Green Design

Since the 1960s, scientists have been warning that the earth has reached its limits and that a more sustainable form of living ought to be found in order to preserve the living support system of the planet. However, it was only after the Norwegian Prime Minister published the book “Our Common Future” in 1987, that sustainability was recognised as an unavoidable joint mission of the whole world community. Since than, there has been worldwide agreement that the challenge faced by all is to achieve sustainable development that will protect ecological integrity of the planet over the longterm, while improving quality of life.
This is difficult to achieve considering the economic prosperity of modern society is based on industrial systems that consume
huge amounts of materials and energy on a flow-through basis, which results in pollution, waste problems and the disappearance of bio-diversity. The need to save our environment for future generations is one of the greatest challenges that humankind must address today. While there is a exponential growth in population, there is decline in the necessary resources to sustain this population due to the existing global industrial systems.
Scientists speculate that if 9 billion people in 2050 have a western life style we would need 6 Earth’s to provide the necessary resources to sustain such a population. Major challenge is to find balance between 3 P’s; People (population growth and quality of life), Planet (ecology) and Profit (economic prosperity).
The way further is to rethink the way we make and use things and to develop more intelligent and sustainable solutions to treat material and energy resources. This is the base for green design. The most compelling question for any designer today is: how do we design for a sustainable future? But it is also a question that concerns industries that seek to understand the environmental consequences of their current activities and how they can adopt sustainable business models.
In response to these questions, Sarajevo Deisgn Week focuses on state of green design and dilemmas that designers and industry are facing in the 21st century. These will be presented and discussed through number of exhibitions, films, lectures and debates.
Dr.Elma Durmisevic