Helping Others Through Design

The Design Activism: Beautiful strangeness for a sustainable World article states that design activism is focusing the design on society and its transformation into a more sustainable way of living. It has two focuses: over consumers and under consumers. Over-consumers are those who consume too much and must reduce their consumption by adopting eco-efficient lifestyles. Under-consumers are those who are constantly struggling to meet basing physiological requirements and need education to improve their quality of life.  

                My design concept will address the under-consumer. The Appalachian region of the United States is home to some of the poorest families in the country. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the per capita market income for Appalachia is 25% lower than the country as a whole. My design concept is to create a sustainable apparel design company based in the area that provides jobs for the unemployed persons in this region. The apparel will be made out of recycled clothing and the pieces that do not sell will be donated to struggling Appalachian families. The apparel company will be communicated throughout the region by providing information to regional shelters and employment agencies. The consumer will find out about the company through social media since it is swiftly growing in popularity.

                The most important thing I learned from this course is how impactful the apparel industry is on the environment. Before this course, I knew there were environmental issues but I did not know how much of a role my industry played in it. I will use this information in the future by implementing it in whichever field I end up entering. I hope to obtain a job with a sustainable company that I know tries hard to reduce their overall impact on the environment. Also, with the knowledge I have I might be able to provide suggestions to the company to help make their business more sustainable. After taking this course, I would like to know more about the companies that are currently sustainable and how they came to be that way. We touched briefly on them, but I would like to know more and how we can use them as an example.

 http://www.arc.gov/images/appregion/Sept2011/IncomeReportSept2011.pdf

Turning Something Old into Something New

According to the Textiles Future article, the idea of textile waste is disappearing because people are seeing the potential in old fabrics and are giving them new life. Over the past four years, I have accumulated a lot of t-shirts from various college events and organizations that I probably will not wear once I graduate. Recently, I was talking to my friends about how we could keep these shirts that hold so many wonderful memories. One of my friends mentioned that she was making a quilt out of hers and it gave me the idea to make mine into pillows.  According to the C2CAD article, 4.5 million tons of clothing and footwear are produced in the United States every year and only 1.25 million tons of postconsumer textiles are recovered for reuse. Re-purposing old t-shirts into decorative items will be a great way to increase the number of textiles that are reused instead of thrown out.

                As I mentioned last week, the Cradle2Cradle process is a way of repurposing old materials into something new of equal or more value. This week I was once again inspired by the technical metabolism of the C2C process. To refresh your minds, according to the C2C article, technical nutrients are items that are useful to the industrial process. This means that they stay in the technical cycle because they are composed of materials that might be toxic to the environment. My design concept of turning old t-shirts into pillows is technical because the t-shirts are turned into a new and exciting product that is useful to the consumer. This concept can also involve the biological metabolism by using t-shirts out of organic cotton that have been dyed using natural and safe dyes. The pillows would be stuffed with organic wool or pieces of old t-shirts. This way, when the consumer tires of the pillows, the materials are able to decompose into the environment without releasing toxic chemicals.

Cradle to Cradle

At my internship this past summer, one of the many important things I learned was taking out of style pieces of jewelry and turning them into new, exciting pieces. One of my daily tasks at the internship was to take damaged pieces and salvage the reusable parts such as beads, clasps, and pieces of shell. This inspired my design concept using the Cradle to Cradle technical metabolism.

The Textiles 4 Textiles video discusses how Patagonia offers apparel recycling at their stores. What we do not see is jewelry recycling. Many components of jewelry are perfectly reusable and are thrown away only because the user is tired of the “look” of the piece. If stores were to offer a recycling program, these pieces could be sent to a manufacturer to be turned into something new. 

The Cradle to Cradle concept means that products are created so that their life can be extended into the creation of another product of equal or greater value. There are two types: technical and biological. The technical metabolism inspired my concept because I believe we have a larger problem with technical waste. Too many perfectly viable materials are going to waste and polluting the environment. When I recall my internship, I remember toxic materials being thrown away by careless people. According to the Waste Equals Food chapter of Cradle to Cradle, technical metabolism is when a product is designed to go back into the technical cycle because it cannot be used by the biological environment. According to the Rhoener Textiles video, this is considered a product or service concept. The product is always creating a service. With the use of the recycling program, manufacturers can cut down on waste and turn perfectly viable materials into new pieces.

