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Contents Introduction Three waves in sustainable design Problems associated with sustainable design Biomimicry/biomimetics/ bionics Lifecycle approach Cradle to Cradle protocol The transition initiative movement Dematerialization Conclusion

Environmentalists in the 1970s were critical of what humans were doing to the planet, and today there are some who think it is too late to save our host. James Lovelock now says that we have done so much harm to the planet that it can no longer correct itself, and that global warming is irreversible.49 But others take the opposite view. Michael Braungart goes as far as saying: "Cradle-to-Cradle design means that, instead of minimizing damage, we create positively. Instead of waking up in the morning and apologizing for being human, we ask how we can be beneficial for other species."50 He believes that by using the processes of biomimicry we can reduce environmental harm. John Thackara states, "If we can design our way into difficulty, we can design our way out."51 This is a statement he has used to motivate designers, businesses and organizations in such collaborative projects as Dott 07. Neither he nor Michael Braungart are humble about their claims. We humans have taken our planet for granted and it will take a huge amount of action to halt climate change, if it is possible at all. What is required is a vision of a sustainable future to inspire us into action and that is exactly what the designers are doing by using an industrial ecology perspective. But it is not just the designers who should be held to account. We as consumers are not impotent; we can play a part in this. Every time we buy something we can stop and think about whether we will harm the environment by doing so, as Pietra Rivoli did at the beginning of this Guide.

Most waste ends up in a landfill

	Travels of a T-Shirt

List of Visuals

1. Dumpster
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste
   Wikipedia

2. The Recycling symbol
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling
   Wikipedia

3. Sustainable design copies and sustains the earth's ecosystems
   http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/10thAnniversary/
   NASA Earth Observatory

4. The Green Consumer Guide
   http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350111918850&indexURL=
   eBay

5. A Duke University student demonstrates her group's pedal-powered mechanical aerator, National Sustainable Design Expo, 2007
   Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images, Taken from Proquest's eLibrary

6. Leonardo Da Vinci based many designs on birds
   http://www.ushpa.aero/aboutus.asp
   United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (USHPA)

7. Microscope image of a new adhesive material inspired by the soles of insects' feet
   http://www.danshope.com/news/showarticle.php?article_id=93
   Max Planck Institute for Metals Research

8. Spider webs are the inspiration for numerous materials
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_web
   Wikipedia

9. Life Cycle Assessment examines the total environmental impact of a product
   http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/sustainability/lifecycleassessment_en.html
   Procter & Gamble, Science in the Box

10. Cradle to Cradle
    http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
    William McDonough & Michael Braungart

11. An example of permaculture using animals and gardens
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture
    Wikipedia

12. Tool Library, Missoula Urban Demonstration Project
    http://www.missoula.com/news/node/838
    Missoula.com Magazine

13. Most waste ends up in a landfill
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste
    Wikipedia

14. The Travels of a T-Shirt
    http://faculty.msb.edu/rivolip/travelsofatshirt/
    Pietra Rivoli
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References

1. Hawken, Paul; Lovins, Amory B. and Lovins, L. Hunter, 1999, Natural capitalism: the next Industrial Revolution. London: Earthscan, p. 81. In: Thackara, John. 2006, pbk ed. In the bubble: designing in a complex world. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press p.12.

2. Steffen, Alex, ed. 2006 Worldchanging: a user's guide for the 21st century. New York: Abrams, p.46.

3. Datschefski, Edwin. 2001. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Pres-Celigny, Switzerland: RotoVision, p. 17.

4. Steffen, Alex, ed. 2006 Worldchanging: a user's guide for the 21st century. New York: Abrams, p.86.(With a quote from John Thackara)

5. Datschefski, Edwin. 2001. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Pres-Celigny, Switzerland: RotoVision, p. 73.

6. Bhamra, Tracy and Lofthouse, Vicky. 2007. Design for sustainability: a practical approach. Aldershot: Gower.

7. Papanek, Victor. 1971. Design for the real world: human ecology and social change. London: Thames and Hudson, p.164-165.

8. Gerber, Anna. 2008. Design & sustainability: pt2. Creative Review, Dec., pp.30-33.

9. Madge, Pauline. 1997. Ecological design: a new critique. Design Issues, Vol. 13 (2), p.52.

10. Margolin, Victor. 1998. Design for a sustainable world. Design Issues, vol.14 (2) p.90.

11. Ibid. p.91.

12. Papanek, Victor. 1985. 2nd ed. Design for the real world: human ecology and social change. Chicago, Ill.: Academy Chicago, p.4.

13. Thackara, John. 2006. pbk ed. In the bubble: designing in a complex world. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p.23.

