Holistic Design

3154 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Assess the environmental impact

Holistic Design

Thesis: Design is the root of action; if we can creatively construct our products and systems with purpose and understanding of the processes and side effects of these systems, we can improve our relationship to the natural world.

Introduction to Industrial Design

Our modern lives are full of manufactured products. Nearly everything that surrounds us in our day-to-day lives is born of intense industrial processes, yet rarely do we think of the systems that support our lifestyles. Finding a single action in a day that does not somehow depend on fossil fuels is nearly impossible. Everything we use, eat, or come in contact with has either been shipped or manufactured (or both) far away from where we live, and arrives at our door via processes that gobble up mounds of natural resources (Chiras, 2000). Because of the affluence of our lifestyle, we do not see the effects of these processes, and thus we rarely consider the long-term sustainability of our daily actions.

While humans have always survived by our ability to use our surroundings, the industrial revolution increased our power to thrive, also increasing the size of our "footprint" (amount of land or resources required to sustain us). The machines that arose (and the knack for utilizing the energy in fossil fuels) during the industrial revolution greatly increased the output of manufacturing companies, also increasing the inputs of raw materials (Chiras, 2001). This increase in demand has led to intense mining, logging and agricultural processes that have left us with a less healthy world. Since industrial systems have been in place (mid 1700's), greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased, raising global temperatures, and threatening drastic...

... middle of paper ...

...iras, Daniel (2000). The Natural House. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Haines, Andrew, McMichael, Anthony J., Epstein, Paul R., McCally, Michael. Sept. 19, 2000. "Environment and Health 2: Global Climate Change and Health." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 163, Issue 6.

Janzen, J. Daniel. Review of Cradle to Cradle. Flak Magazine. http://flakmag.com/books/cradletocradle.html. November 3, 2003.

Lancaster, Brad. Lecture. May 2003. Tucson, Arizona.

McDonough, Bill and Michael Braungart (2002). Cradle to Cradle. New York: North Point Press.

McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry Home Page. http://www.mbdc.com/profile_clients.htm November 3, 2003.

Mollison, Bill (1988). Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. Tyalgum, Australia: Tagari Publications.

Reynolds, Michael (1990). Earthship, Vol. 1. Taos, New Mexico: Solar Survival Press.

Show More
Related

  • ocean acidification

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution was not only a turning point in the progress of human history, but the start of a great change in the Earth’s environment. Technological advances in industry and mass migration into urban areas led to a rising demand for energy sources, a demand met by fossil fuels. Casper, J. (2010) describes coal as ‘symbolic of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution’, the increased combustion of these ‘dirty’ fossil fuels further polluted the air and enhanced the volume of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Changes in land use attributed to population rise, reduced the amount of photosynthesising biomass on Earth, diminished an important ‘carbon sink’ and concluded to enhance the Greenhouse Effect.

    Read More

  • The Drug Issue in Australia

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are an estimated 25,000 heroin users in Victoria (Hodder, p.10). This is a very large amount of people on drugs, in the last 10 years it has been shown to increase and therefore the drug issue is becoming a major problem to all the people in Victoria.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Visit Sunny Chernobyl

    148 Words  | 1 Pages

    Every since the industrial revolution, society has moved to jobs, factories, manufacturing goods and products, and larger cities. This process called industrialization is when an economy modifies its way of living from an agriculture based living to the production of merchandise in factories. The manual labor that is required for farm work is replaced with mass production on assembly lines. Andrew Blackwell visits this idea of industrialization in Visit Sunny Chernobyl but to a higher extent. Blackwell states “today that society is an industrial one, resource hungry and plant-spanning, growing so inefficiently large, we believe that it is disrupting its own host… It’s not just about living sustainably. It’s about being able to live with ourselves,”

    Read More

  • Heroin Essay

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    A common recreational drug that is illegally dealt is Heroin. To many this drug is known by a few slang/street names, some being; smack, brown stone and junk (Tracy, 2012). Heroin is a highly addictive opiate that caused many different issues regarding physical and mental health. It can be consumed in 3 different ways: snorting, injecting and smoking. The original purpose of heroin is far different then the purpose that it is used for today in society. In 1874, heroin was first produced from morphine and 24 years later began its journey in the field of medicine to help morphine addicted patients (Scott, 1998). After use of the medicine it became present that the drug was just as addictive as morphine and was in turn creating patients to become addicted to the new drug. In 1902, doctors ceased the use of heroin in the medical field and a few years following, 8 years later, the first case of a heroin addict was admitted to a hospital for treatment (Scott, 1998). The drug is no longer used for a medical purposes but is still present in the legal drug selling market. Many countries have stiff penalties if caught in possession of or are selling heroin, because this drug is listed as a Class A drug (“Opium, Morphine, Heroin”, n.d.).

