Sustainability is itself a Transitional Design

The “next industrial revolution” relies on the re-invention of design, “production”, “consumption” and culture. Everywhere we look we find objects, infrastructures and services that rely on others in an infinite chain of interdependence, which at the end of the line relies on natural systems and human behavior. If interdependence can generate destructive consumption patterns, interdependence too, when adjusted to truly serve us holistically, can serve as a tool to change these cycles into truly sustainable ones.

If the above is true, we have to start looking at the changes in design, production, consumption and culture as valuable tools for an emerging sustainable culture even by themselves. Why must we look at these interdependent elements of sustainable development by themselves? When we start to tackle a design problem, we generally approach it from a single angle, one point of view and rarely can capture the true and complete impact of our solutions. In a way, we merely patch the system by applying this “solution”. This might seem wrong at first because A) It might not hold into account the other factors, B) The patch is just that, a temporary solution to a long term problem, and C) This patch might at some later point become a nuisance to re-designing the solution with the right tools and the most appropriate method. In effect this patch should be viewed as an integral part of the construction of new cycles of interdependence, a transitional design solution, to get us on the right course, a push from the comfort of thinking that we had the right solution all along. This transitional solution is in effect accounting for the greater system of interdependence by changing an element in the structure, one that often forces us to reconsider the other elements. Further more, if at the particular time, the given solution was the best that could be achieved given the existing resources, this was in effect not a patch, but a transitional solution to the problem. If we cannot fix a faucet, should we leave it running? Or should we try to minimize this waste, reduce the loss, or somehow benefit from the running water? Lastly, to consider this transitional solution an additional burden on future “permanent” solutions might seem narrow minded and limiting towards the goal of sustainability. If the transitional solution were not implemented, then at a later point we would be implementing what we would believe to be the ideal and final solution. But is it really a final solution that we are implementing? Even if we were to build this solution according to the principles of nature, as a living, self-sustaining organism, how could we guarantee, that the conditions under which it was built would continue rendering this solution permanent? Even organisms made to adapt, fail to adapt and become extinct. This might sound like I am arguing against the ideal solution, or the permanent solution, but I am not!! I too wish that every design solution implemented could be the perfect solution, the permanent and self-sustaining solution, but not everyone who has to contribute to changing the cycles of design, production, consumption and culture are ready, or in a position to implement these solutions, so transitional solutions must serve the cause of altering interdependence and building towards perfect sustainability.

All of this has led me to believe that in sustainability there is a big gap which we have left open, it is the idea that sustainability has to be re-defined constantly according to the conditions of the context where it is being applied. To create a set of rules and blindly believe that when implemented anywhere to any problem will yield the ever lasting sustainable solution can be counter productive to what sustainability could truly mean.

Sustainability should mean more than the re-invention of design, production, consumption and culture, it should also mean that the systems that we rely on, on a daily basis need to be evaluated over and over again against the new conditions that develop all around us. A sustainable culture is one of accessible and executable information, one that is permanently in a state of flux. I am starting to believe that we are getting comfortable with the idea of sustainable design as a method to put society back on some sort of track. A track? Is that the best that society can do? Get back on a track that rolls in one particular direction? What about choice? What about context? True sustainability is a different color in every corner of the globe. Even earlier cultures (some of them considered primitive) did unsustainable things in a world that was sustainable… That is sustainability: A process, not an end but a means.

Why Blog? Why Now?

It is clear to me that MIO needed a space to share ideas with the blogosphere. So I took it upon myself to build one. So what can you expect? We will post our ideas, thoughts and opinions at length (time permitting) and hopefully get some feedback, inspire and communicate.