Okala - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

This lesson on ecological design was developed by:

Scott A. Warner, Ed.D., IDSA

Associate Professor

Department of Industry and Technology

Millersville University of Pennsylvania

PO BOX 1002

Millersville, PA 17551

Phone:(717)-872-3365

FAX:(717)-872-3318

scott.warner@millersville.edu

Okala

learning ecological design

Quotes and statistics are from the booklet Okala; developed by Steve Belletire, IDAA, Louise St. Pierre, IDSA, and Philip White, IDSA for the Ecodesign Section of the Industrial Designers Society of America © 2007

• The energy used to create, develop, manufacture and use products can sustain life on this planet, rather than deplete it.
• Implies a forward and optimistic view
• Designers who persistently seek out ecological design work will have the greatest opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

• The natural environment has always been affected by the presence of human beings
• Since the beginning of the Industrial Age (approximately 1750) the environmental impact of human activity has increased exponentially
• The consumer driven economy we live in now has only made that impact worse
• Statistics that reflect that include:

• The global temperature averaged 57.4 degrees F in 1965 and 58.6 degrees in 2006. A raise of 8 degrees F would turn all of the earth’s land surface into desert scrub except for the most Northern and most Southern latitudes.

Image found at www.nwhi.org/index/habdescriptions

• Ice on the North and South poles and Greenland is melting at an alarming rate; if half of Greenland’s ice melts, the oceans worldwide could raise 20 feet.

Image found at www.surveygalaxy.com/show_sur_form.asp?survey...

• Nearly half of the world’s old growth forests are gone.

Image found at greenoptions.com/category/palm_oil

• Human population will grow from 6.1 billion to 9 billion by 2050.
• Most of that growth will occur in increasingly industrialized countries such as China and India.

Image found at www.bartellonline.com/chinapic.php?i=7500

• The 1950-1997 oceanic fish harvest grew from 19 million to 95 million tons, resulting in major declines of many species.

Image found at www.janetdavisphotography.com/awards.html

• 11% of all birds, 25% of all mammals and 34% of all fish species are on endangered species lists. 50 % of all tropical plant species are at risk of extinction.
• The cause is destruction of habitats from human interference, pollution and climate change.

Image found at www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/esa.html

• Arable cropland demand is converting forests to land used for non-biologically diverse crop species.

Image found at www.agriculture.purdue.edu/.../index.html

• What would the world be like without humans?
• How long would it take to get rid of all signs that we had been here?

Image found at www.tred.cl/fgf_blog/index.php?paged=2

Image found at englishrussia.com/?p=276

• Design with Innovation
• Use Low-Impact Materials
• Use Optimized ManufacturingTechniques
• Design for Efficient Distribution
• Design for Low-Impact Use of the Product
• Design for an Optimized Product Lifetime
• Plan the Product for an Optimized End of Life

• Rethink how to provide the benefit
• Serve needs provided by associated products
• Anticipate technological change and build in flexibility
• Provide product as service
• Share among more users
• Design to mimic nature
• Use living organisms in the product

Image found at www.ldeo.columbia.edu/.../pages/velcro.html

• Avoid materials that damage human health, ecological health, or deplete resources
• Use minimal materials
• Use renewable materials
• Use waste byproducts
• Use thoroughly tested materials
• Use recycled or reused materials

Image found at www.flexiblelove.com/products/

• Design for ease of production quality control
• Minimize manufacturing waste
• Minimize energy in production
• Minimize number of production methods and operations
• Minimize number of components/materials

Image found at www.homeworkingsolutions.co.uk/.../index.cfm

• Reduce product and packaging weight
• Use reusable or recyclable packaging
• Use an efficient transport system
• Use local production and assembly

Image found at www.inhabitat.com/category/graphics-packaging/

• Minimize emissions. / Integrate cleaner or renewable energy sources
• Reduce energy inefficiencies
• Reduce water use inefficiencies
• Reduce material use inefficiencies

Image found at www.srptoilethire.co.uk/units.php

• Build in user’s desire to care for product long term
• Design for take-back programs
• Build in durability
• Design for maintenance and easy repair
• Design for upgrades
• Design for second life with different function
• Create timeless look or fashion

Image found at www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Sports-Games-R...

• Integrate methods for product collection
• Provide for ease of disassembly
• Provide for recycling or down-cycling
• Design reuse, or “next life of product”
• Provide for reuse of components
• Provide ability to biodegrade
• Provide for safe disposal

Image found at www.city.davis.ca.us/pw/recycle/rebuy.cfm

• Keeping an ecological perspective should be important to a product designer
• Reduce, reuse, recycle are the “three R’s” of product design
• The Okala approach to product design is the way to succeed as a designer
• Educators of design have an obligation to encourage the Okala approach in the work of their students

• Belletire, S., Pierre, L. & White, P. (2007). Okala: Learning ecological design. Pheonix, AZ: IDSA
• Weisman, A. (2007). The world without us. New York: St. Martin’s.