Sunday, 10 June 2012

The @DesignObserver looks at the Evolving Narrative of Sustainability

We love this article by the Design Observer, which looks at the evolving narrative of sustainability over the years.

There is a technological progression towards efficiency, towards creating smaller or lesser polluting systems. But that's not necessarily the solution, and in fact can perhaps get in the way of every achieving true sustainability.

The article implores us to differentiate between technologically-driven sustainability, which is where a lot of what we're talking about lies, and instead also pay attention to the broader questions of ecological sustainability. To look at and develop new models for consumption itself, not just more efficient ways of producing and consuming as we always have, being cognizant that there is a broader ecological impact of iterations within the narrow field of "efficient products".

This is a conversation we hope to have on The Green Radar over the next few weeks, and would love for you to participate.

“Ever bigger machines, entailing ever bigger concentrations of economic power and exerting ever greater violence against the environment, do not represent progress: they are a denial of wisdom. Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful.”E.F. Schumacher

2 comments:

  1. Looking forward to more on this. Small really is beautiful.

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  2. Thanks, Kiron, we're looking at a broader framework of systems theory to tackle the challenges of sustainability; and how variations in policy, technology and human behavior might help us along the way.

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