    Read More

  • The Decrease of Teen Pregnancy in America

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    Studies show that between 2006 and 2011 there was an average drop of about 30% of teen pregnancies and 50% of teens involved in any kind of sexual activity (not just intercourse) in America. According to a recent study as of 2008, teen birth rates in the U.S., (which have been declining for tw...

    Read More

  • Written Critique on Corduroy and Winn-Dixie

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...s could also promote good examples of how we should treat each other’s with respect and be forgiving. And would expand the children’s knowledge to comprehend that we are not perfect and we are all unique in every way. Above all it would give the children some good understanding that the reason we exist is to learn from our mistakes.

    Read More

  • Teen Pregnancy Prevention

    2297 Words  | 5 Pages

    Teen pregnancy has become an epidemic in the United States alone. Today, more than half of all teenagers report having had sexual intercourse at least once before leaving high school (Glazer, 1993). Each year, almost 750,000 U.S. women, aged 15–19 become pregnant (Guttmacher Institute, 2011).

    Read More

  • Stereotyping is an Ethical Problem in Media

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kessler, R. C., Bergland, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset of DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 593-602.

    Read More

  • Environmental Implications Of Climate Change And Human Health

    1661 Words  | 4 Pages

    How Climate Change Effects Human Health requires a strategy of international dimensions that can translate into regional and local actions.

    Read More

  • Sex and Relationship Education (SRE)

    2621 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kohler et al. (2008)“Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351.

    Read More

  • Health and Sustainability

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sabogal, R (2010) Global Environmental Health : Sustainability. Journal of Environmental Health, 73 (3) p26-28.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Materialism In 'The Rocking Horse Winner'

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    Instead they rely completely on money to be happy. People often do not appreciate what they have, and they feel like they deserve better, and they complain instead of making the best of what they have. It is not necessary to be rich to enjoy life. Often those who have everything tend to live miserably. People can become too attached to money to the point that they forget about enjoying life and caring for their family. The theme of materialism is shown throughout the story of “The Rocking Horse Winner” to explain how being too attached to money can ruin people’s lives.

    Read More

  • Teen Pregnancy Essay

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ation. Sex education and access to contraceptives will prevent teens from making the wrong decision. Healthcare providers should also make teens aware of the sexual risk behaviors such as HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and dating violence (Teen Pregnancy & Childbearing 1). In order to prevent the number of teen pregnancies from increasing, adolescents need support from their peers, parents and the media. Teens need to be aware of the negative outcomes and want a healthy future consisting of education, a job, and a healthy relationship.

    Read More

  • The Sustainability Revolution: The Sustainability Revolution

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sustainability Revolution: Earth, the planet we call home, is a complex system made of interdependent parts and pieces of life that are constantly changing. Earth’s planetary system has maintained a balance of dynamic equilibrium—it has been sustainable— since its beginnings about 4.5 billion years ago. This balance, however, has been progressively disrupted by us—humans— especially during the last few decades. Mother Nature has provided us with natural resources and the habitat for all species to sustain life on our planet. Since the industrial revolution, we have maintained a belief that these resources are infinite, and that economic growth and our attempts to improve our standards of living can continue forever. All forms of human economic

    Read More

  • The Prevention of Teen Pregnancy

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    Approximately one million teens get pregnant and give birth every year in the United States. Eighty percent of those births are to unmarried teens (ProQuest). There are serious consequences for teen pregnancy for the child as well as for the mother. The opportunity to a bright future dwindles down with such a high responsibility; a child. Many teens who end up pregnant do not finish high school and are less likely even consider going to college. Another effect of teen pregnancy is that both mother and child become apt to health issues. Infants are more likely to suffer from low birth weight and other health problems. Most teens do not have health insurance therefore it becomes harder to provide adequate healthcare for themselves and their babies. Not only are children of teen parents more likely to be unhealthy physically but sometimes emotionally as well. A teen cannot provide the fostering environment that a baby needs to develop. Although teen pregnancy rates declined throughout the 1990s, a 3 percent jump in births to teen mothers between 2005 and 2006 raised alarm that sex education programs and campaigns to reduce teen motherhood were failing (ProQuest). Various methods of contraceptives and the righteous yet difficult choice of abstinence are among possible solutions Preventing teen pregnancy is an issue in the United States of utmost importance and society as a whole must convince teens in a more innovative , extreme way and they must push forward now.

    Read More

More about Holistic Design

Open Document