19 minute read
Information sheet 1
Overview
Why do we need to change the way we make things? This is an introductory session on sustainable design. Students first learn about the change in relationship with resources, and how this trend must not continue. They then learn about sustainability and sustainable design as one of the ways to redirect this trend. They learn about how sustainability is not just about the environment but also other aspects of society too.
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ummary of main ideas and topics
The big question Can we continue the current relationship we have with our environment and the resources we take from it? What needs to be done to change that trend?
Other guiding question How did we use resources? How did our usage change? Transitions of human society Understanding how resource use changed Do we need to change the way we use resources? How would we do that (with design)? What does sustainability mean for us? Is it up to us to “save the Earth”? Pillars of sustainability Social ecology
ession specific learning objective
Describe how humans used resources as they transitioned from one society to another Justify why the trend of intensive resource usage by humans can not continue. laborate on the different pillars of sustainability, and the importance of achieving equal progress in each of the pillars. Analyze the positive and negative impact of an object in the different pillars of sustainability.
Transitions of human society Humans have been evolving, biologically and as a society and species from when they came into existence around 6 lakh years ago (Clark, 1994). There were mainly 6 transitions of human society, and let us briefly go over them.
Homo sapiens learnt to use fire around 2.5 lakh years ago, and they might have used it to scare animals away, keep warm, clear vegetation and so on. They began to cook food, leading to the reduction of disease, and in turn, the human population increased. The use of language might have appeared around 40 thousand years ago, helping them exchange information. They created small tools, coverings for the body and they collected and ate the food they required. All the humans were hunter-gatherers till they began agriculture. When they planted crops, the humans that lived around that area relied on the people that controlled the food production, and thus came in a social hierarchy. By this point, natural ecosystems have increasingly become mere resources instead of places of living. The next transition was civilization, where cities, states, religion and identities were formed.
Technological advancement occurred, extraction and usage of metals, new sources of energy such as the muscle power of animals, flowing wind and water were used. Intensive agriculture was practised, supply started becoming more than demand. People from different regions began their conquests, trade began to flourish, the population began to grow very quickly. Due to conquests, the traditions of the sustainable management of natural resources also disappeared and were often replaced by unsustainable practices The last transition that leads us to the present is that of the technological and scientific revolution. We began to use fossil fuels as the major energy source, many things were industrialized, like agriculture, the production of textiles. Mass production became the norm.
Most intensive resource use compared to every other transition. Population explosion.
Un erstan ing How resource use change We can see from how humans transitioned from barely cognate to thinking feeling society, and how along with that, their attitudes towards the environment changed. Initially, resources were used for mere survival, and then when the ideas of social hierarchy came into the picture, resources became more than just sustenance. Eventually they food was stored, metals were mined on a mass scale to build tools, different forms of energy were harvested. And here we are today, mining fossil fuels for daily use. We can also observe that as humans evolved, and their population grew, they needed more and
more resources from Earth. Some studies say that the usage intensities increased exponentially as time passed (EcoWatch, 2021).
Do we need to change the way we use resources? How would we do that (with design ? Every time humans used a resource, they transformed it into another form and consumed it. Some amount of thought must have gone into how one can change raw materials to make them consumable. A hunter-gatherer must have known by experience that metal is stronger and more durable than wood, and would have therefore used it for creating spears. As humans evolved, more and more thought would have gone into how they create the things they use. One among the various approaches to sustainability is sustainable design. We are all designers in the sense that all of us deliberately design our lives, our rooms, and the way we do things. What differs between then and now is that we have a more zoomedout view of the world, a better understanding of how things work, and an evident shortage of resources. Ideally, the amount of thought put into the things we design must also increase along with everything else. When designing a product, we should consider not just whether we make money, or if it serves the purpose but also the impact it has on everything and everyone else around. In olden times, it was okay to thoughtlessly design things for people to use, and take decisions without looking at its impact on various aspects. Sustainable design is about building the future, not just a structure. Sustainability is as much about process as it is about product. But now, the world is ever so interconnected that even the smallest decision can have a huge domino effect and consequences. Seeing design as a process empowers designers to better evaluate and anticipate the environmental, economical and social impacts and costs of building products. Bigger-picture evaluations when designing anything lead to better longterm decisions—and that leads to greater overall success.
Prompts for discussions (1.1 : What do we already know about resources? (What did they learn in geography/science class) How do we use resources now? Is it different from how we used it before? What are the many different approaches to changing the current trend to resource overuse? How can we do it with the help of design? When we design, what are all the things we think about in the design process?
What do s sustainability m an for us?