14. Brass, Clare. 2008. Introduction by Clare Brass. Design Week, Sustainable design supplement. June, p. 3.

15. Fry, Tony. 2003. The voice of sustainment: the gap. Design Philosophy Papers, Vol. 1., n.p., http://www.desphilosophy.com/dpp/dpp_journal/feature/body.html Accessed April 6th, 2009

16. Simns, Andrew and Smith, Joe, eds. 2008. Do good lives have to cost the earth? London: Constable, p.179.

17. Ehrenfeld, John, R. 2008. Sustainable design: A subversive strategy for transforming our consumer culture. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, p.6.

18. Ehrenfeld, John, R. 2004. Searching for sustainability: no quick fix. Reflections. Vol. 5. No. 8, p.7

19. Ibid. p.8.

20. Fuad-Luke, Alastair. 2002. Eco design: the sourcebook. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. Fletcher, Kate T. and Goggin, Phillip A. 2001. The dominant stances on ecodesign: a criticism. Design Issues, Vol. 17 (3)

    Fletcher, Kate T. and Goggin, Phillip A. 2001. The dominant stances on ecodesign: a criticism. Design Issues, Vol. 17 (3)

21. Papanek, Victor. 1971. Design for the real world: human ecology and social change. London: Thames and Hudson, p.188.

22. Ibid. pp.185-186.

23. Ibid. p.188.

24. Berger, Melvin. 1978. Bionics. New York: F. Watts, pp. 47-49.

25. Sarikaya, Mehmet and Aksay, Ilhan A. (eds.) 1995. Biomimetics: design and processing of materials. Woodbury, N.Y.: AIP Press. p.2.

26. Benyus, Janine M. 2002. Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Perennial, p.2.

27. Cooper, Melanie. 2008. Closing the loop. Prodesign. Oct., Issue 97, p. 33.

28. Pulfer, Rachel. 2008. Form follows nature. Azure, May, pp. 108.

29. Benyus, Janine M. 2002. Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Collins, Perennial, pp.129-139.

30. Allen, Timothy. 2008. Life cycle tools for sustainable change. Prodesign, Issue 96. p.52-54.

31. Steffen, Alex, ed. 2006 Worldchanging: a user's guide for the 21st century. New York: Abrams, p.46.

32. Environmental Justice Foundation http://www.ejfoundation.org/page327.html Accessed May 12th, 2009

33. Sustainability-ed. http://www.sustainability-ed.org/pages/example4-3.htm Accessed May 12th, 2009

34. Continental Clothing Co. Ltd. http://www.continentalclothing.com/?module=cms&P=382 Accessed May 12th, 2009

35. McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_home.htm Accessed April 6th, 2009

36. Shaw Floors. http://www.shawfloors.com/Shaw-Environmental/Sustainability Accessed April 6th, 2009

37. McLaren, Jake and Allen, Timothy. 2008. Life cycle management: from product to business. Prodesign, Issue 95. p.82, 84.

38. McDonough, William and Braungart, Michael. 2009. Pbk ed. Cradle to Cradle: remaking the way we make things. London: Vintage Books, p.75.

39. Boehnert, Jody. 2008. Design and transition: what designers can learn from the Transition Movement. EcoLabs (UK) p.9. http://eprints.brighton.ac.uk/5343/

40. Leitch, Luke. 2008. Transition: gearing up for the great power-down. TimesOnline, Nov. 17th, http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/
    women/the_way_we_live/article5158241.ece Accessed April 6th, 2009.

    Hammer, Ed. 2007. Local hero Rob Hopkins: transition town Totnes. Ecologist. Nov. 27th, http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archive_detail.asp?content_id=1139 Accessed April 6th, 2009.

41. Boehnert, Jody. 2008. Design and transition: what designers can learn from the Transition Movement. EcoLabs (UK) p.2. http://eprints.brighton.ac.uk/5343/

42. Weaver, Tanya. 2007. On the dot. Newdesign, no. 55. pp. 72-73.

43. Thackara, John. 2006. pbk ed. In the bubble: designing in a complex world. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p.18-19.

44. Bhamra, Tracy and Lofthouse, Vicky. 2007. Design for sustainability: a practical approach. Aldershot: Gower, p. 159.

45. Ibid. p. 127-130

46. Velib. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velib. Accessed April 6th, 2009.

47. Bhamra, Tracy and Lofthouse, Vicky. 2007. Design for sustainability: a practical approach. Aldershot: Gower, pp. 128.

48. Ibid. pp. 28-29, 160.

49. Lovelock, James, 2006. The revenge of Gaia: why the Earth is fighting back - and how we can still save humanity. London: Allen Lane.

    Aitkenhead, Decca. 2008. Enjoy life while you can. The Guardian. Saturday, 1st March. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/mar/
    01/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange Accessed April 6th, 2009.

50. Michael Braungart: designing "eco-effective" solutions. 2007. Earth Action Network, Inc. Gale Group. The Free Library by Farlex. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Michael+Braungart:+designing+%22eco-effective%22+solutions-a0159390918 Accessed April 6th, 2009.

51. Thackara, John. 2006. pbk ed. In the bubble: designing in a complex world. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p.1.