SPACESHIP EARTH Design for the challenge of sustainability

‘SPACESHIP EARTH’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century Ed Gillespie Creative Director, FUTERRA

Introduction… • • • Spaceship Earth Our current situation Principles of sustainable design Role of the designer The challenge ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Spaceship Earth “Design Science is the effective application of the principles of science to the conscious design of our total environment in order to help make the Earth's finite resources meet the needs of all humanity without disrupting the ecological processes of the planet“ R. Buckminster Fuller ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Sustainable Development • “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UN) • Integrating economic, social and environmental decisionmaking • Treating the world as if we intended to stay ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Sustainable Design “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” • Fit for purpose/function • Attractive to look at • Sustainable: How produced, how durable, how disposed of/reused/recycled? William Morris ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Our current situation Global population • c. 1800 1 billion people • 1960 3 billion • Currently 6, 377, 776, 644 (approx. 6. 4 B) • Gain 1 billion people every 11 years ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

“The question is not ‘How many people can the earth support’ but rather at what quality of life? ” Isaac Asimov ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Our current situation (cont. ) Ecological footprinting… • Area of biologically productive land required to meet resource demands, dispose of wastes etc UK footprint = 5. 2 hectares/capita UK capacity = 1. 7 hectares/capita US footprint = 10. 3 hectares/capita US capacity = 6. 7 hectares/capita ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Three Planet Living ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Life’s not fair… • 1 billion people live below the poverty line • 2 billion lack safe water, 3. 1 billion sanitation • 20% population is in developed world but they are responsible for: – – 80% of commercial energy use 75% of timber 50% of fish and grain 40% of fresh water ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

The Countdown… By 2050 at current consumption we will need: • 8. 5 planets to absorb our carbon dioxide • 6 planets worth of steel • 3. 5 planets to sustain cement supply • 3. 5 planets to meet current timber demand Hmmmmmmmm! ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

What gives? ! • • Clearly unsustainable… Global inequalities Scale of the challenge Managing ‘needs’ vs ‘wants’ ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Principles of sustainable design • • • Efficiency Reduction Equity Scale Sufficiency System ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Efficiency • • Disassembly Substitution Lifecycle thinking Dematerialisation Durability Cascading Recycling Factor 4 ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Examples… ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Equity • Environmental justice • Fair trade • Green economics – the economics of ‘enough’ ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Scale • • Interactions Schumacher ‘Glocalisation’ Sustainable production and consumption ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Sufficiency • How much is enough? ! • The power of design “Advertising preys on the weakness of its host, creates insatiable hunger & leads to debilitating over-consumption…in biological terms things of this nature are parasites!” Alan Durning ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Other factors… • Gross National Product (Economists have to learn to subtract!) • Purpose of consumption? • What is a need? • Design for sustainability ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

System • • Everything is connected! Natural cycles are key to sustainable design Photosynthesis vs Fossil Fuels Functional design vs stylised design ‘I think it's a shame that designers are becoming more and more fixated on outward appearance and degrade themselves into mere stylists' Axel Thallemer ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Role of Designer • Conflict between ‘Eco-design’ and the mainstream • Sustainable development information often inaccessible, complex and elusive • Redefining the context of design training • Current focus on environmental profile/process of a product… ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Role of Designer (cont. ) • Magnitude of change required • Small incremental changes to current approach not enough… • Integral not add-on ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them’ Albert Einstein ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Biomimicry ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Case Studies Where SUSTAINABLE design becomes GREAT design ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Bed. Zed • • Carbon neutral Rainwater harvesting Car club Green space/high density • Green roof • Modern design • Community ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Bay. Gen • • Wind-up radio HIV education Solar cell Environmental, social and aesthetic aims ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Red Hot Asphalt • Sun heats tarmac • High traffic only shades surface 4 hours per day • Air T = 15 degrees C • Asphalt T = 50 degrees C • Plastic tubing collects warmth for space heating in adjacent buildings ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

No Shop • Design installation • Anti-consumerism campaign • Nothing on display or for sale • No shop bags and till receipts with environmental information ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Spaceship Earth… • • Finite world of finite resources Growing pressures and population Our responsibility The solutions are out there… ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

Bucky says… “Think of it. We are blessed with technology that would be indescribable to our forefathers. We have the wherewithal, the know-it-all, to feed everybody, clothe everybody, give every human on earth a chance. We know what we could never have known before—that we now have an option for all humanity to “make it” successfully on this planet in this lifetime. Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment. ” ‘Spaceship Earth’ Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

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