At the end of class this week, Jae proposed the question “Who believes design can cause change?” I believe that design can cause all types of change, especially when it comes to the environment.
– Designers who implement “green design” have endless possibilities to change the state of the environment. I remember reading somewhere that buildings are one of the largest contributers to environmental change, and that through more sustainable design (like grey water systems, green roofs, solar panelling, etc.) we may be able to return to living within the sustainable limits of the earth.
– I also believe that, as one of our class mates pointed out the other day in Ecology and Design, that people use/buy products because they are aesthetically pleasing. Like our peer mentioned, if you want people to recycle, let’s make the recycling bins more attractive so that people are motivated to recycle, or if you want someone to use public transportation, let’s design it so that people are drawn towards it. These small changes in design can also significantly change the state of the environment.
