Cradle to Cradle Discussion : Week 2

Cradle to Cradle Week 2 Discussion

1.Do you think people will begin to have fewer children (or none at all) in the future in order to reduce our ecological footprint? Will we be forced to take these measures or make an educated decision to have fewer children for the sake of our planet? Would you personally have fewer children in order to reduce massive population growth that is effecting out planet?

2. Do you agree with the authors’ analogy that the “devouring impulse in Western culture is comparable to a drug or alcohol addiction”?  Analogy from book: “Recycling is an aspirin, alleviating a rather large collective hangover…over consumption”

3. Should we reward companies more often for taking the initiative in reducing consumption rather than punishing companies that do not comply with environmental regulations?

Project 2 : Design Intervention

For this project you will be designing an item that will be professionally printed. CGP (Carolina Graphic Press) in Clayton, NC, will be printing your designs. You will be experimenting with inks and varnishes and will design something that (hopefully) has a longer design life cycle that the project.

Specifications for size, the type of paper, ink, as well as a discussion of printing methods and techniques will be provided in our class on Monday (February 2nd). I can, however tell you that both flexography and offset lithography will be possible. What this means to you now is that you will have the opportunity to design a sticker or regular printed item. More on this on Monday. For the meantime, however, I want you to keep the idea of possibly creating a sticker in your noggin.

Homework for Monday, February 2nd.
Do some brainstorming and research. Look through the links provided on this site. Read through the sites and write down interesting facts, problems, concerns, or ideas you have that relate in any way to sustainability. You might be intrigued by walkable communities or the fact that your carbon footprint is 4.5 Earths (ouch!) or the plight of the polar bears. Whatever interests you, write it down! Record Web sites that have useful info, and dig through the Web to find more Web sites related to your interest (which is now the topic of your project!). This research will be Design Journal Entry #2: Design Intervention Research.

Then, start thinking about how you could create something (a physical artifact) that would publicize the cause you found, generate interest in your topic,  be an intervention to solve the problem, or… You might design a sticker to be placed on trash cans to promote recycling of plastics to save the polar bears, or a flag for car antennaes that suggests people walk or ride bikes to cut down on carbon emissions. The sky is the limit. Generate LOTS of ideas. I would like to see at least 30 different ideas of the ’something’ you would create. You can sketch, create a list, or do whatever is necessary to document your thinking. Speculate WILDLY and come to class prepared to talk about your ideas and topic.

Cradle to Cradel Week 1 Discussion Thread.

Hi folks. Group One posted this as a comment for another post, and I am making it into it’s own post…

Here is Week One’s questions/insightful comments:

Questions to be discussed:

1. How would you market an environmentally friendly detergent? Do you think it would be hard to sell? Why? (from page 29)

2. After reading the introduction and first chapter, would you take advantage of this information and apply it to your design? Why or how?

3. Do you think there’s still hope for the environment, despite the population growth and harmful chemicals circulating throughout our society? Support your answer.

Make a little bird house in your soul…

I have had They Might Be Giants’ song “Bird house in your Soul” stuck in my head for almost three days now. It’s a catchy little tune, and I think you should hear it since we’re working on the Byrd House Farmer’s Market poster design. Check out the video on YouTube and make a little bird house in your soul.

Link to Kate’s Blog

My blog is my repository for quick notes on cool design, as well as commentary about teaching. Importantly, it’s where I store examples of design process work that I find outstanding. So, take a gander…
http://landofsweettea.blogspot.com/

Design Journal Entry 1: Byrd House Market Research

Before digging into your thumbnail sketches, you need to better understand the world of the problem. Do research on the he Oregon Hill neighborhood and the William Byrd Community House in Richmond, Virginia, as well as other farmer’s markets. Answer these questions in your Design Journal.

What do other materials for promoting farmers’ markets look like?

What do existing materials for Oregon Hill, WBCH, and Ricmond, VA look like?

What is the history of Oregon Hill, WBCH, and Richmond, VA?

What types of products/services/foods are sold at the market?

What is the competition for the market (be specific)?

Cradle-to-Cradle Discussion Groups

Students participating in the CtC chapter discussion must post an initial response by 8 AM the Monday following the first post. The discussion will then continue until following chapter’s post goes up.

For those leading discussions, one group member may post the initial discussion question/comment. However, it is expected that all group members will post at least one comment during the discussion of the chapter.

Group 1 – CtC, Introduction + Chapter 1
First post by: Friday January 23 @ 5 pm
Cunningham, Jacquelyn A.,     Josey, Amber D.,    Jarred Weinstein

Group 2 – CtC, Chapter 2
First post by: Friday January 30 @ 5 pm
Fahrbach, Claire W.,     McNeely, Jessica A.,     Josh Stephenson

Group3 – CtC, Chapter 3
First post by: Friday February 6 @ 5 pm
Ketel, Katrina M.,     McAuley, Courtney L.,     Christian Dorian

Group4 – CtC, Chapter 4
First post by: Friday February 13 @ 5 pm
Pollard, JoEllen M.,     Fish, Sarah E.,     Vincent Davis

Group 5 – CtC, Chapter 5
First post by: Friday February 20 @ 5 pm
Leung, Sze Pui,     Venema, Jeannie L.,     Joseph Grubbs-Hardy

Group 6 – CtC, Chapter 6
First post by: Friday February 27 @ 5 pm
Wetzel, Elizabeth L.,     Dowdy, Ronald,     Andrew Casey