Design as Politics - Tony Fry
Fry acknowledges the impossibility of infinite growth, and labels the current rate of progression as 'defuturing' this relates to the continuous capitalist growth based on the market, not what the planet needs. He discredits the 'greenwashed' solutions that fail to recognise their own contradictions.The book is based around the political changes that need to be made, however the context is very confusing for someone who isn't massively educated in politics.
He suggests many political theories as to why we are unsustainable, he states 'humans beings are not born unsustainable, they are made so' but also that 'unsustainability is a flaw in our being.', these two statements contradict each other fundamentally. The political theories suggested in the book do also, the idea of a socialised capitalism is again fundamentally flawed.
Fry tried to present a philosophy throughout this book that is pretty confusing to understand, he wants to redesign the politics rather than allow design to do the work it seems.
The overall book is hard to read, and doesn't flow.
Could find other more helpful sources for a similar response.
Trespassers - Ed van Hinte and Conny Bakker
States that the word sustainability has become an obstacle to progress, people heard the word then they tune out, or already have preconceptions about where the conversation or discussion is going to go. States we need to make things sound new and exciting for us to want to engage with them, so using this in relation to sustainability, we need to make new alternatives to design to help the planet - and that was the book provides.
It states small solutions you can personally do to help the environment, but they're all based on stats. Its presenting sustainability in a way that doesn't overhwelm the audience, it makes it more palitable in the hope that more people will then listen.
Examples of Sustainable Solutions:
- Red Hot Asphalt, since road surfaces get increasingly hot 'when the weather is only 15 degrees the asphalt can get up to 50 degrees' we can convert the heat to solar enegry.
- TVs using energy when they're not even doing anything, 'Amerians spend a total of one billion dollars on running switched off AV equipment.'. A solution is a chip developed in the netherlands that reduces power consumption in electronics.
The Illusive Green Consumer - Harvard Buisness Review
'On the surface, there has seemingly never been a better time to launch a sustainable offering. Consumers—particularly Millennials—increasingly say they want brands that embrace purpose and sustainability. Indeed, one recent report revealed that certain categories of products with sustainability claims showed twice the growth of their traditional counterparts. Yet a frustrating paradox remains at the heart of green business: Few consumers who report positive attitudes toward eco-friendly products and services follow through with their wallets. In one recent survey 65% said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, yet only about 26% actually do so.'
They have identified five actions for companies to consider to align what customers say they’ll buy with what they actually buy: use social influence, shape good habits, leverage the domino effect, decide whether to talk to the heart or the brain, and favour experiences over ownership.
Creating a social norm can be a way to encourage other's to do the same thing, people want to fit in, not be seen as different. If something becomes popular, or they see it happening more often they are also more likely to follow. Competition can be another way to encourage people to congregate to be better.
Creating positive habits is one of the beneficial ways to make people continue to follow a habit through. As humans are creatures of habit if we develop one we will keep doing it.
etc..
This article states simple ways for companies/businesses/organisations to encourage their target market to engage in more sustainable actions. Whether that be buying a particular product or engaging in a certain activity.
Research - Actually, Consumers Do Buy Sustainable Products
'NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business just completed extensive research into U.S. consumers’ actual purchasing of consumer packaged goods (CPG), using data contributed by IRI, and found that 50% of CPG growth from 2013 to 2018 came from sustainability-marketed products.'
- 'Products that had a sustainability claim on-pack accounted for 16.6% of the market in 2018, up from 14.3% in 2013, and delivered nearly $114 billion in sales, up 29% from 2013.'
- 'Most important, products marketed as sustainable grew 5.6 times faster than those that were not. In more than 90% of the CPG categories, sustainability-marketed products grew faster than their conventional counterparts.'
^ this statistic however states that there is growth increased, not it's sales. This links back to the previous article stating that research shows people show an increased interest in sustainable products but do not purchase them.
'We also reviewed which categories had the largest share of sustainability-marketed products. Toilet tissue, facial tissue, milk, yogurt, coffee, salty snacks, and bottled juices were among those with the highest share in their category (more than 18%), while laundry care, floor cleaner, and chocolate candy had less than a 5% share.
To a certain degree, products that need to have a higher degree of efficacy (such as laundry care and sanitary napkins) were more likely to have a lower share of sustainability-marketed products, perhaps because consumers are concerned about performance trade-offs.'
This reinforces the need to vote with your money, we as consumers are creating a demand for unsustainable products in specific areas. Is this due to the lack of choice out there, do the sustainable products not work as well as unsustainable ones?
Is the Green Movement Sustainable? - John Dienhart
'In 2002, William McDonough and Michael Braungart's Cradle to Cradle was published, which showed how paying attention to the environment saved money. In 2008, The Necessary Revolution was published, which profiled hundreds of business people around the world who had saved both money and the environment. For example, Per Carstens of Sweden developed "Green Zones," clusters of businesses that use the waste of one business as the input of another. One Green Zone reduced energy use by 80 percent.'
'What happened to addressing poverty? In my interviews with sustainability officers in corporations, nonprofits and government agencies in the Puget Sound area, I learned that poverty is not being addressed sufficiently by the sustainability movement, creating two ethical gaps. First, marginalized populations in our country deserve an opportunity to participate in this new movement. Second, we are losing out on a valuable labor pool, compromising our ability to address our problems and be a global leader.'
This article is addressing the need for a shift in the sustainability movement. It initially stemmed from people wanting social justice as they discovered that toxic waste was linked to poverty, but now it has forgotten it's roots.
Dienhart states that there are two 'ethical gaps' in society now, people with money who can afford to be green and people without money who can't. Meaning we can't progress any further than we currently have without addressing the issue that is poverty.
Dienhart states that there are two 'ethical gaps' in society now, people with money who can afford to be green and people without money who can't. Meaning we can't progress any further than we currently have without addressing the issue that is poverty.
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