Ethical Design Education

Confessions of a Sixties Idealist

How can someone define who is a good designer and who isn't? and what's a good design and what's not?

It is very simple yet complicated. A good designer is a person who can design responsibly. A good designer is the one who can accomplish an outstanding design yet it is sustainable. Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.Utilizing a sustainable design philosophy encourages decisions at each phase of the design process that will reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health of the occupants, without compromising the bottom line. It is an integrated, holistic approach that encourages compromise and tradeoffs. Such an integrated approach positively impacts all phases of a building's life-cycle, including design, construction, operation and decommissioning. 
So as designers our responsibility is to leave the earth better then how you found it, to do what you can to keep from harming it, to care about and for the other creatures here that have a right to live and thrive and all that by our work and designs. It's all about the idea to want deliver to the people and how we do it. 


Some worth reading websites:


http://www.asid.org/designknowledge/sustain/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sustainable-design.htm

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/sustainable-product-design/10-awe-inspiring-sustainable-designs-for-a-living-world-at-cooper-hewitt/