Nothing goes to waste

“We can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” (Albert Einstein).  As we all know the industrial revolution was a time of rapid growth and new developments. Most of these inventions and technologies improved quality of life, and therefore were a positive addition to society. Today we are informed of the damaging impact that the interiors and the architectures industries have had on our natural environment and need to develop a new tactic to design with respect for nature.

40% of all carbon emissions are generated through buildings. Construction, maintenance, heating, lighting and refitting interiors all contribute to this. There is a longing ideal that if we all went back to living in bamboo tree houses the world would become more sustainable as nature and humans would once again be balanced. But realistically, we all know that our society wouldn not go back to living in those conditions. The cradle-to-cradle concept, however, has a different method. McDonough and Braungart break up all matter into two types of nutrients: Biological nutrients, which are products that are (biodegradable, natural, ex.wood), and technical nutrients, which are (manmade, ex. plastic). Both of these have value, in contrast to the common idea of using only compostable materials in construction. In my concept I want to use both of the nutrients created by McDonough and Braungart, because this will allow companies to reuse manmade construction materials and allow them to compose new materials from existing ones.  Instead of ignoring and discarding these manmade materials that we already have available, why not keep them in a “close loop cycle”, where they can be used over and over again? Instead of putting valuable materials in landfill, we could be breaking down and reusing valuable resources.

What if we start to design with the life of a product (or building) in mind and think about what will happen to it after its ‘life’? A wealth of opportunity arises. Manufacturers will start reusing parts or packaging from products that are over their lifespan and non consumable. Is it really necessary to knock down existing buildings in an attempt to build new structures just to stimulate the architect’s ego? It makes business sense to reuse. In the long run, everyone wins. The producer, the consumer and our environment.

In the past decade,s designers have been debating efficiency; How to get the most out of the least resources. Efficiency and sustainability seem to have got so overwhelmed with technical solutions that other design qualities have been compromised. We begin to excuse ugly monumental buildings and interiors if they are ‘energy efficient’. How can we be inspired by interiors that are minimal in every aspect? Michael Braungart says “what would life be like if everything were efficient? Its just the minimum.” (Lets Cradle Congress, Nov 07)

As an interior designer, I have learned that there will always be constraints on materials, space and money. The overwhelming factor is almost always money. Meaning the building that costs the least is the winning plan. What if we considered the value of our natural surroundings not as a given, usable resource but as an indispensable one, such as coal or oil? A resource that will eventually run out. If we measure value by scarcity, meaning the greater the availability is of something, the cheaper it becomes, eventually the natural unharmed world will be invaluable.

With the idea of reusing structures and their building components, could help the interior and the architecture industry become sustainable.  Not only should designers take into consideration what materials they should use to build a new structure but they should also take into consideration nature.  If we start to consider how our environment works when designing a building we could become more efficient.  For example we can utilize mother nature by the placement of windows.  In cooler climates, we can design buildings that that have more windows on the south side of the structure in order to allow natural lighting to enter the structure.  This could eventually reduce the energy use. 

This concept will ensure that less money would be used if we reuse the structures that are already built and when building new structure less money will eventually be used because it will be built in aspects of efficiency and sustainability.  

Creating New Products By Utilizing What We Have

During my internship as and an Interior Designer, I was able to work with many manufacture companies when it came to finish samples.  I’m sure whether you are an interior designer/merchandising student or apparel student you are aware of the abundance of samples that are distributed to companies in order to get them to use their products.  Towards the end of my internship I was asked if I wanted to take any of the sample that they had accumulated in their library.  Obviously, I didn’t think much about it then, but now I wish I could have brought back some samples and made something useful out of them. 

In this week’s concept I want to focus on “Optimizing, Not Maximizing” and “Using Materials Sparingly”.  According to Benyus, “eighty–five percent of manufactured items quickly become waste”.  We all know that sample items are never intended to have a function other than to be a showpiece.  But what if we developed a company that would restore all of the sample materials and finishes that companies produce and turn them into renewable items or materials? Take-back laws are being implanted in countries like Europe and Germany that require manufacturers to take back their products and recycle them at the end of their life cycle.  I believe that this concept should be developed into the apparel and especially in the interior design industry.  This concept can help develop the idea of “refurbished” products which is the theory described by Quinn as discarded materials having a potential to procure a fresh life. 

The theory behind my concept is to have interior design and architecture companies donate their unwanted samples and turn the samples into a functional piece of furniture or materials.  As well as producing new furniture pieces from samples, they could be designed to be multifunctional in order to use the materials sparingly. By designing multifunctional products we could achieve lightness according to Flecter, which will allow the development to produce products with many functions but with less materials.  With implementations of developing lighter materials such as wood and metal, we could achieve a sustainable production with upcycled sample materials. 

This concept has been developed by website like Pinterest where they have DIY (do it yourself) projects ideas.  However, I want to take this concept into a bigger approach and develop a company that will actually make furniture pieces out of scraps of samples.  Below is an example of what I would like for my company to develop with scraps of wood or other materials.   

This beautiful credenza was made out of scraps of wood from an old broken down cabinet.  

http://inhabitat.com/diy-turn-a-broken-down-cabinet-into-beautiful-credenza-with-scrap-wood/

Seeing nothing as WASTE

As we continue to consume at unsustainable rates, dealing with waste is becoming a tending topic.  When we think of waste, we think of something that is no use.  We usually associate the term with solid waste; the kind we send ‘away’ to one of our many growing piles of unwanted substance.  However, if we think beyond solid waste and start asking ourselves whether waste really is something of no use, we find some interesting things. 

The concepts from How Will We Conduct Business, “using waste as a resource”, made me think of waste in a different form.  For example, a car is of no use to you until you need to drive somewhere, so technically when it is parked it is waste.  Furthermore, if something is of no use to someone, it doesn’t mean there is no use for it elsewhere.  The idea of not allowing products to become waste until it has fully reached its life cycle is where I’m headed. 

One of the detrimental problems our environment is facing is the over production of products.  According to Benyus, manufacturing production has doubled in size since 1970, essentially producing an abundance of products that are unnecessary in our environment. I want to propose the concept of sharing and trading.  Since I’ve started this class, I have realized that I do not necessarily need to own something, but rather simply have access to it.  In order to cut back on waste we need to fully utilize products and not let them go to waste.  In the interiors industry, the over productions of furniture pieces can be seen as harmful to our environment.  The concept of sharing and trading would help consumers eliminate unwanted furniture pieces that they own by sharing or trading them for something they may essentially need.  This could potentially lower over production of furniture and could essentially help our environment more towards a sustainable future.