Sustainable thinking - what is this?

 

 

 

Sourced from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Product%E2%80%99s_lifecycle.jpg

This week we have been exploring the idea of sustainability and how it can be embedded in the way we as educators teach Design Technologies. This topic is one that is increasingly important in 21st century society as consumers aim to become more concerned about the environment and want to be more knowledgeable about sustainable choices and environmentally friendly products (Manufacturing Skills Australia, 2015) in their day to day life such as using green bags at the shopping centre over plastic bags etc.  However, upon watching videos and completing readings around this topic it is clear that there is much more to the process than making simple 'greener' choices.  To make sustainable choices for design you need to think about the whole process of how the materials will be produced, transported, used and discarded - (stages shown in diagram above).  This includes things that consumers may not usually think about such as the use stage of a pair of jeans for example where detergents, water usage and energy is high when consistently washing the product and how this would have an effect on the environment (Disrupt Design, 2012). This approach means a lot of consideration needs to be taken when choosing resources for design in order to use eco-design strategies.  So what are some of the characteristics of eco-design? They can include but are not limited to:

• Reducing the amount of material used
• Reducing amount of energy consumed during production, transportation and use
• Enhancing material recyclability and component reuse
• Extending product durability where appropriate
• Maximise sustainable use of renewable resources

See diagram below for eco-design features for eco furniture products:



Sourced from: http://greenfurniture.se/about-us/eco-design-strategy/#prettyPhoto

So why is it important to embed sustainability when teaching design technologies and how can this be done? For my design challenge I have chosen to do upcyling and therefore a large focus of the project is on recycling old products and reusing them for a new purpose.  This forces students to think creatively and it also allows them to realise that in an age of  the one use and disposal of products there are other uses for things you no longer want or need in their current purpose.  For example one of my key features is as an old muffin tray which no longer is needed to make muffins however, can be used and converted into an outdoor garden bed.  This kind of idea allows students to realise that there are endless possibilities for design.  In addition, understanding the concept is crucial as they will realise that "sustainability is about meeting the needs of current generations, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs" (Our common future, 1987 featured in The Good Design Guide, 2014).

Sustainability can easily be embedded into the Design Technologies strand of the curriculum in many ways including asking students to think critically about what products they are using such as natural or recyclable, how their end product will eventually be disposed of and will this cause harm to the environment, how it will be manufactured will it use water, energy or need to be transported, is it able to be mass produced etc. Sustainability is also a cross-curriculum priority of the Australian Curriculum and my design challenge idea links to the Futures strand of Sustainability in relation to teaching students and the school community to be informed about sustainable practices and how to take action to preserve natural environments by reflecting upon projected future environmental impacts (ACARA, n.d.) if products continue to go to landfill and have no re-use.

For further information about the Sustainability cross-curriculum priority follow this link: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/Sustainability.