IDES3221-2011

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Video: Affluenza

Publisher's description: Through revealing personal stories, expert commentary, hilarious old film clips, dramatized vignettes, and “anti-commercial” breaks, Affluenza examines the high cost of achieving the most extravagant lifestyle the world has ever seen. Last year, Americans, who make up only five percent of the world’s population, used nearly a third of its resources and produced almost half of its hazardous waste. Add overwork, personal stress, the erosion of family and community, skyrocketing debt, and the growing gap between rich and poor, and it’s easy to understand why some people say that the American Dream is no bargain. Many are opting out of the consumer chase, redefining the Dream, and making “voluntary simplicity” one of the top 10 trends of the ’90s. Affluenza is a one-hour television special that explores the high social and environmental costs of materialism and overconsumption.

©1998 Bullfrog Films. 56 min.

http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/show/show.html

Video: The Lightbulb Conspiracy

The Light Bulb Conspiracy from Pete Hinne on Vimeo.

Once upon a time..... products were made to last. Then, at the beginning of the 1920s, a group of businessmen were struck by the following insight: 'A product that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business' (1928). Thus Planned Obsolescence was born. Shortly after, the first worldwide cartel was set up expressly to reduce the life span of the incandescent light bulb, a symbol for innovation and bright new ideas, and the first official victim of Planned Obsolescence. During the 1950s, with the birth of the consumer society, the concept took on a whole new meaning, as explained by flamboyant designer Brooks Stevens: 'Planned Obsolescence, the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary...'. The growth society flourished, everybody had everything, the waste was piling up (preferably far away in illegal dumps in the Third World) - until consumers started rebelling.

©2010 Arte France. 75 min.

http://documentaryheaven.com/the-lightbulb-conspiracy

http://www.facebook.com/TheLightBulbConspiracy?ref=sgm

Video: Waste Not

Publisher's description: What keeps a 21st century metropolis clean and sparkling? Even as we hover on the brink of eco-crisis, an army of truck drivers, scientists, environmentalists, gardeners and even a famous chef are working to transform the mountains of stuff we throw away into something valuable again.

©2011 Total Environment Centre. 26 min.

Available to UNSW community as streaming video from UNSW Library:
http://unsw.kanopystreaming.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au/node/59204

http://www.tec.org.au/wr-latest-news/928-waste-not-amazing-film-on-recycling

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

GOOD Magazine > Videos

Everything you need to know about electric cars

GOOD Magazine Infographics

Life in the year 2050

Not a drop to drink

Energy efficiency, fuel consumption

Growing better rice for a hungry world

Simple innovations help African farmers thrive

The opportunity gap

What's an LED?

Monday, April 4, 2011

Video: Sustainable Fridge

Thursday, March 24, 2011

BJ Fogg: Behavior Change Model

Dr BJ Fogg, founder of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, provides a convenient model for understanding how we can use design to influence behavioral change.

More at
www.behavioralmodel.org
www.bjfogg.com
http://captology.stanford.edu

Video: Collaborative Consumption

More at http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/

WHAT'S MINE IS YOURS from rachel botsman on Vimeo.

Collaborative Consumption Groundswell Video from rachel botsman on Vimeo.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

PPT: Nathan Shedroff > Design is the problem

PPT: Nathan Shedroff > Becoming a Sustainable Designer in 47 Easy Steps

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Plastics identification charts

Some sites for identifying plastics and elastomers

http://www.texloc.com/closet/cl_plasticsid.html

http://www.consultekusa.com/pdf/Tech%20Resources/New%20ID%20chart%20.pdf
http://www.partec.qld.edu.au/files/Plastics_Identification_Flow_Chart.pdf

GreenflyOnline.org

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Ezine: MADE Materials And Design Exchange

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Ebook: Designers Field Guide to Sustainability

http://www.lunar.com/docs/the_designers_field_guide_to_sustainability_v1.pdf

http://www.lunar.com/fieldguide/tips.html

IDES3221-2010 student blogs

Ebook: Guided tour in Ecodesign

This e-book, Guided Tour in Ecodesign, www.ivt.ntnu.no/ipd/fag/ecodesign, was based on the book, "Ecodesign: a Promising Approach to Sustainable Production & Consumption", ©1997 Technical University of Delft & United Nations Environment Programme. A copy of the printed book is available at UNSW Library: PQ 745.2/127.

The book mentions 8 ecodesign strategies, and under those a total of 33 substrategies. Explanations can be found in Module A and Chapter 5.1 of the book.

1. Dematerialization
2. Shared use of the product
3. Integration of functions
4. Functional optimization of product (components)
5. Cleaner materials
6. Renewable materials
7. Lower energy content materials
8. Recycled materials
9. Recyclable materials
10. Reduction of weight
11. Reduction in (transport) volume
12. Alternative production techniques
13. Fewer production steps
14. Lower/cleaner energy consumption
15. Less production waste
16. Fewer/cleaner production consumables
17. Less/cleaner/reusable packaging
18. Energy-efficient transport mode
19. Energy-efficient logistics
20. Lower energy consumption
21. Cleaner energy sources
22. Fewer consumables needed
23. Cleaner consumables
24. Reduce wastage of energy and other consumables
25. Reliability and durability
26. Easier maintenance and repair
27. Modular product structure
28. Classic design
29. Stronger product-user relation
30. Reuse of product
31. Remanufacturing/refurbishing
32. Recycling of materials
33. Safer incineration

These strategies were also reiterated in Chapter 8 of the e-book D4S Design for Sustainability: A practical approach for developing economies, freely downloadable at www.d4s-de.org.