the part that seems to be the problem but all the parts of the system that contains it.” 9 Yet, who will be the change agents that use systems thinking to solve patterns and translate it to consumers?
reaching the peak.
“The sustainability model and the expansionist model are not only in conflict, they are on a collision course that has already led to considerable fallout” –Victor Papanek
Transition into Sustainability The sustainability model is in direct opposition from the expansionist model since it requires consumers, companies and institutions to take responsibility of how much they consume. Therefore, if we “view of the world as a system and analyze it as a whole,” it can lead to drastic change in consumption patterns. 18 In order to transition from the expansionist model to the sustainable model, a path or guide is needed to understand the final goals and make sure that the system will work. Thankfully, nature has provided that through the example of Type 3 systems. Type 3 systems are systems that “live in elaborate synergy with the species around them, and put their energy into optimizing these relationships. Virtually no wastes
Photo of Red Wood trees in California; a Type 3 system that lives within its ecosystem by following the set of principles stated above.
leach away, and the only energy imported is that of the sun. We have to learn to be self-renewing right where we are.” 1 In order to “stay on the land in a state of relative equilibrium, taking out no more than they put in,” Type three systems follow a set of principles: 1. Use waste as a resource (closed cycle) 2. Diversify and cooperate to fully use the habitat 3. Gather and use energy efficiently 4. Optimize rather than maximize
5. Use materials sparingly 6. Don’t foul their nests 7. Don’t draw down resources 8. Remain in balance with the biosphere 9. Run on information 10. Shop locally 1 Since the premise of the sustainability model is that “the world is a system of ecological checks and balances that consists of finite resources,” using the Type 3 principles as goals for our future development, society can transition into a sustainability model knowing what they need to do. 12
“The necessity has arisen for design to redefine its purpose and devise a new organizational structure for itself.” –Kenji Ekuan
Design’s Bifurcation Point Design is at a bifurcation Point. A bifurcation point is the point of instability where “it can branch off into an entirely new state where new structures and new forms of order may emerge.” 2
Design can follow the same path it has followed since its beginning, one of “giving form to products for mass production” or it can develop into a new order, one where the rules are undefined but the outcome will be much greater than the discipline
has seen before. 11 This is path of sustainable design, where designers will need to look past what the client wants and needs to develop what Earth wants and needs.
going back down.
“All frameworks are lenses that contribute to the larger understanding of the issues, measures, and approaches of sustainability.” –Design is the Problem
Forming the Path Over the years, as sustainability becomes a stronger social movement in the world, several frameworks have been created for transforming consumer and company behavior to prepare them for the future. These frameworks forge the path of how to incorporate sustainable efforts while still increasing the state of wellbeing. There are many frameworks such as Life Cycle Analysis, Total Beauty, and the Sustainable Helix, etc., yet the four described below are Biomimicry, the Natural Step, Cradle to Cradle, and Natural Capital. Biomimicry is a perspective that takes its inspiration from natural processes. It isn’t a framework, per se, but more of an approach to re-imagine the design and development process by researching and studying natural materials such as plants, animals, and other organisms, in order to see the promise for human solutions. Nature can serve both as a source of inspiration and a source for materials and processes that we can use and emulate to create better, more sustainable solutions. An example of the principles seen in nature that can be effective guides are: self-assembly, power of shapes, water-based chemistry, growing fertility, use of feedback loops, etc. Specifically for design, biomimicry is a perspective that would be used in conjunction with the
The graph above is an example of how Biomimicry can infuse itself within the design process. The bottom graph is an example of the Natural Step Funnel where companies that place themselves within the funnel will prepare and sustain themselves for the future.