Waste or Resource?

                Society is in a hard place right now. At this moment we are struggling with the fact that our industrial endeavors have caused our planet great harm. After constant use, the Earth’s nonrenewable resources are being used up. This is why it is extremely important that we come up with solutions to our mistakes. A great way to do this is through industrial ecology. According to the Industrial Ecology article, industrial ecology is a process where business work together to use each other’s waste. The How Will we Conduct Business? article asks a great question: “What if our economy were to deliberately look and function like the natural world in which it is embedded?” This relates greatly to industrial ecology because industrial ecology involves mirroring how the environment reuses waste on a daily basis.

                The How Will We Conduct Business? article provides ten principles of industrial ecology that companies can use.  The first principle that I used to create my apparel concept is “use waste as a resource.” This means that waste products should be used a resource in the production of materials. Why create new materials when you can use something that already exists? The author of the article mentions that industrial ecologists envision a system where a minimum of raw materials are used and little waste is thrown out. My apparel concept is fashionable apparel made out of recycled waste such as plastic bottles. This principle inspired my concept because it talked about how much waste manufacturers dump out once products have been made. This waste just sits in the environment when in reality it can be used to create new products. By going to landfills and finding reusable products and materials, I can create new, exciting garments without having to create even more waste. All of the waste from the manufacturing of my apparel products will be used in the creation of the next collection.

                Another principle I used to create my concept is “gather and use energy efficiently.” This principle means that alternative and sustainable energy sources should be used. Also, there are various methods that can help conserve energy and keep costs down. These methods could include rooftop gardens which are known to help keep buildings warm. This means that a retailer, manufacturer or home owner does not have to rely on turning up the heat to stay warm. This principle will be used in the aspect that my manufacturing plants will use solar energy to power them. Also, the plants will have rooftop gardens to keep energy costs down.  

                Finally the last principle I used is “use materials sparingly.” I interpreted this principle to mean that you should use the minimum amount of materials that you need. This helps prevent waste. Materials should be made out of less, but should be durable. This inspired my concept because I do not want to create more waste than necessary. I will use only the materials that are necessary to the manufacturing of my garments. The garments will not be made out of excessive amounts of material.

                Nike recently has made headlines for using recycled plastic bottles in their soccer jerseys. The bottles are harvested from landfills, melted down and made into fabric. According to the Ecouterre article I found, each jersey consists of eight plastic bottles and reduced energy consumption by 30%. 

Source: http://www.ecouterre.com/nike-outfits-world-cup-teams-in-jerseys-made-from-recycled-bottles/

In the Year 2050

                As an optimist, I am very optimistic about the future of our planet. The “Thinking Ahead” article states “belief that one can positively affect the future is critical to optimistic thinking.” I believe that sustainability is becoming increasingly popular and that by 2050 it will be a part of our everyday life. In my life, I have seen a pattern of friends and family members encouraging and influencing each other to use sustainable practices. As I mentioned in a previous post, I convinced my parents to recycle. I have friends who have convinced each other to reduce the amount of plastic they use. It is important that this continues so that future generations can enjoy all our planet has to offer.

                My vision of a sustainable future is characterized by recycling, reduced consumption and education. In order for this vision to come true, it is important that people have the right beliefs. First, in order to recycle and reuse products, people should believe that they are getting something out of this process. This could be done through a compensation program like receipt of a coupon when turning clothing in to a reuse program. That is not the only belief that will help though. People should believe that products are reusable and that others can gain use out of them. In order for consumption to be reduced people should believe that they have enough. In the article “Living for Consumption,” the author states that living with enough instead of having excess things means that we actually care for things instead of just caring about having things. Finally, in order for education to be a character of the future, the government, retailers and manufacturers must be willing to inform consumers about how products are made and discuss other sustainable topics. As time progresses, more and more sustainable practices will come about and the only way consumers will know about them is through education.