Sustainability is a word that is thrown around v rywh r , and th common und rstanding is that of th dictionary d finition which says “avoidanc of th d pl tion of natural r sourc s in ord r to maintain an cological balanc ”. Achi ving sustainability is not a goal, it is a constantly volving journ y in which w n d to continuously monitor our(humans actions and th ir impact on th world. It should not b som thing w do wh n w can, but it is som thing that r quir s a chang in th b haviours and attitud s of humanity.
Is it really up to us to “sa e the Earth W usually associat sustainability with th phras “saving th world” wh n in r ality, it is ours lv s that w want to sav . Th Earth has witn ss d v nts of massiv scal , lik an ast roid hitting th surfac . Th r for , Earth and th oth r lif forms will continu to flourish long aft r humans. But humans wanting to surviv is not a bad thing, as w ar also a part of th giant w b of lif on Earth. Inst ad of taking xtr m st ps lik d ciding to cut off d p nd nc on natur or continuing to xploit it, can w achi v mod ration? W can always borrow from natur as long as w allow it to r pl nish, us what w borrow and r turn it back to wh r it cam from and that could b our path towards sustainability.
Pillars of sustainability Ev ry product w us has its raw mat rials from natur . Th products w us ar always consciously or unconsciously d sign d by som on or th oth r. On way w can approach sustainability is by making conscious and inform d choic s whil d signing products. Many tim s, wh n w only think about sustainability, w think of cology, nvironm nt and natur . But to achi v tru sustainability, on n ds to st p back and tak a look at a f w oth r asp cts too, nam ly social and conomic. (All n, 202
Social sustainabilit Social sustainability includ s nvironm ntal justic , human h alth, r sourc s curity, and ducation, among oth r important social l m nts of soci ty. Efforts to incr as social sustainability can also b n fit th nvironm nt. For xampl , p opl 's di t choic s can hav a substantial impact on both human h alth and th h alth of th nvironm nt, th r for advocacy for h althi r ating can b n fit th nvironm nt, too. Social sustainability focus s on maintaining and improving social quality with conc pts such as coh sion, r ciprocity and hon sty and th importanc of r lationships amongst p opl . It can b ncourag d and support d by laws, information and shar d id as of quality and rights.
c n mic sustainabilit Econom c susta nab l ty a ms to ma nta n the cap tal ntact. f soc al susta nab l ty focuses on mprov ng soc al equal ty, econom c susta nab l ty a ms to mprove the standard of l v ng. f you th nk n terms of bus nesses, they need profit to susta n. That sa d, profit cannot trump the other p llars. n fact, profit at any cost s not at all what the econom c p llar s about. t s about the effic ent use of assets to ma nta n company profitab l ty over t me. Efforts to be more env ronmentally susta nable can also benefit the econom c susta nab l ty of an organ zat on. For example, recycl ng valuable mater als, such as electron c waste and text le waste, can lower operat ng costs and reduce the ntens ty of resource extract on requ red to susta n bus nesses c l gical sustainabilit Env ronmental susta nab l ty focuses on the well-be ng of the env ronment. Th s p llar ncludes water qual ty, a r qual ty, and reduct on of env ronmental stressors, such as greenhouse gas em ss ons. Human health depends greatly on the qual ty of a person's env ronment, nextr cably l nk ng human health and the state of the env ronment. Therefore, efforts to preserve and restore the env ronment benefits people, too. Env ronmental susta nab l ty a ms to mprove human welfare through the protect on of natural cap tal (e.g. land, a r, water, m nerals etc.). n t at ves and programs are defined env ronmentally susta nable when they ensure that the needs of the populat on are met w thout the r sk of comprom s ng the needs of future generat ons.
A f urth pillar - Cultural sustainability Env ronmental susta nab l ty focuses on the well-be ng of the env ronment. Th s p llar ncludes water qual ty, a r qual ty, and reduct on of env ronmental stressors, such as greenhouse gas em ss ons. Human health depends greatly on the qual ty of a person's env ronment, nextr cably l nk ng human health and the state of the env ronment. Therefore, efforts to preserve and restore the env ronment benefits people, too. Env ronmental susta nab l ty a ms to mprove human welfare through the protect on of natural cap tal (e.g. land, a r, water, m nerals etc.). n t at ves and programs are defined env ronmentally susta nable when they ensure that the needs of the populat on are met w thout the r sk of comprom s ng the needs of future generat ons.
Economical
Practical
Sustainable Ecological
Equitable Endurable
Social
Pillars of sustainability
Example for the pillars of sustainability: the plastic bag (for discussion 1.2) We all know the impact of plastic and its various forms on the environment. We have witnessed in first hand the issues caused by plastic. What are some of the issues? What changed after they entered the world? Impact to environment - impact to culture (use and throw mentality, short term thinking - impact to the economy - although production costs may have reduced, the cost of cleaning, disposal and damage to land is beyond anything.