design process in order to evaluate design solutions by comparing them with nature’s principles. 16 The Natural Step framework “integrates environmental issues into the frame of business reality and to move the company toward sustainable development. It follows four system conditions that dictate how to be a sustainable society: the first is that nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust, the second is that nature is not subject to systemati-
cally increasing concentrations of substances produced by society, the third is that nature is not subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means, and the fourth is that in this society humans need are met. To translate these into the context of business, the Natural Step framework uses four core processes: this first is to perceive the nature of the unsustainable direction of business and society and the self-interest implicit in shifting to a sustainable direction; the second is to understand the first-order principles for sustainability, i.e. the four
system conditions; the third is by strategic visioning through “back-casting” from a desired sustainable future; and fourth is to identify strategic steps to move the company from its current reality towards its desired vision. Overall, the framework provides a funnel in which these principles and processes lie in order for a company or organization “to direct its activities and investments to the center of the funnel.” 15 Cradle to Cradle, also known as eco-effectiveness is a framework that involves four principles: 1. Elimination of hazardous (toxic) materials 2. ‘Waste equals food’ (changing our definition of ‘waste’) 3. Use the current solar income on energy 4. Use ‘upcycle’ material These principles requires questioning of all materials and elimination of all toxic materials. Through this, the framework promotes closing to loop of systems by becoming cyclical or a lifecycle. The entire life cycle needs to be designed for, from production, transportation, use, and disposal. If everything can be made into food for other processes, then recycling and waste can and will be completely rethought. This requires careful engineering and design in materials manufacturing for
Above is an infographic explaining the Cradle 2 Cradle method in terms of eco-effectiveness. The graph below is an example of the shifts within Natural Capitalism: how they relate and support each other.
future use in ‘upcycling.’ Upcycling is using a material not only at the same material characteristics, but also be reclaimed and improved to have better characteristics than the original. This can be done if that material is ‘waste’ from one industry and used in different industry as input. Cradle to Cradle demands significant change but also represents a high bar to reach for most organizations, and takes commitment and support from the highest levels of an organization to achieve. 16
Natural Capitalism, also known as eco-efficiency is a framework for rethinking the value of social and natural resources in the context of business. Within the framework, they describe 4 types of capital: natural capital which is the natural resources we get from earth, human capital we get from the work and ideas contributed by people, manufactured capital which is the materials and energies people create through industry that aren’t found in nature, and financial capital which is money and all its forms. From those types
of capital, the framework promotes four primary shifts: Shift 1: Radical Resource Productivityincrease dramatically the productivity of our use of natural resources and reduce the material and energy intensity of the products and services we create Shift 2: Ecological Redesign- shifts our perspectives and processes to biologically inspired models Shift 3: Service and Flow Economiesshifts the emphasis from products to services and objects to outcomes Shift 4: Investing in Natural Capitalbuilds a stronger resource base as well as a more resilient world Natural capital’s main priority is efficiency, efficiency in use of material, energy, and even transportation just to name a few. 16 Biomimicry, The Natural Step, Cradle to
Cradle, and Natural Capital separately each have their flaws, from either being too vague on how to move forward or being too demanding and radical. However, when combined, they build a strong overall, forming framework for designers to effectively use for the future. One model that uses concepts from all three frameworks is the Circular Economy created by the Ellen MacArthur Fund. The Circular Economy refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention; aims to rely on renewable energy; minimizes, tracks, and hopefully eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design. In order to do this, the framework follows 5 principles: design out of ‘waste,’ build resilience through diversity, work towards using energy from renewable sources, think in ‘systems,’ and think in cascades. For an
economy that is regenerative by design, materials flow are of two types: biological materials designed to reenter the biosphere, and technical materials designed to circulate with minimal loss of quality; in turn, entraining the shift towards an economy ultimately powered by renewable energy. Through these tactics, it rebuilds social and natural capital which shifting from the consumer to the user. The concept of the circular economy is grounded in the study of non-linear, living systems. The main outcome of taking insights from living systems is the notion of optimizing systems rather than components for an overall efficient system. 23 Overall, using the circular economy to drive sustainable efforts, companies, institutions, and especially designers can gain a better understanding of the benefits for themselves financially and for the world.