                While these aspects of sustainability are a possibility, people are going to have to overcome certain beliefs in order to accomplish them. In order to bring my vision into view, people will have to give up some things. As I mentioned, there is a great problem with over consumption. In order to fix this people have to be willing to live with less instead of more. The media is constantly telling us to purchase new products, but do we really need them? If we use education to tell people what they really need then over-consumption can be reduced. Over-consumption is also a problem because people believe that their importance is shown by the number of material items they own. It will be very difficult to change consumers’ mindset on this. If the media changes its course and shows that we really do not need an abundance of items, then people’s minds will change. There will be less need to have the newest and greatest electronic in the market. Another belief that consumers will have to overcome is the idea of owning used items. My sister is grossed out by the idea of GoodWill because she does not know who had the product before her. Many used products are perfectly fine and can be used again. By recycling and reusing things, there will be less waste.

                To engage people into following my vision, I must first show them what it is like. The “Visioneering” article mentions that as leaders we must first live our vision continuously in our lives. This allows people to see how the vision affects our lives and what it does to the surrounding environment.  Also, word of mouth is a great way to get people on board the sustainability ship. Like I mentioned earlier, friends can play an important role in this. By telling someone about how you live your life, you are influencing theirs. The media is also a great way to get your vision into the public eye. Blogs are playing an increasingly important role in consumers lives and will be an important tool in showing my vision.

Is Hemp the Solution?

“Make the most of the Indian hemp seed and sow it everywhere.” George Washington

                Are there any “miracle fibers” in production that will help replace current popular fibers? Some may argue that fibers such as hemp, bamboo and Organic cotton are the future. While these fibers have advantages, they also have disadvantages and there are many people fighting for and against them. Probably the most debated is hemp due to its relation to the marijuana plant.  

                Hemp. Could it be the future? There are many supporters of the hemp plant including actor Woody Harrelson and musician Willie Nelson. Hemp is a popular crop because of its ability to be used in many different products including textiles and fuel. The only problem is that it is illegal. According to the Hempsters: Plant the Seed documentary, many tobacco farmers want to use hemp as a substitute for tobacco. Many of the farmers are losing their crops due to reduced demand in tobacco and with the loss of their farms, they are losing their income. The “Hemp: Historic Fiber Remains Controversial” article mentions that hemp is popular in the sustainability movement because it does not require pesticides or insecticides due to its natural resistance to mold and pests.  Many sustainable people find problems with the pesticide use in cotton and other crops. Growing hemp instead of cotton would mean a reduction in pollution. While there are many people in favor of hemp, there are those that are not. The Hempsters documentary mentions that many are opposed to hemp because of its association with marijuana. While hemp is related to marijuana, it does not contain the same hallucinogenic qualities as marijuana.

                Bamboo is another plant that can be used in textile production. The problem with bamboo is that manufacturers and retailers are improperly labeling apparel products as bamboo products when in reality they are actually rayon. Bamboo cellulose is used in the production of synthetic fibers such as rayon, but there is not enough of bamboo left in the rayon to label the product as “made from bamboo.” Apparel that is actually made from bamboo is great because it is antimicrobial and biodegradable. Rayon on the other hand is not biodegradable. I do not see bamboo as a miracle fiber because after reading the article I did not have enough evidence about how durable and useable bamboo is as a fiber.

                Organic cotton could be just the solution to environmental problems. It involves the reduction of pesticide use and other harmful chemicals. Many are in favor of it because of the lack of chemical affect it has on the environment. The problem with organic cotton is the certification process. According to the “Controversy Boiling: GM Cotton over Organic” article, many Genetically Modified cotton plants are being labeled as organic. This is another example of how the textile industry is tricking consumers. As I mentioned earlier, some rayon producers are marketing rayon as bamboo. The article mentions that the only solution to making sure organic cotton really is organic is transparency in the certification process. Retailers should be able to see where their product is coming from and how their manufacturer really produces the piece.

                Out of all of the fibers mentioned, I believe that hemp is the most likely to be a “miracle fiber.” Despite its negative relation to marijuana, it has many respective qualities that can make it a game changer in the textile industry. The lack of pesticides required in cultivation, durability and multiple uses makes it a great fiber.