Prompts for discussion What does sustainability mean to you? What does the word mean, where do you hear it? What role do we play? Do we really need to save earth? Is it necessary to be sustainable, design sustainably? How can it be done?
Further readin Social ecology (Bookchin - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ecology_(Bookchin The four pillars of sustainability (futurelearn.com - https://www.futurelearn.com/info/ courses/sustainable-business/0/steps/ 833 Human Consumption of Earth's Natural Resources Has Tripled in 40 Years - EcoWatch - https://www.ecowatch.com/humans-consumption-of-earths-natural-resources-tripled-in-40years-1943126 4 .htm The 3 pillars of corporate sustainability - reenly - https://en.greenly.earth/blog/3-pillars-ofsustainable-developmen Sustainable Design Is About Building the Future, Not Just a Structure (greenbuildingsolutions.org - https://en.greenly.earth/blog/3-pillars-of-sustainabledevelopment
Material for class activity 1 - Getting my lunch
The following is to be printed and handed to the students during activity 1, each section to the respective groups. The teacher is welcome to provide her own content, or even remove or edit the time periods based on the class strength or cultural/geographical backgrounds of students. Information material (if created from scratch) should contain Daily routine of an average person Food habits of the people Goals, aspirations of the average person
Time period 1 - Hunter-gatherers (Other options - Hunter-gatherer settlements or early human societies like Indus Valley, Mohenjo-daro & Harappan Civilization - can add an intermediate time period if needed)
Time period 2 - Gupta period (Other options Any other ancient Indian empires - Maurya, Kushan or Chola, etc)
Time period 3 - India under the British rule (Other options - during the famines of India, Mughal empire, etc)
Time period 4 - Present day India
The following pages are to be printed and handed out to the groups during their activity for usage in creating the skit.
Time period 1 - Hunter-gatherer
http ://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/hunter-gatherer-culture/ Before the coming of farming, all human gained their food by foraging for nut , berrie and in ect , hunting wild game, large and mall, and fi hing. The ancient hunter-gatherer lived in mall group , normally of about ten or twelve adult plu children. They were regularly on the move, earching for nut , berrie and other plant (which u ually provided mo t of their nutrition) and following the wild animal which the male hunted for meat. Each group had a large “territory” over which it roamed – large, becau e only a mall proportion of the plant in any given environment were uitable for people to eat, and the e came into fruit at different time of the year meaning a large area of land wa needed to meet the food need of a mall number of people. The group’ territory had regular place where it topped for a while. The e might be cave or area of high or level ground giving them a good all-round vi ion of approaching animal (and ho tile neighbor ), and where they would build a temporary encampment. http ://www.timemap .com/encyclopedia/hunter-gatherer/ From their earlie t day , the hunter-gatherer diet included variou gra e , tuber , fruit , eed and nut . Lacking the mean to kill larger animal , they procured meat from maller game or through cavenging. The e achievement — together with the more efficient exchange of infor mation becau e of better communication, and the increa e in the di tance of trade (Bar-Yo ef 2002) that in ured greater exi tential certainty in time of dearth by making di tant re ource available — re ulted in the increa ed exploitation of natural re ource . Thi in turn may have cau ed popula tion growth (McBrearty and Brook 2000), a hown by indi rect evidence (Takác -Sánta, A. (2004). The major tran ition in the hi tory of human tran formation of the bio phere. Human Ecology Review, 51-66.)
Time period 2 - Gupta period
www.indianetzone.com/52/food_gupta_period.htm Food in Gupta Period is mainly discussed in the early texts of the Gupta Empire which includes the writings of Kalidasa, Angavijja and the Bharata Samhita. Texts of the Gupta period enlist a number of vegetarian food items which became popular under the influence of rising Buddhism and Jainism. Vegetarian food became the norm for as much as half of the population. n the Gupta
Empire, they mostly ate vegetables, cereals, fruits, breads and drank milk. Overall the food in Gupta period mainly included types of cereals and pulses, dairy products, meat preparations, honey and sweet preparations, spices along with salt and various kinds of oils and oil seeds and fruits and vegetables common in ancient ndia. The concept of breakfast did not exist. n earlier times, meals were both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, depending upon religious beliefs. While the food of the Gupta age was light and clean, it was cooked in vessels made up of gold, silver and other metals reflecting the progress of ndian civilization from Stone Age to Bronze Age. india.mrdonn.org/gupta-dailylife.html Most people were farmers and wheat was the main crop, but they did keep cows for milk.
Besides their normal daily jobs, people were expected to work for the king or ruler every year for a period of time. But unlike other places, the people of the Gupta period were paid for their time. They might work on building or fixing roads, or digging and dredging canals. t was work that benefited all of the people.
