Chapter 1
The way of thinking that "...is focused on making a product and getting it to a customer quickly and cheaply without considering much else" is hurting our environment and us. Companies should be a little more worried on the bigger picture rather than trying to make a quick buck, since these products, that they most likely use too, will end up hurting them in the long run.
So many of the products today are designed for use during a short amount of time so new products would have to be bought. Another issue with the way products are designed to the “one size fits all” standard. For example the book talks about the design of detergents. Makers of detergent just add more chemicals so that in any circumstance the detergent will work.
Chapter 2
“Recycling is like an aspirin, alleviating a rather large collective hangover… overconsumption.”
The scariest thing I think was that chemicals found in our plastics today and other products have endocrine disrupters that “appear to mimic hormones and connect with receptors in humans and other organisms.” Research has focused on these chemicals causing cancer, but little is known yet about all the other effects they could be having.
I also was unaware that products to be made from the things we recycle have a lower quality because many of the things we recycle were not made to be used over and over again.
Chapter 3
Eco-effectiveness was the topic in the third chapter and a topic that designers should take heavily into consideration. “…eco-effectiveness means working on the right things- on the right products and services and systems- instead of making the wrong things less bad.”
I really liked the cherry tree analogy. Cherry trees create fruit for many organisms to eat; their fruit and blossoms decompose once on the ground and eventually turn to nutrients for other organisms and soil. If only humans could design products like the cherry tree where nothing is going to waste.
Chapter 4
The first thing that grabbed my attention in the fourth chapter was when the authors talk about early on in different cultures people worked with nature instead of against it and how this has drastically changed. For example, the Nile River would overflow each year and leave a rich layer of silt after it receded to help fertilize crops. In 1971 the Aswan High Dam was built and the river no longer has a chance to flood and fertilize the surrounding area.
“In addition to biological wastes, people began to pour all kinds of things down the drain: cans of paint, harsh chemicals to unclog pipes, bleach, paint thinners, nail-polish removers.” I can’t imagine how many chemicals and toxins are in our water thanks to all of the things we pour down the drain thinking were disposing of it. Of course if products were designed in a way the book talks about, so that everything can be disposed of or recycled properly we wouldn’t have that problem.
Chapter 5
"The vitality of ecosystems depends on relationships: what goes on between species, their uses and exchanges of materials and energy in a given place." I think all designers need to take this into consideration when designing. If products could be made to work with the ecosystem rather than against it the environment would be much better off. Not all ecosystems are similar and what may work in one may not be the best solution in another ecosystem.
Chapter 6
My favorite part of chapter five was the beginning where the Ford River Rouge plant was discussed. The factory began their "disassembly" line during the Depression where workers would strip each car of it's products. The factory became so large that it overtook hundreds of acres, but over the years the facilities started to age and became outdated. Much of the factory became unused and because of this the company had the opportunity to incorporate eco-effective thinking. Rather than abandoning the factory and starting new somewhere else they chose to make their factory better by using eco-effectiveness. They used green plants to remove toxins and other harmful things coming from the plant in the soil. They also wanted to have a green roof and parking lot that could absorb and maintain storm water, among the many other things they did to make the plant eco-effective. I think it's great to read about real life situations where eco-effectiveness is being used. Hopefully in the future we continue to move towards this type of design and continue to better our environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment