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Eco²
ECO
ÂŤActions oriented to the environmental improvement of the product in the initial stage of design, by means of the improvement of the function, selection of less impact materials, application of alternative processes, improves in the transport and in the use, and to minimize the impacts in the final stage of treatmentÂť
DESIGN
Inspired by the Mother Nature, in which everything is born thanks to this, using its resources to create… like a small cushion, a chair, or a great building… a poster, a book, a magazine… Everything what we created affects to us and not only to our life and quality of this, also to quality of life of the planet, we modified it and sometimes we don't think about the damage that we are making. The Ecodesign worries about this, nevertheless few knows on the matter, there is no much information spreading and in this age of the global warming is something worrisome.
editorial The creation of this e-zine is with the eagerness of being able to replace certain deficiencies that the communicational surroundings have left of side. Designers are intertwined with all sorts of businesses - that is why they could influence things at least on a small scale. Eco² wants to connect the green community and raise the awareness.
Edition and Contents: Carolina Vargas A. Design and Diagramming: Carolina Vargas A. VALPARAISO - CHILE - JULY - 2008
So you are all sincerely invited to follow our steps, steps that we will give next to you in this long way, but not for that reason less interesting, to take care of our habitat taking advantage of the resources that is given to us, like also the more appropriate way.
INTERVIEW
ARTICLE
Eric Karjaluoto from SmashLAB, Design Can Change Project
Design and Ecological Literacy: Part of the S o l u t i o n
contents PROJECT
GALERY
EcoSystems Brand: Furniture for Environmental Harmony
An exhibition of 15 beautiful, innovative and environmentally friendly designs from all the world
UN conference in Bangkok about climate change made it clear once more: mankind has to change its consumption patterns pretty soon to save the planet. For today, Eco² is trying to show some possible small steps towards that: instead of ranting about environmental issues, Canadian design agency smashLAB made a start to raise awareness amongst graphic designers.
interview With their web project Design Can Change they want to provide a forum for all sorts of information regarding sustainability, for example a Green Paper Guide, a list of paper companies using less chemically treated paper. Eric Karjaluoto from smashLAB talked about a few things every graphic designer could easily keep in mind.
Eric, when did you start with the Design Can Change project? We started looking at how we could become more sustainable about 3 years ago, but it was only about a year ago that we really started to research it more: most of the resources available were for architects or product designers - but not for graphic designers that mostly work with posters, books, magazines, or brochures.
So your own work was the initial trigger? In our situation, we just wanted to know how to waste less energy. As a small firm, we can only make so much of a difference in our own work. But if we get other designers to share the same idea we might have more power to make a difference. That is why we try to provide the Design Can Change forum online. It is necessary that people share information as rapidly as they possibly can.
Ah, your main idea is building an ecologically conscious community, then? Exactly. It’s funny because designers are in this unique spot where they are connected to all of the businesses and can actually affect things starting from the concept stage. For example, I met someone today who works for a company that prints brochures and catalogues in 40 different countries and ships thousands of catalogues around. If he just switches to using more friendly paper, that might have an impact. Or, if you convince a client to use a digital brochure like a PDF file for their annual report, this wouldn’t only be far more cost-effective…
And Design can Change is non-commercial? There wasn’t a way to do it commercially, and it wasn’t intended to create a profit. Perhaps a notion was the responsibility our profession has to do something good overall, I suppose. It is an ethical thing, as it doesn’t make any business sense. Of course, we were very careful about the fact that we weren’t sustainability experts by any means. We are just a design shop that aggregated information and wanted to share it with the community.
On the Design Can Change website you present a Green Paper Guide, a list of paper companies using less chemically treated paper, a Checklist For Sustainability for double-checking throughout the designing process, and a pledge for graphic designers to change their attitude. First, your Green Paper Guide is a list of papers from various companies and their scale of ecofriendliness: where did you gather all the info? By the way, all of your PDFs have a nice phrase on top, saying: Please do not print this document. It looks nicer on your screen and can help save a tree. Nicely put‌ Do you think people might switch completely to digital paper in the future?
It was a mix: we sourced a couple of other organisations who had similar data out, and we went through all the different paper manufactures we could find to collect their data. But it is really difficult to keep up as the paper companies are changing quite rapidly. In addition, it is very much focussed on North American. Even as it was, it took quite a while and to do it on a There will always be a need for printed material - global scale would have been an enormous amount of books are so tactile. But a brochure is a good work. example: people print because they are in the habit of printing. That is not necessarily the most effective way of communicating a message, and it often gets thrown in the trash immediately anyway.
Let's get to the guide lines: Sustainable Design Checklist, the Design Can Change pledge tries to influence the designer towards a sustainable mindset. Do you have any action in mind as a next step? The first step was to share a general notion. We are spending a lot of time trying to contact as many designers as possible, to get them on board. For a while now, as a company, we are going to take a bit of a break and let it bubble on its own. Also, we had more suggestions from people who do parallel work in other organisations, like for example Eric Benson from renourish. Also, the AIGA has a sustainability effort.
Lately, Vancouver seems to me a place where several environmental initiatives and other kinds of aware organisations seem to come from. Any suggestions why that might be? Maybe it is the proximity to nature, I guess. Vancouver seems to be a relatively distracting city, a lot of people are outdoors and doing things. I wonder if David Suzuki has had an impact on that. He has been a very passionate activist for the environment for years now and has spent so much time to raise awareness, for example with his foundation.
Thank you, Eric Karjaluoto! We hope that more projects like Design Can Change and the related ideas on ideas blog will come along. Everybody should at least think about how he or she could do something. Well, everything starts with small steps, doesn't it?
Article published in Pingmag http://pingmag.jp/2007/05/07/design-can-change/ May 2007
article Design and Ecological Literacy: Part of the Solution
Proposition by Jody Boehnert to be presented at NewViews2 conference in July 2008. Graphic design by Jody Boehnert. Photography by Susannah Sayler of The Canary Project.
Climate change is a problem that will require a response from all sectors of society. Once we decide to engage in a meaningful manner with the environmental crisis, design is already primed to change and help inspire systemic transformation. Thanks to the work of researchers in fields studying the interface between ecological systems and human culture we now have the tools to
society operates within natural imperatives.2 Ecological literacy creates a conceptual basis for integrated thinking about sustainability. Informed by ecological systems, industry is transformed by ideas such as cradle to cradle, waste=food, and the necessity of staying within the E c o l o g i c a l l i t e r a c y i s a n current solar income.3 understanding of ecological systems and an awareness of how catalyze a transition. Graphic design must embrace its unique ability to facilitate change by engaging with the emergent concept of ecological literacy, communicate key concepts and help initiate a wide-reaching social learning process.1
Researchers have developed footprinting and life cycle analysis tools that can make assessments of the environmental impacts of a system, design, process or product. These tools help communicators develop tangible characterizations of the often mis-used term ‘sustainability’. One Planet Living™ offers a clear vision of living within the planet’s carrying capacity.4 Meanwhile ecological economics offers accounting tools that could be the basis for carbon reduction
programmes.5 Communication designers have an important role to pay in making these tools & principles meaningful to diverse audiences and integrating these concepts into the public arena. We are at the precipice of an unprecedented ecological crisis. The design industry needs to recognize that a societal level challenge to avoid climatic tipping points is different from other issues that compete for industry attention. The
speed, scope, and scale of the communication challenge are critical.6 So far we are losing evidenced by the significant gap between the proscriptive action recommended by scientists and our collective response. Embedding ecological awareness into the cultural mindset is a formidable task. On a positive note, within this upheaval is the potential for profound renewal.7
Diagram attemating to represent systemic causes of social, political, economic and environmental problems. Arrows represent one-way flows of information which refuse to be informed by the system as a whole.
Diagram representing systems literacy. Arrows are active paths of engagement, two way flow of information.
Designers will no longer be capable of feigning innocence in an era with a challenge as great as climate change. Design motivates action and our actions have implications; designers are implicit. Design is still part of the problem, but it is capable of becoming part of the solution. It is up to us - now, to make it happen. Article published in EcoLabs http://eco-labs.org/index.php
Footnotes 1.- Ezio Manzini, The Scenerio of a Multi-local Society: Creative Communities, Active Networks, and Enabling Solutions. In J. Chapman & N. Gant, eds., Designers, Visionaries, and Other Stories. (London: Earthscan. 2007) 78. 2.- David Orr, Ecological Literacy. (Albany: State of New York Press, 1992) 92-93. 3.- Paul Hawken, Blessed Unrest. (London: Penguin, 2007) 182. 4.- WWF, LIVING Planet Report 2006. (Switzerland: WWF) 4. 5.- Jonathon Poritt. Capitalism as if the World Matters. (London: Earthscan, 2005) 259-262. 6.- Al Gore. New Thinking on the Climate Crisis. (Monterey: TED2008) [online]. Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/243 7.- Thomas Homer Dixon, The Upside of Down (London: Souvenir Press, 2006) 23.