STOCKS & FLOWS In Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows, she describes stocks and flows that are represented in every system. Stocks are a buffer that you can “see, feel, count, or measure.� For example, stocks can be the amount of fresh water available or the total human population. Flows are a dynamic flux, which constantly flows in and out of a stock. For example, these can be the rate of consumption or deaths and births of a population. The key point about stocks and flows are that stocks take time to change; they act as buffers or delays to the state of flux. 13
Creative Adaptation is combining emergent properties with the dynamic order of learning. It is an “open system that maintains itself in a state far from equilibrium, yet is nevertheless stable: the same overall structure is maintained in spite of an ongoing flow & change of components.” –Creativity, Systems, Domains
How Design Can Change the World “Designers can intervene within organizations and situations in a greater number of ways [due to applying] design thinking to remarkably different problems and subject matters. 12 Design can be the balancing feedback loop for sustainable initiative in order to “design and implement regulatory mechanisms to stabilize the new economy.” 8 Balancing feedback loops “are ubiquitous in systems. Nature evolves them and humans invent them as controls to keep important stocks within safe bounds.” 13
This infographic is an example of the design process. The design process already includes several feedback loops interations within the process. Therefore, extended that same thought process to sustainability would be an easy transition.
If design becomes the balancing feedback loop, their goal would be to check the stock of non-renewable resources and design accordingly. They will be the barrier for keeping our natural resources within safe
bounds. This can happen by designing for entire lifecycle of a product (or service), than designers will begin to change the world by introducing new consumption patterns for users.
Case Studies Below are case studies that have the various frameworks along with systems thinking in order to promote sustainable wellbeing. By studying these cases, we can see the value sustainable efforts are currently making around the world. The two broad categories of the case studies are products and urban design. Product Case Studies:
Gecko Tape
Gecko tape is an adhesive that mimics the structure of the toe pads of the geckos. Geckos have an exceptional ability run on any surface, whether it be horizontal, vertical or even upside-down. Therefore, in 2003 researchers at the University of Manchester recreated this similarity by inventing tape the mimicked the capillary forces in the hairs on a gecko’s toe pads through cutting edge nanotechnology. These capillary forces are the reason that geckos stay in place. Although the technology is still relatively new and therefore the tape is lacking in commercial application, the technology of the tape has potential to be used in various applications, from construction to space. Gecko tape is a good example of how biomimicry combined with the latest technology can create new, sustainable, and broader reaching products than ever before. 24
The top photo shows two examples of fashionable eco-wear that were showcased on the Ecouterre website. The middle photo shows how Nike Flyknit is made from a single piece of yarn to create the entire shoe. The photo on the bottom explains how Gecko tape was developed by mimicking the soles of Gecko’s feet.
Nike Flyknit
At Nike, they see sustainability as a catalyst for revolutionizing our products – for driving innovation in a way that benefits the athlete, the company’s growth and the environment. Therefore, one of the new product lines creates is the Nike Flyknit. Nike Flyknit is an ultra strong yarn knit,
single strand construction tennis shoe that drastically reduces waste and materials. By creating a one-piece upper and joining it with the Flywire technology, Nike was able to completely eliminate the use of glue and stitching. The Nike Flyknit is an example of using Cradle to Cradle’s first principle: elimination of hazardous (toxic) chemicals
in the form of production. Nike itself has already begun identifying strategic steps to move the company to become a leader in sustainability while still staying true to their design, technology, and innovation standards. 25
Ecouterre
Launched in September 2009, Ecouterre is a website devoted to the future of sustainable fashion. They support and showcase designers that take into account the social and environmental impacts of their garments for the entire garment’s life cycle. This can be cultivations of its fibers to its user and disposal. Their ethos: “to follow the evolution of the apparel industry toward a more environmentally sound future, as well as facilitate a conversation about why sustainable fashion matters.” The website showcases the regular categorization of clothing (women, men, shoes, accessories, etc.), but also includes sections for designers that are using sustainable methods, reuse for explaining how to reuse your own clothes for other purposes, and DIY for creating something new with your clothes. Customers can shop, learn sustainable techniques to apply at home, and even contribute to the blog by sharing stories about sustainable fashion. Ecouterre is an example of creating human capital through the use of digital media. 26
The graph above shows the ecosystem of Kalundborg, Denmark. Each company and industrial park use another’s waste for their energy or input. The bottom graph shows the ecosystem of Zira Island and how the entire design and building connect and rely on each other.
