Finished Learning Report

Green Design Learning Report

The module of Green Design introduced an entirely new concept of physical design, requiring extensive research, as well as a broad outlook and an innovative and creative ability to encapsulate a unique response to the outlined brief.

I initially underestimated the difficulty that this design project ultimately posed. The sheer amount of additional tasks required, combined with the vast amounts of necessary research on elements such as potential materials and resources, amalgamated with the issue that many of the concepts I devised were already out there.

From my initial research it became obvious that green design could be seen as both a necessary but furthermore a contentious issue. Designing ‘better’ for the future goes beyond waiting for governments and legislation, and through internet based research, the growing voices of campaigners to implement integrated changes within society, highlighted that advancing technology combined with the willingness to change habits and lifestyles means that every one of us can make a difference if so willing.

Resources such as the films ‘The Age of Stupid’ and ‘The Story of Stuff’ highlighted the fact that many parts of the world have become spoilt; consumerism is a key concept that exploits natural resources, powers economies and leads to incredible amounts of waste. My visit to ‘The Centre for Alternative Technology’ however was a firsthand experience in learning how there is an alternative, through the adaptation of lifestyle. From creative design and use of different materials the centre showcased green concepts through large-scale projects, such as Zero Carbon Britain, the straw bale theatre, and the rammed mud walls of the lecture theatre, illustrating how, with pioneering and careful design, we can make a reduction in our carbon emissions by reducing our waste.

The reduction of waste was an important concept within the brief, designing packaging that possessed the ability to effectively carry 6 bottles of cider/beer, through the utilisation of materials that were environmentally friendly and which ultimately could be adapted to contribute a secondary use. Surprisingly, research into packaging led me into the past, traditional Japanese packaging with it’s simple yet beautiful designs, are both practical and functional for the job that they are designed for. Exquisite and elegant, they battle against our consumerist manufacturing ideologies and insert us into a world that withholds more innocent and natural philosophies. Traditional Japanese Packaging utilises natural materials whilst eliminating the modernist method of mass-production, an element of life that is prominent within the majority of shops currently open for business. Western countries such as The United States and The United Kingdom possess enormous stores that are, in essence, shrines to the mass-manufacturing industry, with hundreds of the same product adorning the walls (often modelling a clever marketing scheme) they are a consumerist junkies dream.

Green design and sustainable living are casually growing in popularity, individuals are becoming more aware and a select few have already contributed to the planets healing process by making the necessary sacrifices and altering their lifestyles. A collection of people have moved into constructions known as ‘Earthship Biotecture’, these are sustainable homes made from renewable materials and are designed to make a reduction in the average carbon footprint of a house. Although these individuals are benefitting the environment, others continue to ignore the climactic issue, the majority of people continue to follow the statement ‘ignorance is bliss’ regardless of the prominent weather results we are subsequently experiencing that seem to suggest otherwise. The manufacturing industry continues to devise methods of manipulating the consumer into purchasing more products that we do not require, the event Black Friday is a superlative example of this point.

Black Friday illustrates the obsessive nature that we withhold as hordes of people stampeded the shops to get the best deals physically possible on products they do not need. Violence was utilised as a method of beating adversary customers to the newly price reduced products, with the event being so heavily attended there have been deaths and injuries resultant from the sales. Upon observing video recordings of the 2014 Black Friday (some of these videos can be seen on my blog) it illustrates the extremes of consumer madness, individuals have been seen physically fighting over a pair of underwear, clutching at the risqué product like it’s a literal lifeline. Observing the news on Black Friday was representative of living in a paradox, as people who previously stated that they care for the environment completely contradict themselves by attending an event in the very consumer system that’s destroying our planet.

However, regardless of this, change is being ensued, research has indicated that large companies such as Nike have begun attempting to develop alternative environmentally friendly products, packaging and factories. As a company they intend to “Drive innovation and collaboration and engage in public policy advocacy to deliver carbon reductions across the value chain.” (http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/targets). One of their methodologies of accomplishing their desired targets is through the ideology of ‘BICEP’ (The Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy). Nike are one of the founding members and their key principles consist of =

• the promotion of energy efficiency and green jobs,
• the stimulation of renewable energy,
• the limitation of new coal fired power plants to reduce 100% of the carbon allowance,
• the utilisation of efficient systems that capture and store energy,
• the investment and encouragement of clean energy transportation by promoting full efficient vehicles,
• the establishment of plug in electric hybrids,
• the lowering of carbon fuels and the reduction in overall transit products.

Nike and BICEP maintain a greenhouse gas reduction target of 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, in an endeavour to accomplish this target they have attempted to persuade the US government to adopt a national renewable portfolio that requires 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and 30% by 2030 rather than energy from existing environmentally unfriendly power plants. They want to create incentives for carbon capture technology and by 2030 to have completely phased out existing coal based power plants that do not capture and store carbon. Nike are continually working with their 700+ contract factories and suppliers to achieve 60% of the CO2 footprint worldwide. Their factory partners in China, Indonesia and Vietnam will have embedded within the design and construction of all new factories, energy efficient and green building principles.

Nevertheless, research within this module has identified that companies implement green initiatives to maximise profit which is driven by adverse publicity as well as threats to their profit margins. Some companies have been known to utilise the ideology of ‘greenwashing’, this is when “a company or organisation spends more time and money claiming to be ‘green’ through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimise environmental impact.” (http://www.greenwashingindex.com/about-greenwashing/). This methodology engenders entirely negative results, with the environment, consumer and perhaps even the business itself subsequently suffering, the environment suffers as no changes are being enforced for its benefit, consumers are being taken advantage of as they are manipulated into spending their money on products that are not environmentally friendly and finally the business could potentially face damage to its reputation if they are discovered, thus, impacting their sales in a negative manor.

It is prominent that not every individual is willing to sacrifice their current luxury lifestyles for a more humble form of green living, as a unit we need to establish a consistent balance between green and luxury (a balance which necessarily favours sustainability), we need to contribute fundamental reductions and turn our talk into physical action. This module has illustrated that the world is a delicate enigma that requires a certain degree of respect, respect that it is currently not fully receiving. Man possesses a futile arrogance that suggests superiority, an ideology that couldn’t be further from the truth, a belief that may be our downfall unless we can alter our outlook on life. 

Projects such as the Hobsons Brewery and Oldfields Orchard packaging brief are positive developments heading in the right direction, if all companies adopted a similar philosophy to the brewery then benefits would hopefully ensue.

However, green design has additionally conveyed that environmentally friendly materials require more research and development within areas such as manufacturing processes. During this brief I observed a particular material known as Water Hyacinth, this is a perennial aquatic weed native to the Amazon basin; it infests lakes, ponds, rivers, dams and irrigation channels. Its rapid infestation has resulted in it becoming a menace, disrupting numerous elements of water life (see blog post for more details/examples) and costing large sums to both control and repair damages resultant from its growth. In an attempt to control the plant and benefit the environment, Water Hyacinth can now be harvested and utilised as a material for weaving and creating products. This material was preferred when I was considering taking on my tray concept, however my mind was changed when I realised the substantial cost of harvesting the plant, transporting it and the man-power of weaving it, the material was suitable however the price wasn’t.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this module and I feel that I have experienced a new learning experience that has heightened my understanding of the world in which we live.