What can we as designers do to contribute to sustainable development

There are simple ways, we as designers, can contribute to sustainable development. Focuses on the theoretical, methodological and practical dimensions of sustainable and eco-product and service design and development needs to be included in the design process when developing new designs along with emphases on areas of:
- Eco-design tools and methodologies
- Eco-design strategies
- Eco-service development
- Environmental marketing
- Organisation approaches
- Case studies
- Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
- Environmental Product Policy (EPP)
- Product Service Systems

Key design issues when referring to sustainable practices

The development of sustainable design in the design industry as well as the public points of view is not always seen as positive, many issues need to be resolved and points of views changed.
These issues include:

• Sustainable design can be seen as more expansive then other types- which is not the case in many designs

• There is not enough materials to work with- there are plenty, and new ones are launched every week

• Nobody is interested in green- infact more people are concerned about the environment, families with sick children, business worried about lawsuits, more and more potential customers are inquiring about, and requesting, sustainable design

How to make a building green

To make a building classed as a green building it involves the building and the interior to include:

• A happier and healthier environment for people and to enhance productivity

• can be built at market rate and cost much less to operate

• Use less fossil fuels thus conserving energy, generating less global pollution and saving on operational costs by requiring less maintenance

• Use less water

• Manage waste at the highest productive level; reduce impacts on both developed and undeveloped land

• Minimize the use of materials and use materials with the lowest environmental impacts.

Why become a green designer?

The number of sustainable design projects continue to increase, due to the growth in reconnection from architectural, engineering, and design firms, contractures and developers, federal, state and local governments agencies and professional associations. Designers are finding themselves with significant professional opportunity: to specify and build healthy buildings and interiors using environmentally friendly products and materials that have a healthy buildings and interiors using environmentally friendly products and materials that have a healthy impact on clients and the planet.
How can my company become a green design firm?
Achieving a green design firm involves integrating sustainable design into your business and practice principles. Sustainability needs to not just a part of your design but a guiding philosophy under laying their approach to every design.

Key areas to consider when designing.

• Reduced operating expenditures for energy: By employing more energy efficient designs, there are operating savings from reduced energy consumption

• Reduced operation and maintenance costs: By using more durable low-maintenance materials and systems, facility operating costs will be reduced through savings in labor, waste handling, and streamlining of housekeeping and maintenance procedures.

• Personnel expenditure reductions: Healthy, comfortable work environments have been known to lead to reduced absenteeism and increased employee retention. There are potential improvements in performance/productivity.

• Reduced costs for managing change: By designing structures and systems that are flexible and adaptable to other uses, costs of periodic reorganization and renovation are reduced.

• Reduced municipal operating expenditures: More sustainably designed buildings will mean that during construction and operation, waste is reduced going to landfills. There are also savings resulting from water treatment reduction.

• Reduced infrastructure costs: More sustainably designed buildings mean that capital costs for expanding water supply, sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants can be avoided

• Economic development: More efficient buildings mean less money leaves the state for energy. Buildings requiring clean technologies may spur development of these industries within the state.

• Emissions reduction/clean air: Cleaner air through reduced consumption of fossil fuels (reduction of carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide, particulates, mercury).

• Environmental benefits: Environmental benefits include climate change stabilization; soil, air and water pollution prevention; preservation of forests and biodiversity.

• Including ecologically sustainable design (ESD) principles,

- Using local materials and labour where possible
- Choosing materials that have low embodied energy and are reusable orrecyclable (embodied energy is the energy used to create or manufacture materials)
- Collecting water from roofs and processing waste water on site
- Installing closed system composting toilets which use little water, with the end product disposed of off site or used as fertiliser
- Using power supplied by the grid connected to a solar system
- Using natural daylight, and passive heating and cooling
- Making sure there is minimal impact during construction and revegetating with local native plants.

The benefits to the environment and society when incorporating sustainable design into your practice are clear, ‘use green save the future’ To learn more about sustainable design there are many books, website, conferences and articles world wide, it’s just a matter of opening your mind to the concept.

By Melissa Stewart