Urban Design Case Studies:
Zira Island
Central Asia’s first carbon neutral master plan, designed as a completely independent entity, regarding the external resources, which is achieved through the mix of local and traditional building strategies and new and sustainable technologies. The aim was to provide high-end living, while decreasing usage of the resources to the minimum in order to build a self-contained island. By capitalizing on renewable resources such as win, sun, and water, Zira will product the same amount of energy as it consumes. This is a fascinating, modern example of how Circular Economy principles being used in conjunction with design can create a beautiful yet sustainable city/island. 27
Kalundborg, Denmark
Kalundborg is the world’s most elaborate prototype or an eco-park. Four companies are collocated, and all of them are linked, dependent on one another for resources or energy. It operates in a food web, connected by information and mutual design to use waste. 1 Originally, the motivation behind the clustering of industries at Kalundborg was to reduce costs by seeking income-producing applications for unwanted by-products. Gradually, though, industry managers and local residents realized that they were generating environmental benefits as well. The symbiosis has grown over the years to include partners from other districts, as well as farmers. They have an estimated savings totaling US $10 million a year. Kalundborg is one of the best examples of Cradle to Cradle concepts practiced in real-world settings with not only environmental, but also financial benefits. 28
Earthaven Ecovilliage
Earthaven is an aspiring eco-village in the mountain forest near Asheville, North Carolina. They are dedicated to caring for people and the Earth by learning, living, and demonstrating holistic sustainable culture. Created in 1995, the organization is slowly developing on-site businesses and housing to form a village-scale economy. Their mission is to create a village that is a living laboratory and educational seed bank for a sustainable human future in order to develop and support a thriving economy that shifts from wasteful to regenerative
use of resources. Earthaven is an interesting, local example for using the Natural Capital principles and translating them to cultivate a village. 29 These case studies are good local and global examples of how planning and design can affect sustainability and wellbeing in the future. We can see that the two are not mutually exclusive, but can help reinforce each other to make better, more innovative products and services.
on to the next.
“There is no true separation between how we support life economically and ecologically.” – Natural Capitalism
Status of the World Tomorrow The status of the world tomorrow is that of a sustainable wellbeing where consumers utilize fewer environmental resources while improving the quality of their living contexts. Companies and institutions will promote sustainable wellbeing, enable people to live as they like in a sustainable way, and enhance social innovation to steer it towards more sustainable ways of living. 10
The graph on the right explains the triple bottom line that combine to create sustainablility that can be adapted to a company’s business model to government initiatives.
The sustainability model will dictate how to act in the future, this may not be what everyone wants, but it will be what the worlds and human evolution needs. This model’s effect will be far-reaching, especially in terms of consumption and production. Because of this, the global economy will be measured not only by GDP, but also by GPI, since GDP will not work as a measurement of success if products are lasting
longer and people are consuming less. This, in turn, will create the triple bottom line (Environment, Economy, and Social) as the framework of the norm, a goal being reached by every citizen, company and institution.
“Design becomes once again the means of ordering the world rather than merely of shaping commodities” –Clive Dilnot
Design’s New Definition In order to reinvent design culture, it needs to shift its thinking from specific products where only the product’s life with the user is design for to systems thinking, where the entire lifecycle of that product is designed for. This is shifting the mindset from discussing leaves on a branch (little ideas) to discussing about the branches and trunk (the overall concepts). “Old divisions of design practice now appear increasingly inadequate and ineffectual…due to the influence of technology, management strategies, social forces, and new intellectual currents.” 12
The infographic depicts Design Thinking Principles. These principles are necessary for designers to use for the future of design and developing sytems thinking.
Since these patterns are emerging, the necessity of the fourth domain of design; the design of complex systems or environments for living, working, playing, and learning; will fill build design’s new definition. This domain, infused in the other three domains (design of symbolic and visual communications, design of material objects, and design of activities and organized services), will cause a shift in how design is defined. In the words of Robert Buchanan, design-
ers will be “more and more concerned with exploring the role of design in sustaining, developing, and integrating human beings into broader ecological and cultural environments, shaping these environments when desirable and possible or adapting to them when necessary. 7
“You don’t waste time with reactionaries; rather, you work with active change agents and with the vast middle ground of people who are open-minded.” – Thinking in Systems
Design’s Role in Tomorrow’s World Looking back at the definitions of design, old and new, design is a unique field in that it is “continuously inventing its subject matter [since] that is the nature of design.” 12 Therefore, design’s role in tomorrow’s world is one of a change agent and reformer: one that uses systems thinking to translate sustainable wellbeing to consumers. By combining the ideals of a change agent and reformer as developed by Bill Moyer (please refer to the sidebar), designers can use their skills in all four domains to promote the sustainable initiatives to a broader scale, from individuals to corporations and institutions. They will develop new patterns in consumption by developing products that could survive for a longer period of time than that demonstrated by previous products, through shifting from acquisition of products to the utilization of services, or most drastically, creating engagement with fewer objects through decreased consumption.
