It’s about time we have our cake and eat it too.
We’ve all been there.
We’ve all walked down the shopping isle of our local grocery store or shopping centre. One hand in pocket. A slight whistle perhaps. Just going about our day and minding our business. All of a sudden we chance upon the product we were looking for. It could be as mundane as a humble milk carton or it could be as haughty as a haute couture garment. Though the item may vary, the experience is often the same. We find ourselves having to pick between an attractive, unethically produced product on the one hand, and its sustainable, yet painfully uninspiring alternative on the other.
Sigh.
Typically, what happens in such a situation is we make a split second decision. The more conscious among us may decide that it is their duty as good stewards to forfeit their pleasure and opt for the sustainable choice. The less inclined of us might decide instead to go for the unsustainable, more attractive option, reasoning that an individual’s contribution might not change much. Plus “in the long run, we’re all dead - right ?” All of a sudden, a choice as simple as the brand of milk we pick up, has become a political decision.
Sounds a bit absurd, doesn’t it.
Such is the consequence of lazy design.
Lazy design forces you to think.
Lazy design creates painful trade offs.
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Good design on the other hand, eliminates trade offs.
Good design makes choices intuitive, free flowing and fun.
And so, it is the task of good design to make sustainable living feel compelling, not compulsory.
Let’s face it. Humans are self-interested.
We can kid ourselves otherwise, but to do so would be a fool’s errand. As much as we want to deny it, most modern appeals to sustainable living prioritise the planet at the expense of our own customer satisfaction. This might be enough to convert a minority of wealthier people who can afford the more expensive sustainable product. But to reach a mass scale, we need to take a more realist approach towards building sustainable products, experiences, companies and et al. Namely, we need to make sustainability and circular design methods appeal to the individual, as well as the planet.
For example, Tesla is a car brand that is in high demand, but not just because it is sustainable. The Nissan Leaf and the Mercedes Smart Car are sustainable but have not had the kind of uptake of any of Tesla’s vehicles. Tesla’s are in high demand because their cars are functionally advanced, and aesthetically beautiful. Franz Von Holzhausen and his team in the Tesla Design Studio have worked to make the sustainable alternative more appealing than the non-sustainable alternatives. People bought the Tesla Roadster not just as an insurance plan on the planet, but also to have a little slice of Iron Man’s Tony Stark.
We need to imbue sustainability with a sensuality that makes it appealing to the soul, not just the mind. Bio inspired design has made a good start. The likes of Philippe Starck and Neri Oxman have pioneered exciting explorations of design patterns that blend sustainability with aesthetics. They have made a great start, but we need to go further.
We need to take sustainable design ideas away from the hallowed halls of academia. Away from the warm offices of bearded hipsters and their oat lattes, and onto the streets. Into the hands of the youth, the artists and the sensualists, those who live and feel and think and breathe outside. Those who have neither the fear of failure, nor the weight of reputation.
Young designers should be designing with a sustainable outlook, not only out of a sense of morality, but also out of a sense of modernity. Out of a sense of excitement, because that is where the innovation, the activity and the energy is. And because it enables producers to serve people, and not just the planet, better.
The next time I go to the grocery store, I want to pick up the sustainable option.
I just don’t want to know it.
Eloka
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