About the book

This highly visual book (see sample spreads here) crosses a lot of boundaries to bring together a concise, time-saving compendium of key concepts about sustaianbility and to explore these concepts in design terms.

Key concepts are organized into sections on ecology, economy and culture. These three sections will challenge you to think bigger in several ways. First, the ecology section will take you back to basics on the ecosphere. The question is not simply how to recycle materials, but how to see them in the first place–where they come from and where they go to.

Second, the economy section gives you economic literacy. Think that’s not really important? The book will help you see why economic literacy is the cornerstone of sustainable design. What do we want to sustain, if not mindless economic growth? What ways can we move in the right direction as economic actors?

Third, the culture section will confront you with the fact that design generally pushes consumerism, and yet, for all its negative impacts, consumerism helps people create meaning. Part of culturally sustainable design is to help find alternatives to consumerism that help people generate meaning.

Finally, the concluding section of the book acknowledges the peculiar “saint-sinner” dilemma inherent in sustainable design practice.