WELCOME TO THE ECODESIGN SECTION

We support the development of products, places and service systems that minimize damage to and restore the health of our natural environment.

DESIGNING TO PROTECT OUR PLANET

Designers have enormous potential to reduce ecological damage; it is imperative that we seize the opportunity. Several indicators delineate the central role of the US in the global environmental crisis. Although only 5% of the World's population lives in the US, we create more than our share of pollution - more than 30% of all global warming gases and the highest per capita solid waste production (1500 pounds per person per year) of any nation.

US business and media hold significant influence over international consumption behavior and trends. The global population will probably reach 9.1 billion by 2050 (up from "only" 6.5 billion in 2005.) Individual pollution rates are growing faster than human population growth, so resulting global impacts on the Earth's biosphere will probably more than double by 2050.

The World Resources Institute estimates that 11% of birds, 25% of all mammals, and 34% of all fish and amphibian species were endangered (2004). Human activities are driving species to extinction 100 to 1,000 times faster than would occur naturally. Biologists estimate that this mass extinction is the fastest in Earth's 4.5-billion-year history. Unlike prior extinctions, this extinction is the result of human activity and not natural phenomena.

The US holds major sway on advancing or inhibiting international environmental standards. The US government resisted many international efforts to improve environmental standards (global warming, electronic product recycling, etc.), when we could be using design to lead the world in promoting more environmentally friendly products and systems. These distressing conditions make it essential for designers in the US to understand the ecological impacts of our work, and for us to persistently work to minimize these impacts.

Ecologically conscious designs are favored in design competitions. The IDEA criteria specify 'ecologically responsible use of materials and processes throughout product lifecycle, including resource and waste reduction, energy efficiency and repair/reuse/recyclability.'

Design can enable people to meet our needs without destroying the natural world. Ecological design can reduce costs, improve system usability, and inspire people to act for the benefit of our natural environment and the quality of life of human society in the future. It is the design challenge of our generation.