The infographic to the right shows the new sectors that design will need to encompass to move forward in the discipline.
When design embraces their new definition, the discipline will transition from being a cause agent to being a change agent. Designers will be a key factor in tipping the leverage point of shifting paradigms. 13 Through using system thinking to understand problem and designing solutions instead of solving them, design can translate the behavioral shift in consuming products to users. Also, by working with an ethics of responsibility “that is oriented to the consequences of decisions and actions as they are manifest in concrete situations,” design can influence consumption by longer lasting products, access to products over ownership, and even drastically change consumption to use less products. 12 “A profession cannot be grounded in the expectation that all of its practitioners will share the same moral vision, and it must
therefore focus on the concrete issues of practical work in order to define its social identity.” 11 Design will have to watch for the trap of policy resistance. This is when various actors try to pull a system stock towards various goals, the result can be policy resistance. Any new policy, especially if it’s effective, just pulls the stock farther from the goals of other actors and produces additional resistance, with a result that no one likes, but that everyone expends considerable effort in maintaining. Therefore, if design makes sure to bring in all the actors and use the energy formally expended on resistance to seek out mutually satisfactory ways for all goals to be realized- or redefinitions of larger and more important goals that everyone can pull toward together, then both design and the world will benefit from its new definition. 13
MOVEMENT ACTION PLAN (MAP) In Doing Democracy by Bill Moyer, there are four types of roles in social activism: the Citizen, the Rebel, the Change Agent, and the Reformer. The Citizen that promotes positive American values, is grounded in the center of society, but can be ineffective due their naivety that the powerholders and institutions serve the special elite interest at the expense of the common good; the Rebel that protests through nonviolent direct actions and attitudes by targeting powerholders and institutions and puts issues and policies into public spotlight but can be ineffective due to their grassroots massbase, the victim behavior, and can put self needs before movement needs; the Change Agent that organizes people, power, and the engaged citizenry through education, involvement of various networks, and promotions of strategies and tactics but can be ineffective because are though of as too utopian, can get tunnel vision that advocates a single issue, and can be unconnected to social and political change; and the Reformer that uses official mainstream systems and institutions to achieve the movement’s goals through a variety of means such as lobbying, referenda, rallies to watchdog success to assure success but can be ineffective due to their organizational maintenance and structures that can promote minor reforms instead of social change.
“These days, when we’ve gone everywhere there is to go, we have to find a different kind of plenty, not by jumping off to another planet but by closing the loops here on this one.” – Biomimicry
Where We Go From Here If we look at Doing Democracy by Bill Moyer, he points out eight stages of the process of social movement success. These are:
more and more companies, organizations, people, and even governments begin to implement sustainable efforts as a standard.
1. Normal Times 2. Prove the Failure of Official Institutions 3. Ripening Conditions 4. Take Off 5. Perception of Failure 6. Majority Public Opinion 7. Success 8. Continuing the struggle 14
However, the discipline of design and its shift to a new definition is only between stages two and three. Designers are beginning to see the impact of sustainability in their work and the current definition of design is becoming more and more obsolete. Outsiders are beginning to see the value of design in thinking and influencing new behavior. The conditions are ripening for design to have a bigger impact in their value to society as sustainability efforts continue to grow.
The sustainability effort has grown over the past two decades and is current in between stages four and five as we see
The adventures of design in sustainability is only still just beginning, there is still much left unexplored.
