1. Sustainability and Environmental Issues
The responsibilities of the designer and the consumer

2. What is sustainability?

3. Sustainability is the ability of a process to be continued indefinitely without damaging and/or degrading the environment on which it depends.

4. Why is sustainability important?

5. If everyone in the world lived as we do in the UK now, we would need three planets to sustain our lifestyle.

6. If everyone in the world lived as people do in the USA now, we would need five planets to sustain this lifestyle.

7. This is because we……

8. Over consume….
Britain throws away £20 billion worth of unused food every year.

9. This is equal to FIVE times our spending on international aid and enough to lift 150 million people out of starvation.

10. Waste energy…..
Mobile phone chargers left plugged in cost £60 million per annum and produce 250,000 tonnes of CO2.

11. Design and make products that are not built to last…
The average lifespan of a computer in developed countries is 2 years.
In Europe people keep a mobile phone for 18 months on average.
Where do they end up………………?

13. 20 % of the world’s population use 80% of the world’s resources
80 / 20

14. We are stealing from their future….

15. In the UK we live as though we have three planets because in doing whatever we want –
using cars,
having overseas holidays,
heating badly insulated houses,
eating food that is out of season,
- we are using up resources that belong to future generations.

16. One flight to Greece emits 2336kg of CO2 per passenger
One flight to Greece emits 2336kg of CO2 per passenger. To offset this, a passenger would have to go without heating, cooking, lighting and mechanised transport for two years and nine months.
Source: The Independent

17. Mother Nature’s Resources…

18. …and the consequences…..?

19. Human activity is having a huge impact on changing climates
Human activity is having a huge impact on changing climates. The effects are being felt far more in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
BBC News - Pakistan floods: Rising water threatens flood defences

20. There will be impacts in Europe within our lifetime – low fish stocks, rising sea levels, forest fires, crop failures, flooding, lack of snow, heat and cold related deaths.
BBC News - Volunteers drive through Russian wildfires
BBC News - Wheat price fears hit shares in brewers and food firms

21. Designers design products that are made from natural resources such as ore, crude oil and timber. The extraction and processing of these resources requires water and energy and has environmental repercussions.
YouTube - Iron Ore Mining - Mt. Whaleback Minesite
YouTube - HowStuffWorks - Ore to Steel
YouTube - Fish Chris how aluminum is made

22. YouTube - Forestry - Hidden Talents
BBC News - Hungary declares state of emergency in three counties
BBC News - BP oil disaster

23. What is the impact……..?
Appearance of each image is controlled by the mouse to allow for class discussion about the impact of throwing away batteries, the car scrappage scheme, disposing electrical equipment into landfill and constantly updating PCDs.

24. Kofi A. Annan, Global Humanitarian Forum 2009
"It is because of individuals like you that I remain convinced that we can overcome the climate challenge and leave a just and better world for our children. The fight is not over“
Kofi A. Annan, Global Humanitarian Forum 2009
YouTube - time4climatejustice's Channel

26. Useful links: Time for climate justice Centre for Alternative Technology Home Page Practical Action UK - technology challenging poverty - Practical Action UK Ecological Footprint Quiz by Center for Sustainable Economy Information Inspiration - Product Inspiration