T e per od 3 - Ind a under he Br sh rul
nd anexpress.co ar cle paren ng learn ng food-br sh- nd a-breakfas sd nners-5500990
As he Br sh gradually ook con rol of Ind a, bo h l ary and c v l an people ca e o se le here, and hey soon developed a very d s nc ve Anglo-Ind an l fes yle. Much of h s cen ered around food…a lo of ! Ingred en s were cheap and plen ful and servan s a d e a dozen, so he average d-level Br sher serv ng n Ind a could ea l ke a k ng – ables of he Raj beca e bywords for excess and glu ony! The fa ous Br sh au hor Aldous Huxley was s unned by he sheer a oun of food ha he Br sh were able o pack away. He sa d, “F ve eals a day – wo breakfas s, luncheon, af ernoon ea and d nner – are s andard hroughou Ind a. A s x h s of en added n he b g owns where here are hea res and dances o jus fy a la e supper.” www.na onalarch ves.gov.uk educa on e p re g2 cs4 background.h Many vege ables l ke po a oes, o a oes, pu pk n, carro s, cabbages, caul flowers, and ore were all fore gn o he Ind an land once. Ind a ac ually s ar ed por ng food under
Br sh rule, because Ind ans were grow ng 'cash crops' l ke co on and ea o be sen o
Br a n.
The ul ple faa ned n Ind a were par ly he resul of wea her, bu par ly caused by
Br sh pol c es. Food shor ages ca e abou because Ind ans were grow ng cash crops. When fa ne s ruck n 1876-77 and 1899-1900 he Br sh sys e of govern en was co ple ely overwhel ed and could no organ se a b g enough rel ef effor . As well as hese ass ve fa nes, here were any o her s aller, ore local sed fa nes. The Br sh nves ed abou £400 ll on n he sa e per od. They brough n an rr ga on progra e, wh ch ncreased he a oun of land ava lable for far ng by 8 es. They developed a coal ndus ry, wh ch had no ex s ed before. Publ c heal h and l fe expec ancy ncreased under Br sh rule, a nly due o proved wa er suppl es and he n roduc on of qu n ne rea en aga ns alar a. B g landowners,
Ind an pr nces, he Ind an ddle classes all ga ned n er s of job oppor un es, bus ness oppor un es and careers n areas l ke he law.
Time period 4 - Present day India
https: www.thebetterindia.com 98604 india-eating-habits-food-50-years-c lt re
https: o rworldindata.org environmental-impacts-of-food
Food acco nts for over a q arter (26%) of global greenho se gas emissions. Half of the world’s habitable (ice- and desert-free) land is sed for agric lt re. 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are sed for agric lt re.
78% of global ocean and freshwater e trophication (the poll tion of waterways with n trient-rich poll tants) is ca sed by agric lt re. 94% of mammal biomass (excl ding h mans) is livestock.
This means livestock o tweigh wild mammals by a factor of 15-to-1.4 Of the 28,000 species eval ated to be threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List, agric lt re and aq ac lt re is listed as a threat for 24,000 of them.
https: www.nytimes.com interactive 2019 04 30 dining climate-change-food-eatinghabits.html
https: www.takingcharge.csh. mn.ed explore-healing-practices food-medicine howare-food-and-environment-related
Some of the food we eat has raw material ingredients that need to come from far away.
Shipping o r food long distances and processing it not only contrib tes to air and water poll tion, b t depletes the food of n trients.
In todays world, we can sit at home, order on phone or online and the food is transported to o r doorsteps.
Food that comes from high on the food chain or arrives to yo r plate after extensive processing tends to req ire more energy and release more global warming poll tion into the air
Most of the food that is prod ced doesn’t even end p in o r stomachs, b t goes off to landfills.
https: greencleang ide.com impact-of-yo r-food-habits-on-the-environment/
Allen, L. (2021, Augu t 7). What are the three pillar of u tainability? Treehugger.
Retrieve March 23, 2022, from http ://www.treehugger.com/what-are-the-three-pillar of- u tainability-5189295 Clark, J. D., De Heinzelin, J., Schick, K. D., Hart, W. K., White, T. D., Wol eGabriel, G., ... & H.-
Sela ie, Y. (1994). African Homo erectu : ol ra iometric age an young Ol owan a emblage in the Mi le Awa h Valley, Ethiopia. Science, 264(5167), 1907-1910. EcoWatch. (2021, October 1). Human con umption of Earth' natural re ource ha triple in 40 Year . EcoWatch. Retrieve March 10, 2022, from http ://www.ecowatch.com/ human -con umption-of-earth -natural-re ource -triple -in-40-year -1943126747.html Takác -Sánta, A. (2004). The major tran ition in the hi tory of human tran formation of the bio phere. Human Ecology Review, 51-66.