project
ecoSystems furniture for environmental harmony EcoSystems is a furniture design company that pursues sustainability considering that being green is not a question of advertisement or publicity, but a challenge that requires true commitment. The company has developed a system where the products are part of a cycle where no waste is produced and issues such as sustainable sourcing of materials and packaging are also considered.In other words, the company has reviewed each step of the process of production and refined it in order to achieve a true sustainable design and system that supports the concept.
environmental
3. Flat pack Shipping packaging time and materials are drastically reduced
2. Automated Manufacturing regional production on large orders minimizes fuel waste
save time and money by snapping together
5. No Waste
1. Sustainable Materials responsible development right from the start
4. Tool Free Assembly
going beyond green.
when its first life is over we pick it up to recycle or reclaim the materials
“We make furniture that has a positive effect on the ecology, economy, and general health of society.�
products
Bamba Cleverly crafted, Bamba's seat, back and arms are cut from the sides that support the chair. This nearly eliminates production waste for the structure of the chair. Utilizing the same Alpha collection hardware, it is a snap to put together, no tools required. It also packs into itself for shipping, minimizing both the material needed and the size of the package.
Tandem 1 Infin. Chairs and tables can be endlessly ganged together with our proprietary aluminum hardware, keeping your waiting or public area impeccably organized. It assembles without tools saving time and expense on installations. All components are mechanically connected for structural durability and simple replacement. A variety of finish options, including COM
fabrics and non toxic wood stains can be applied. Its perfect for libraries, hospitals, schools and other institutions that are embracing green building.
More information in EcoSystems http://www.ecosystemsbrand.com/index.html
GALERY An exhibition of 15 beautiful, innovative and environmentally friendly designs from all over the world. Especial Edition by Wallpaper* To see the complete edition visit http://www.wallpaper.com/ecoedit/ecoedit.html
Trust those clever people at Authentics in Germany to understand that while you want to help the environment and recycle, messing up your interior with unsightly bins is simply not on the agenda. Designed by Wallpaper* darling, Konstantic Grcic, 'Top' is a complete system for the separation of plastic, glass, paper and biodegradable waste. Slender light grey plastic bins, which can stand on the floor or be affixed to the wall, come with lids that not only cover up unsightly big bags but are available in five different colours to identify which material should be discarded in which bin.
Top Waste Management System By Konstantin Grcic for Authentics www.authentics.de
Packaging is not only wasteful, it is a right pain to get rid of, which is why we thought French designer Alain Berteau's idea to re-use his packaging was particularly innovative. A cardboard box contains a hearty upholstery cover made out of Kvadrat fabric. Open the box, place the cover over the box and hey presto, you've got a fully functional, foxy-to-look-at stool and absolutely nothing to go in the bin.
Stool By Alain Berteau for Montis www.montis.nl
What might appear to be street rubbish to us has a valuable vision for the Netherlandish artist Wietse Jellema, well beyond the rotting contents of the overflowing bin on the street corner. He uses for his sculptures old materials that haven't yet made it to the recycling bin, trawling the streets to find his inspiration. Speaking of his unlikely materials Jellema explains, 'The questions I ask myself are when does something stop having a use? How can I bring objects back to their essential parts?' By making small changes to the plastic, wood and cardboard he finds, Jellema creates sculptures with a charming simplicity and a depth of significance beyond their humble forms and origins. More reinvention than reclamation, his work brings a whole new meaning to 'objects trouvee' and is certainly a long way from rubbish.
Sculptures By Wietse Jellema www.wonderwood.nl
Loll prides itself to create affordable and stylish designs, where 'even the colour black is green'. The USA-based company is a classic in creating in-house garden furniture which incorporates environmental concerns. The all-weather furniture is produced by manufacturing recycled skatepark material and food preparation cutting surfaces. Adding to that, their 100-colour palette is made from 100% post consumer recycled material, and only 100% postindustrial recycled black color is used; a percentage of this actually coming from reclaimed components. Such an introduction was impossible to ignore and this armless double bench proves that making an ecological statement can be done while maintaining a high style and design quality. The bench is part of Loll's Armless outdoor furniture collection, officially launched in 2006. The series also includes a single armless chair, and Loll is aiming to develop the line more over the following months.
