Week 6 Blog Post February 15th, 2021
Environmental design is something up until recently I hadn’t really thought about. I have always been interested in the ecosystem and sustainability in the products I buy, but hadn’t looked at these issues from the side of the designer. Our environment is fucked. Fucked in every sense of the word unless people start figuring out ways to create sustainable products. Sustainability is something all designers should think about. Most if not all designers have larger target audiences than they realize and they have the power to create change within not just the design field but within our world. The environment as we’ve learned isn’t just something that only scientists and hippies should care about, but everyone should care. We all live on this earth and need to protect it.
How can designers be a positive change within our society to push people toward sustainability? Sustainability is something that is cheaper than most people realize. Most companies try to have the largest margins they can. They do this so they can have cheap packaging and make lots of money. Most companies don’t think about sustainability within their packaging or products because they view sustainable products as “expensive”; this is just wrong. As designers we have the power to lead companies in the direction of sustainability with the information we publish and the design choices we make. You can choose to use a biodegradable material other than plastic to encase products. You can choose to use recycled paper instead of plastics or new paper. You can choose to have recycling zones set up in the offices you work in. The point is you can choose. You can choose to be the change you want to see in the world and you should. I have often heard things like “well if I stop using plastic other people still will so there’s no point in stopping,” this is false. You might not be the main problem when it comes to our ecosystem but every little change has an impact on our world and should be taken seriously.
The world is special. Our earth is one in a trillion and when the resources are gone we won’t get another change at it. Make the most of your voice as designers. Talk about hard things like sustainability. Bring sustainable packaging into your practices as a designer. Make designs that talk about how people can help in the fight against climate change. In short, do all you can because as a designer you have a louder voice than you think you do.
