6 STEPS to
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Unfortunately, many items we purchase in today's society are designed without considering its end use. Packaging is designed to be used only one time and then discarded. Worse than the fact that all of these items will sit in landfills for thousands of years is the fact that many of these items degrade the environment by release toxins, polluting water, and releasing greenhouse gases. |
THOUGHTFUL DESIGN
Almost all of the things we buy are doomed. They will enjoy a brief period of time when we use and give them attention, after which we will discard them. They will be put into a landfill, where they will spend thousands of years – their precious nutrients and resources lost forever.
Most of these products were designed for a short life, or to be obsolete in a short time so that we will buy a new item. There are also items that were produced with no plan whatsoever for the end of their usable life. Often these products defy our best efforts to reuse and recycle them, because of the inherent flaws in the way that they were designed.
Thoughtful Design is an elegant and simple approach that asks us to consider the end of a product’s life before it is manufactured. What will this item turn into after it is used? Does it contain any toxins which will harm people or the environment? Can it be recycled?
Designing products thoughtfully is more than a technological advancement – it is a fundamental attitude shift in the way we conduct ourselves on this planet; it is a new ethic which acknowledges the true value of natural resources, rather than just their price. Designing systems and products thoughtfully means taking the long view, and living in accord with the natural environment.
We already posses the ability to make plastic from renewable materials, to make buildings that enhance their natural environment rather than harm it, and to design disposable products which safely biodegrade.
Most of these products were designed for a short life, or to be obsolete in a short time so that we will buy a new item. There are also items that were produced with no plan whatsoever for the end of their usable life. Often these products defy our best efforts to reuse and recycle them, because of the inherent flaws in the way that they were designed.
Thoughtful Design is an elegant and simple approach that asks us to consider the end of a product’s life before it is manufactured. What will this item turn into after it is used? Does it contain any toxins which will harm people or the environment? Can it be recycled?
Designing products thoughtfully is more than a technological advancement – it is a fundamental attitude shift in the way we conduct ourselves on this planet; it is a new ethic which acknowledges the true value of natural resources, rather than just their price. Designing systems and products thoughtfully means taking the long view, and living in accord with the natural environment.
We already posses the ability to make plastic from renewable materials, to make buildings that enhance their natural environment rather than harm it, and to design disposable products which safely biodegrade.
