TED TALKS ASSIGNMENT #3

William McDonough “Cradle to Cradle”

I am very fond of McDonough’s views on sustainability, for I believe it is an essential quality to consider for all designers. He speaks about the problem of abundance and the human intent to design. He asks the question, “How do we love all the children of every species?” Design manipulates several life cycles often resulting in environmental problems such as global warming and overall climate change. He mentions an “end game” to design, which refers to the unintended negative effects of creating. An ideal product’s “end game” is a clean and healthy environment. I agree that it is a designer’s responsibility to create in a way that is environmentally ethical. This includes avoiding mass production and the exploitation of non-degradable resources that are harmful to the environment to produce, use, and dispose of.

Suzanne Lee Kombucha Leather
I found this video to be incredibly mind blowing because of the infamous use of superfluous material in the fashion industry. Despite it’s inability to survive water, the leather is completely capable of performing as attire. Creating something wearable out of food is something I would never have thought of, and the fact that Suzanne Lee does it in such a way that maintains aesthetic quality is shocking.

Janine Benyus Biomimicry in Action
Benyus’ obsession with nature is actually quite refreshing, I agree that it is an often neglected beauty that we get to experience everyday. “People are starting to remember that organisms are doing what we do, but gracefully.” Besides humans, other organisms in nature find ways to create and adapt to their environment that adhere to their individual priorities. Benyus turns to nature when she considers problem solving. “What would nature do in this situation?” Is a fantastic question because often times us humans will resort to partaking in solutions that are detrimental to our environment.

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