Armless Double Bench By Loll www.lolldesigns.com
When it came to setting up her own print and design studio in Mexico City after years of working in the commercial textile industry, the designer Liza Niles made it a point to go green. Instead of buying new fabric, she uses fabric surpluses from factories nearby, working with material for private commissions and her home furnishing collection. What we admire most is that Niles goes beyond the call of duty as a designer, offering sustainable options to the artisan communities in South America. In 'khadi' (traditional flocked printing) workshops in India, she encouraged craftsmen to substitute the more expensive velvet dust for silk dust which could be obtained at local sari manufacturers. She also suggested using deflated basketballs instead of Styrofoam moulds to Ecuadorian locals weaving palm fiber lampshades, because they lasted longer and were recyclable.
Fabrics By Studio 450 www.fourfifty.com
Transglass, the new tableware line by Emma Woffenden and Tord Bootje, is a sure bet for a future design classic, as since its launch it has become one of Artecnica's best-selling items. Not only does it looks fabulous, but also expresses a positive attitude towards the environment. The whole collection comes from recycled wine and beer bottles. The old glass is collected, cleaned and re-cut to create clean-lined tumblers, vases and carafes, even keeping the original glass colour. A Guatemalan artisan group is behind the manufacturing and original craftsmanship, incorporating the company's environmental and ethical concerns into its sophisticated design standards. The collection, launched in August 2006, is already in the permanent
Transglass Tableware By Tord Bootje and Emma Woffenden www.artecnicainc.com
The idea of using discarded items to create new objects may not be a new one, but few do it as beautifully as Stuart Haygarth. 1,000 used party poppers collected after celebrating New Year were turned into the Millennium chandelier which launched his career. Different coloured glassware found in flea markets, car boot sales and junk shops were turned into light boxes and bought up by the Comme De Garรงons store in London, while his latest piece was made from man-made debris washed up on the Kent coastline in 2004.
Tide By Stuart Haygarth www.stuarthaygarth.com
Sustainable sourced wood is an eco-friendly material to use in design and architecture - the true challenge lies to the designer's skill and inspiration to use it. Vancouver-based Brent Comber is one of those designers who works with wood in a truly innovative way, creating great environmentally sustainable furniture, which are beautiful to look at. The wood used is either reclaimed or recycled (like woods chips), all natural and from local and low grade sources. The use of alders to create furniture makes minimal impact to the environment, especially since design is followed by sustainable practices throughout the manufacturing process. The Alder Rounds collection, launched in 2005, comprises three sizes of clear-finished cylindrical pieces which can be easily adjusted to suit equally seating and tables;
Alder Rounds collection By Brent Comber www.brentcomber.com
At the Maison et Objet furniture fair this year in Paris there was a show entitled Eco Design. Sixteen designers submitted pieces of furniture that 'respect the environment' proving beyond doubt that design can have an impact on us, without impacting on the world around us. Designed by Philippe Riehling for Patrick Brézé, the 'Néo Noé' chair is such a piece. Elegantly carved out of beech wood, the piece uses natural varnish and glue which produces no dangerous emissions. The wood comes from no further than 100km away from the studio and when the piece is transported to shops it is always done so with other pieces. ‘Néo Noé’ By Philippe Riehling for Patrick Brézé
Eco-orientated Mexican designer, Emiliano Godoy, has been arguing for the use of nature as both a source and destination for product design since his college days. Undoubtedly, sustainable forests and recyclable materials are the first thing that springs to mind in such a debate; however Godoy has a rather different, more playful material of choice. The designer used sugar for his Sweet Disposable series, which includes - apart from a Golf Tee, a coat hanger and a 100% biodegradable candle - this beautiful lamp, made from eight identical sugar wedges. Godoy researches sustainability and biodegradable design, and sugar is a perfect, shortterm, environmentally friendly and easy to work with material to experiment with; the geometric lamp has a natural lifespan, in full accord to the actual material's longevity.
Sugar Lamp By Godoylab www.godoylab.com
It may not be enough to help those poor, scorched golf courses across the Uk and other areas of Europe which were at the mercy of the hose-pipe ban last summer, but it will go some way to keeping the precious blooms in your garden happy. Short of building an entire reservoir in your backs yard, Lumi acts as not only an innovative solution to storing water but due to an inspired lighting system acts as beautiful outdoor sculpture, actually becoming brighter the more full it is.
