On Monday, around 3:15 pm, I waited outside the headmaster's gate in the rain with a fellow parent to collect my son from school.
We were chit-chatting about how we both managed to get some work done, even though it felt like we had only just dropped our children off. π
We both work in the workspace design & furniture industry, and the dreaded 'Sustainability' word came up. π
The exchange went like this;
ππΌπ΅π»: "Most of our clients don't understand what it is."
π π²: Yeah, it's a challenge
ππΌπ΅π»: "To be honest, neither do we" - One client asked us if our furniture was Breeam.....
π π²: Not quite furniture...
ππΌπ΅π»: Exactly. Then, we discuss cost and timelines, and the sustainability conversation falls by the wayside.
π π²: Most of the time, we all end up more confused.
ππΌπ΅π»: (Confused, look on face) π
I'm so bored of these conversations. Sustainable design has become a burden rather than an exciting opportunity, which is disappointing. I'm not frustrated with John and others like him.
My frustration is more towards those who are the 'experts' who do a terrible job of making the issues relatable. It's way too academic and political.
On the other hand, innovation and change tend to come from the marginsβfrom industry and enterprising businesses.
And yes, business is for profit, and that's okay.
We can make money and cool stuff. The issue is that we do whatever it takes to make money at the expense of nature, ignoring the consequences. That has to change. We need to be less wasteful.
My philosophy is to:
ππ¦π΄πͺπ¨π― π₯πΆπ³π’π£ππ¦ π£πΆπ΅ π³π¦π±π’πͺπ³π’π£ππ¦, π΄π΅πΊππͺπ΄π΅πͺπ€π’πππΊ π·π¦π³π΄π’π΅πͺππ¦ π°π£π«π¦π€π΅π΄ π΅π©π’π΅ π€π’π― π£π¦ ππ―π΅π¦π³π€π©π’π―π¨π¦π’π£ππ¦ π’π―π₯ π±π¦π³π΄π°π―π’ππͺπ΄π¦π₯, π’π―π₯ π§πͺπ―π’πππΊ, π΅π©π¦πΊ π’π³π¦ π©π°π―π¦π΄π΅, π΄π’π§π¦, π’π―π₯, πͺπ§ π―π¦π€π¦π΄π΄π’π³πΊ, π³π¦π€πΊπ€ππ’π£ππ¦.
The mission:
ππ¦π¦π± π±π³π°π₯πΆπ€π΅π΄ πͺπ― π€πͺπ³π€πΆππ’π΅πͺπ°π― π§π°π³ π’π΄ ππ°π―π¨ π’π΄ π±π°π΄π΄πͺπ£ππ¦ π’π΅ π΅π©π¦πͺπ³ π©πͺπ¨π©π¦π΄π΅ π·π’ππΆπ¦.
I'll contribute by using:
No sustainable buzz words...
No emphasis on regulation
No greenwashing
No promises
A common sense approach to reconnect with nature as a starting point for circular design.
Note: John is not the parent's real name. It's been changed to protect their anonymity. π
What type of conversations are you having about sustainable design?
Thanks for reading
