1. Knowledge and Understanding
Sustainability and Environmental Issues.
Knowledge and Understanding

2. What is Sustainable Design ? What should sustainability mean to us ?
Sustainable Design reduces the possible negative effects on the environment.
What is the main purpose of designing and manufacturing sustainable products ?
The purpose of designing and manufacturing products sustainably, is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What should sustainability mean to us ?
Using methods which can be sustained/maintained for a very long time if not forever.
Living in harmony with nature.
Renewing resources at a rate which is greater than or equal to the rate at which they are consumed.
Living within the limits of what nature can provide.
Considering future generations and making sure that our actions do not deplete resources or cause pollution at rates faster than the Earth can renew them.

3. Sustainable Designing
How can designers help
If you consider the 6Rs when designing , you can reduce the impact that products have on the environment and make the whole process more sustainable.
Remember to use the 6Rs
1) REPAIR. Its better to FIX things INSTEAD of throwing them away. Manufacturers can still make a profit by selling replacement parts.
1) REPAIR
2) REUSE
2) REUSE. Customers can EXTEND a products life by passing it on or using it again. Some people reuse products for other purposes e.g. using an old tyre for a swing.
3) RECYCLE
4) RETHINK
3) RECYCLE. Recycling uses less energy than obtaining new materials, e.g. by extracting metal. Products made from more than one material should be ideally be easy to separate into recyclable stuff- clear recycle labels helps with this.
5) REDUCE
6) REFUSE

4. Sustainable Designing
How can designers help
If you consider the 6Rs when designing , you can reduce the impact that products have on the environment and make the whole process more sustainable.
Remember to use the 6Rs
4) RETHINK. You should think about your design carefully – you might be able to make your product in a different way. E.g. a radio that you could wind up instead of using batteries.
1) REPAIR
2) REUSE
5) REDUCE. Making long lasting, durable products like rechargeable batteries reduces the number of products customers need to buy, it also means that manufacturers can cut down on energy use and transport.
3) RECYCLE
4) RETHINK
5) REDUCE
6) REFUSE. You can refuse to buy a product if you think its wasteful eg it might use a lot of unnecessary packaging or be inefficient or costly to run.
6) REFUSE

5. Recycling Issues
What are the advantages and disadvantages of recycling materials?
Advantages
-- Recycling helps to limit the amount of glass, paper and plastic that must be produced. This will end with less garbage in landfills because it's being reused. -- Adds jobs to the economy; -- Slows the consuming of natural resources; -- Makes people environmentally aware; -- Promotes scientific advancements in recyclable and biodegradable materials;
Disadvantages
-- seperate factories must be set up for the recycling of materials, and this will just cause more pollution and energy consumption for transport, sorting, cleaning and storage; -- Twice as many trucks on the road : those collecting garbage and those collecting recycled goods; -- Pollutants produced by the recycling process itself, including chemical stews when breaking down different products; -- Creation of low-quality jobs. Jobs include sifting through garbage to separate it, dealing with the toxins from the breakdown process, and other manual-intensive labour tasks;