Lumi By Full Tank www.fulltank.com.au
We were instantly smitten with the handsome Latino looks of this lounge chair which not only uses certified local materials (Tauari wood and ecru leather threads) but uses local craftsmen to weave the seat from the age-old macramé technique. Designed by Mariana Betting Ferrarezi and Roberto Hercowitz, of Em2 design, the piece is inspired by Brazil's cultural heritage and is a fine example that you can create a slick, modern piece of furniture without turning to new waste-emitting materials and techniques.
‘Tambona Hamaca’chair By Em2 Design www.em2design.com.br
Established more than 20 years ago, Benchmark is a much-loved Wallpaper* option due to its furniture design quality and style with full certifications and a commitment to using only sustainably sourced timber, it is one of the greenest woodworkers around. One of their finest examples, following their main sustainability policy, the Twisted Cabinet is part of the company's collection by architecture and design's enfant terrible, London-based Thomas Heatherwick. The cabinet, made from clear lacquered solid Oak, has a characteristic, strong and elegant geometrical shape, making the manufacturers proud not only of their pure eco- Twisted Cabinet sensitivity, but also for their high technological By Thomas Heatherwick For Benchmark standards and refined sense of style. www.benchmark-furniture.com
Surely, there is no need for a big introduction for Artek, as the Finnish all-time classic design studio is a frequent Wallpaper* guest. Launched in this year's Stockholm fair, Artek Studio's Bambu collection underlines the issues of sustainability and humanism since its very foundation in 1935 by Alvar Aalto. Designed by Henrik Tjaerby, the collection - a chair, dining table and coffee table - has a natural caramelized color and is made out of bent laminated bamboo. Bamboo, a known eco-friendly material option, is incredibly fast growing, making it the ideal designer alternative. Created in true Artek style and technology, the collection reflects the company's ideology towards ecology and ethics and aims to highlight their critical role in contemporary future production.
Bambu collection By Henrik Tjaerby for Artek www.artek.fi
Taking its inspiration from the natural world, and specifically forest forms and textures, the Forest Leaf is only one of the many nature-inspired collections by New-York based designer Michael Aram. Included is Aram's playful redefining of the idea of a vase and candleholder, skillfully capturing the bark's delicacy and detailing. We particularly admire the aluminum material option for its environmentally friendly attitude. The products are made completely out of polished recycled aluminum, inspired by white birch or cherry bark in the case of the vase, and of a pair of trees - one taller and one shorter - in the case of the candleholders. The vase comes in three sizes.
Botanical Bark vase and Enchanted Forest candleholders By Michael Aram www.michaelaram.com
Since launching to great praise in 2005, David Graas 'This Side Up' cardboard stool design has been a big hit in both design and environmental circles. Indeed, the Dutch product designer's decision to use a renewable / recyclable material to create furniture for everyday life has generated praise and inspiration - Graas has also designed a striking cardboard chair. The two-in-one design means that the stools can be used as a single unit or they can be pulled apart to reveal two separate structures, further enhancing the product's multi-functionality and increasing its relevance in a world where eco-friendly goes hand in hand with a product's interchangeability.
This Side Up stool By David Graas www.davidgraas.com
ecolibrary EXPERIMENTAL ECO-DESIGN: Product, Arquitecture, Fashion. De Cara Brower
Experimental EcoDesign offers inspirational reading for anyone interested in green design also coming with an extensive directory of sources of materials, manufacturers, design studios, and organizations.
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY A Sourcebook of Integrated, Eco-logical Solutions De Janis Birkledand "Design for Sustainability" signals the crucial paradigm shift of the 21st Century: the transition from "environmental management" to "systems design" - eco-solutions that integrate social, political, and economic factors and radically reduce resource use, while increasing health, equity and life quality.
GREEN DESIGN De Buzz Poole GREEN DESIGN is not only a very beautifully designed book, rich with full color photographs, clever and creative design elements, and informative witty and thoughtful writing, it is a book as important as any published in the arena of sensitivity to ecology issues.
SUSTAINABLE FOR DESIGN: Explorations in Theory and Practice De Stuart Walker This book will introduce vital concepts to students and will inspire designers by providing a wellarticulated basis for understanding the complexity and potential of sustainable design, and extolling the contribution of design to the creation of a more meaningful material culture.
www.eco2mag.cl
Eco²