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Design Is the Problem

design is the problem spot image

The Future of Design Must be Sustainable

By Nathan Shedroff

Published: March 2009
Paperback: 319 pages
Paperback ISBN: 978-1933820-00-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1933820-01-9

Product design can have a tremendous impact on the world in terms of usability, waste, and resources. In Design Is the Problem, Nathan Shedroff examines how the endemic culture of design often creates unsustainable solutions, and shows how to ensure that design processes lead to more sustainable products and services.

Product design can have a tremendous impact on the world in terms of usability, waste, and resources. In Design Is the Problem, Nathan Shedroff examines how the endemic culture of design often creates unsustainable solutions, and shows how to ensure that design processes lead to more sustainable products and services.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What is Sustainability?
Chapter 2: How is Sustainability Measured?
Chapter 3: What Are the Approaches to Sustainability?
Chapter 4: Design for Use
Chapter 5: Dematerialization
Chapter 6: Substitution
Chapter 7: Localization
Chapter 8: Transmaterialization
Chapter 9: Informationalization
Chapter 10: Design for Durability
Chapter 11: Design for Reuse
Chapter 12: Design for Disassembly
Chapter 13: Close the Loop
Chapter 14: Design for Effectiveness
Chapter 15: Design for Systems
Chapter 16: Innovating Solutions
Chapter 17: Measuring Results
Chapter 18: Declaring Results
Chapter 19: Conclusion

FAQ

These common questions about sustainable design and their short answers are taken from Nathan Shedroff’s book Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable. You can find longer answers to each in your copy of the book, either printed or digital version.

  1. What is sustainability?
    Sustainability is an approach to design and development that focuses on environmental, social, and financial factors that are often never addressed. Sustainable solutions strive to improve the many systems that support our lives, including efficiently using capital and markets, effectively using natural resources, and reducing waste and toxins in the environment while not harming people in societies across the Earth. Sustainability focuses on efficient and effective solutions that are better for society, the environment, and companies. Sustainable organizations are often more successful when they pay attention to the details of waste and impacts, allowing them to function more cleanly, increase profit margins, and differentiate themselves from other organizations.
    For more information, see page xxi.

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