Lights. Camera. Action.

I would like to expand on a previous post that was based on the concept, “The rediscovery of wonder”.  If people are naturally curious, fulfilling the “being” quality through imagination and creation, then how can we tap into that while at the same time making people aware of their poor sustainability habits?  My answer is through entertainment.  We all like to be entertained by things around us.  Thus, my concept of addressing consumption will be a series of moves all interrelated that proposes an educational component of change.  In short, by manipulating and changing the stories we tell ourselves, we can alter the story of our sustainability.

The specific consumption behavior I would like to target is one of overconsumption.  This is important because put simply overconsumption is the state of consuming too much of any one thing (food, fuel, etc.).  According to the, Design Activism reading this address is important for over-consumers because they need to adopt and implement eco-effective strategies within their lives.  Thus, awareness must be raised to a broad audience in order to show the real impacts of over-consuming, as well as, new ideas on how to live a better life.

The company, Walt Disney has had an interesting journey since their founding in 1923.  Their timeline since has been one that includes animated movies, all-live actions features, theatrical features, radio pictures, theme parks , publication, cable network plans, a video collection, television syndication block, magazines, merchandise, partnerships, video games, etc.  Obviously a company that as of 2012, has had an 89 year run and still going strong, has a reason its successful.  They have made smart business decisions allowing them to tap into multiple venues, diversify themselves, and ENTERTAIN their audiences without fail.  This same concept needs to be incorporated into educating sustainable solutions, a concept of social change.

We need to develop fantastical solutions to everyday sustainability problems.  This further needs to take place by educating viewers without them every feeling as though it was forced upon them.  Through the implementation of films, video games, publications, etc, sustainability education would not be limited to one arena of concentration.  Thus, as the reading offers, we could focus on communication by information.  Within movies this could be projected within the subcategories already offered, including exemplifying the “ideal habit”, redirecting theory and practice, and communication by story.  Different strategies can also be implemented through this variety, such as the critical strategy which sparks discussion or debate.  The series of change could begin with a movie, but it doesn’t have to end there. I would like you to imagine the areas Disney have had success in to this concept of design activism. 

As I conclude my last blog, I would like to reflect on what I am really taking away from this course.  In short, I am taking away a hunger to learn more.  Over the past few years I have been eager to learn environmental design concepts, but never have thought how extensively I could implement this into being a designer or how I could perpetuate change.  As an interior designer I can take steps to incorporate sustainable strategies into my designs.  This begins with choosing environmentally conscious products and last through designing efficient buildings themselves.  I plan to practice these smart decisions, as well as, become a “LEED AP” or a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional.

From wood to manure...it’s a stinky matter

With spring in the air and warmer weather upon us I see many people in their yards.  I see them pruning, mowing, and planting, but what about the transportation and packaging of all their products? I’d like to take you through the buying process at your local store, and suggest a few implications for design use from that process. 

You buy a potted tree, but what was the tree transported on?  Cardboard is no match for the heavy weight items, so distributors use wooden palettes.  However, I wondered what happens to the palettes when they are done?  So I asked.  I was told they keep a few of the palettes around for unloading trucks, moving items, etc.  Others are sent back to the company they originated from, IF they are in top shape.  However, if they are damaged, broken or unusable they are trashed.  Which means the general public could not only get an item for free, but within Cradle to Cradle they could use this waste as a food.

If waste equals resources, then the pallets easily fall into this category.  Interior implications for the palettes can fall under both the recycle and reuse category, as well as, be a member of up-cycling.  The original palettes, although useful, did not have a very “valuable” life.  However, what I would like to propose is converting the discarded palettes into furniture.  This could be a headboard, a seating frame, a shelf on the wall, etc.  According to Cradle to Cradle, this concept falls into a technical nutrient cycle, which means to be within a “closed-loop” industrial cycle.  The palettes are used, given new life as a furniture piece, and then can be turned back into parts for new assembly of more palettes.

  Palette Coffee Table

Now let’s discuss the plant you purchased.  It comes in a nice, flexible green dyed pot.  However, although this pot contains your harmless plant, it also contains harmful toxins.  You also purchase fertilizer, or manure, that comes in a plastic bag.  So why not convert these two product into one?  A pot made from manure, which not only can be used to transport the plant from the store to home, but also can be safely planted into the ground and feed the earth.  According to the C2CAD reading, designers need to phase out other products and only select products that are defined as either biological or technical nutrients. To be a biological nutrient a product must be able to be biodegradable, or feed the environment. The product I am suggesting falls under that category. 

Manure Based Pot

Although I thought I was being innovative by developing this product, I did a little Google searching and found that it already exist in some forms.  One product I found is called “CowPots”, which were developed by dairy farmers.  Their process came from a belief that they could use their cow’s manure to manage their nutrient stream.  This reminds me of Anita Ahuja, a designer discussed in the Textile Futures article.  Ahuja is taking trash and transforming it into trendy fashion, the same is being done with CowPots.  One person’s trash is TRULY another person’s treasure.