Lecture: Ethics in Design

Green design is changing the way we use existing things, to add ethics to and existing process. Including recycling, sleep function on the computer etc…although has a rebound effect, such as when we let the computer sleep instead of turning it off.

Sustainability is time based.
It is Long-Life design, easy access to upgrades and repair, and further to User Design. Its how people and materials interact; less about the object, but about our interaction with this object.

Sustainable Everyday; Scenarios of everyday life by Ezio Manzini and Francois Jegou talk about sustainable living scenarios, such as maximising the use of office space to increase efficiency. This really made me realise how sustainability is really about how we live our life, in many aspects. I think we need to be educated about this to understand how we affect the larger picture,, and this book is a really good place to start.

Product Life Cycle…

Design concept
Raw material in Manufacture
Packaging and Transport
Consumer Purchase
Consumer Use
End of life End of life can lead to a few places…

Down-cycling is to process and re-use material, (Green Design) making it of a lower quality than to begin with.
Up-Cycling is re-use to increase the quality, the concept of 1+1=3. Examples include art

The eco-system is base upon resilience, a stable and slow process. If human artefacts don’t display resilience, there is a limit to the amount of time such artefacts can continue to exist, at such a rate of production, use and disposal.

Ideas of Sustainability in Design: Folded architecture-by Ben Van Berkle, 1998. Encompassing time-based ideas, derived closely in twined with the daily habits and activity of members of the household to create an amoeba strip. User-based design for higher value to longer use and increased efficiency in use of resources

Some Thoughts on Standardization...
How much individualisation do we need?
Does it matter if everything is the same?
What role can standardization play- what if there was a number of set criteria (dimensions) to making pot lids, You would never have to buy another pot because you lost your lid, you could easily find a replacement.