Sustainability and Environmental Issues Sustainability and Environmental Issues. Knowledge and Understanding

Sustainable Design What is Sustainable Design ? What should sustainability mean to us ? Using methods which can be sustained/maintained for a very long time if not forever. Living in harmony with nature. Renewing resources at a rate which is greater than or equal to the rate at which they are consumed. Living within the l imits of what nature can provide. Considering future generations and making sure that our actions do not deplete resources or cause pollution at rates faster than the Earth can renew them. meet needs presentfuture The purpose of designing and manufacturing products sustainably, is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. reduces environment. Sustainable Design reduces the possible negative effects on the environment. What is the main purpose of designing and manufacturing sustainable products ?

Sustainable Designing If you consider the 6Rs when designing, you can reduce the impact that products have on the environment and make the whole process more sustainable. Remember to use the 6Rs How can designers help 1) REPAIR 2) REUSE 3) RECYCLE 4) RETHINK 5) REDUCE 6) REFUSE FIX 1) REPAIR. Its better to FIX things INSTEAD of throwing them away. Manufacturers can still make a profit by selling replacement parts. EXTEND 2) REUSE. Customers can EXTEND a products life by passing it on or using it again. Some people reuse products for other purposes e.g. using an old tyre for a swing. less energy easy to separate 3) RECYCLE. Recycling uses less energy than obtaining new materials, e.g. by extracting metal. Products made from more than one material should be ideally be easy to separate into recyclable stuff- clear recycle labels helps with this.

Sustainable Designing If you consider the 6Rs when designing, you can reduce the impact that products have on the environment and make the whole process more sustainable. Remember to use the 6Rs How can designers help 1) REPAIR 2) REUSE 3) RECYCLE 4) RETHINK 5) REDUCE 6) REFUSE 4) RETHINK. You should think about your design carefully – you might be able to make your product in a different way. E.g. a radio that you could wind up instead of using batteries. 5) REDUCE. Making long lasting, durable products like rechargeable batteries reduces the number of products customers need to buy, it also means that manufacturers can cut down on energy use and transport. 6) REFUSE. You can refuse to buy a product if you think its wasteful eg it might use a lot of unnecessary packaging or be inefficient or costly to run.

Sustainable Design Case Study Name a resistant material technology (RMT) product that considers sustainability and environmental issues ? Office chair Case Study 1.The chair is sturdy and will last twice as long as the average chair. In this way there will not be a need to replace it in the near future and materials will be saved. 2.As far as possible the materials that have been used have been recycled from scrap / recyclable materials. 3.Natural materials have been used such as natural dyes which require only the minimum processing in a factory. The less processing, the less pollution. This chair is a green product in that it has been designed and then manufactured with the environment in mind. Every possibly action has been taken to reduce poor environmental effects. HOW DOES THE CHAIR DESIGN CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT ?

Recycling Issues -- Recycling helps to limit the amount of glass, paper and plastic that must be produced. This will end with less garbage in landfills because it's being reused. -- Adds jobs to the economy; -- Slows the consuming of natural resources; -- Makes people environmentally aware; -- Promotes scientific advancements in recyclable and biodegradable materials ; What are the advantages and disadvantages of recycling materials? -- seperate factories must be set up for the recycling of materials, and this will just cause more pollution and energy consumption for transport, sorting, cleaning and storage; -- Twice as many trucks on the road : those collecting garbage and those collecting recycled goods; -- Pollutants produced by the recycling process itself, including chemical stews when breaking down different products; -- Creation of low-quality jobs. Jobs include sifting through garbage to separate it, dealing with the toxins from the breakdown process, and other manual-intensive labour tasks; Advantages Disadvantages

Sustainability Questions Typical Examination Questions (a) (i) Name a resistant material technology (RMT) product that makes use of recycling ? Office chair (ii) Describe how the product you named above makes use of recycling ? As far as possible the materials that have been used have been recycled from scrap / recyclable materials. E.g.. SEAT = Foam cover made from recycled textile material. CHAIR FRAME = Steel frame reclaimed from scrap steel. CHAIR WHEELS = Reclaimed rubber (from old car tyres) instead of plastic which is made from oil. (iii) State one advantage of using recycling in a (RMT) product ? 1. Recycling helps to limit the amount of glass, paper and plastic that must be produced. This will end with less rubbish in landfills because it's being reused. Slows 2. Slows the consuming of natural resources.

Sustainability Questions Typical Examination Questions (b) (i) Designers of new products think about the SIX Rs. Underline the correct 6 Rs in the list that follows. 2 have been done for you. REMAKERETHINK REDESIGN RECYCLE REUSEREPAIRREDUCEREFUSE (ii) Sustainable design is more than making the product from recycled materials or making it recyclable. Describe one other way in which sustainable products can be designed ? high standard materials saved  Products should be made to a high standard (quality) so they will last twice as long. In this way there will not be a need to replace it in the near future and materials will be saved.  Reducing energy  Reducing energy used to produce product. type of energy  Consider the type of energy used to produce the product. SOLAR, WIND, HYDROELECTRIC, TIDAL ENERGY RESOURCES.