Sustainability and Design
The intention of sustainable design is to defeat the negative impact that human behaviour has on the environment. There are many different disciplines of design such as ‘Green Design’ which aim to protect the environment by producing only sustainable products. An example is the Musée du quai Branly museum in Paris, designed by Jacques Chirac.
Since this design, companies have begun offering green wall installations around the world with the aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% in 2030.
However, the problem is that sustainable design costs money. The green design implemented at Sydney’s One Central Park requires permanent maintenance at a cost of $250, 000 per year.
Thus proving that while sustainable design is environmentally friendly, it is economically unfriendly. Is this the answer to sustainability and if not, then what is?
Here is an example of a company reusing their own materials and turning them into something else. Coors Light promised to turn their advertising billboards into beer coolers and kegs into barbeque grills. The campaign is called ‘Every One Can’, which also includes a large-scale push to get drinkers to recycle beer cans. This reminds consumers of the small changes that must be considered in order to establish a more sustainable environment for the future.