Terms Balancing Feedback Loop: evolved by nature and invented by humans, they are
controls to keep important stocks within safe bounds, they always need a goal and are ubiquitous in systems Bifurcation Point: the point of instability where (something) can branch off into an entirely new state where new structures and new forms of order may emerge Biomimicry: a perspective that takes its inspiration from natural processes. It isn’t a framework, per se, but more of an approach to re-imagine the design and development process by researching and studying natural materials such as plants, animals, and other organisms, in order to see the promise for human solutions Change Agent: role in social activism (MAP); organizes people, power, and the engaged citizenry through education, involvement of various networks, and promotions of strategies and tactics but can be ineffective because are though of as too utopian, can get tunnel vision that advocates a single issue, and can be unconnected to social and political change Citizen: role in social activism (MAP); promotes positive American values, is grounded in the center of society, but can be ineffective due their naivety that the powerholders and institutions serve the special elite interest at the expense of the common good Consumerism: the theory that increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable Expansionist Model: the world consists of markets in which products function first and foremost as tokens of economic exchange Flows: a dynamic flux, which constantly flows in and out of a stock Rebel: role in social activism (MAP); protests through nonviolent direct actions and attitudes by targeting powerholders and institutions and puts issues and policies into public spotlight but can be ineffective due to their grassroots mass-base, the victim behavior, and can put self needs before movement needs Reformer: role in social activism (MAP); uses official mainstream systems and institutions to achieve the movement’s goals through a variety of means such as lobbying, referenda, rallies to watchdog success to assure success but can be ineffective due to their organizational maintenance and structures that can promote minor reforms instead of social change Reinforcing Feedback Loop: self-reinforcing; the more it works, the more it gains power to work some more, driving system behavior in one direction Sustainable Model: in direct opposition from the expansionist model since it requires consumers, companies and institutions to take responsibility of how much they consume Stocks: a buffer that you can “see, feel, count, or measure” Type 1 System: one of “rapid growth strategy in order to grow [the] population Type 3 System: live in elaborate synergy with the species around them, and put their energy into optimizing these relationships Wicked Problem: a class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing
Sources 1. Benyus, Janine M.. Biomimicry. New York: Harper Perennial, 2002. 2. Boylston, Scott. “Creativity, Systems, Domains.” Lecture. 3. Boylston, Scott. “Doughnut Economics.” Lecture. 4. Boylston, Scott. “Limits to Growth.” Lecture. 5. Boylston, Scott. “Movement Action Plan.” Lecture. 6. Boylston, Scott. “Systems Lecture.” Lecture 7. Buchanan, Robert. “Wicked Problems in Design Thinking.” Design Issues (1992). 8. Capra, Fritjof. The Hidden Connections. London: HarperCollins, 2002. 9. Hawken, Paul, Amory B. Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins. Natural Capitalism: Creating the next Industrial Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown, 1999. 10. Manzini, Ezio. “Design, Ethics, and Sustainability: Guidelines for a Transition Phase.” Politechnico Di Milano (2006). 11. Margolin, Victor. “Design for a Sustainable World.” Design Issues 14.2 (1998). 12. Margolin, Victor. “Expansion or Sustainability: Two Models of Development.” Design Issues (2007): 78-91. 13. Meadows, Donella H., and Diana Wright. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2008. 14. Moyer, Bill. Doing Democracy: The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society, 2001. 15. Nattrass, Brian F., and Mary Altomare. “Chapter 2- A New Framework for Management.” The Natural Step for Business: Wealth, Ecology, and the Evolutionary Corporation. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society, 2001. 19-25. 16. Shedroff, Nathan, and L. Hunter Lovins. Design Is the Problem: The Future of Design Must Be Sustainable. Brooklyn, NY: Rosenfeld Media, 2009. 17. United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Conference. “Agenda 21.” Agenda 21: The Earth Summit Strategy to Save Our Planet (1992). 18. WCED. “Our Common Future.” World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). 19. http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution 20. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/earth/climate.html 21. http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/the_impact_of_asian_air 22. http://genuineprogress.net/genuine-progress-indicator/ 23. http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ 24. http://www.stanford.edu/group/mota/education/Physics%2087N%20Final%20 Projects/Group%20Gamma/gecko.htm 25. http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/innovation/flyknit 26. http://www.ecouterre.com/ 27. http://www.ziraisland.com/ 28. http://www.iisd.org/business/viewcasestudy.aspx?id=77 29. http://www.earthaven.org/ 30. http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bhavika Shah I SUST 704: Applied Theories in Sustainability I Professor Scott Boylston