There was a time five or six years ago when the following text was a central component of Wiki’s page on Sustainability. Author(s) unknown. Not any more. But at a time when design was patently painting green over the cracks in its ragged, post modernist confusion this designer found it and found in it both reassurance and direction out of the design business knot where design was part of the problem and not necessarily part of the solution . Histrionically a parallel with the absolute succinct relevance of that much earlier, very successful Decalogue – this hendeca- logue delivered a script on time to adjust and moderate his own values incrementally – within the framework of his practice and authorship. Principles make sense of practice. Common sense. As an ethical framework for a Sustainable Design . As a template for decision making in Life and Work for the individual in service of the Common Good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability
Common principles
Despite differences, a number of common principles are embedded in most charters or action programmes to achieve sustainable development, sustainability or sustainable prosperity. These include (Hargroves & Smith 2005, see bibliography) :
1:Engage
transparently and systemically with risk, uncertainty and irreversibility.
2:Ensure
appropriate valuation, appreciation and restoration of nature.
3: Integrate
environmental, social, human and economic goals in policies and activities.
4:Support
equal opportunity and community participation.
5:Conserve
biodiversity and ecological integrity.
6:Confirm
inter-generational equity.
7:Recognise
the global integration of localities.
8:Make
a commitment to best practice.
9: Guarantee
no net loss of human capital or natural capital.
10:Endorse
the principle of continuous improvement.
11:Demonstrate
the need for good governance.
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
The United Nations has declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development starting inJanuary of 2005. A non-partisan multi-sector response to the decade has formed within the U.S. via the U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.[8] Active sectors teams have formed for youth, higher education, business, religion, the arts, and more. Organizations and individuals can join in sharing resources and success stories, and creating a sustainable future.
AFW AUTHORSHIP Projects > Kuching 2010 -12
Excerpts from a conversation with Dr Kevin Murray January 2011
1. Designing narratives for production as woven and/or printed outcomes – in traditional and post digital media. Developing ‘non-colonialist’production relationships is a first step. The project outcome may be modest – an exhibition/installation. The process narrative its centrepiece. As someone who believes that DESIGN is CRAFT – a verb not a noun – a practise not a theory – if there are emerging protocols for best practice that can facilitate and integrate indigenous production into design thinking I would want to be seen to use and confirm them.
2. Archiving indigenous/local culturaltransliteration into post digital media. A finite photographic,vernacular design recording task of extant artefacts and locations.In my experience ‘true’ cultural narratives find/utilise the available technologies rather than vice versa I am looking to celebrate here the efficacy of new technologies in transliterating these through the interface of human need to comunicate identity.
3.Embedding bottom(south?) up culturalimperatives within a top(north?) down design program. The induction of local cultural values and narratives into the delivery of an ‘off shore’ Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design) program at Swinburne Sarawak. Quantifying for myself local staff/student attachment or otherwise to these or imported values and narratives is a process that was started (April/May 2010) and will be central to my teaching/learning practice there in 2011.
Three three separate projects but integrated in their process. How they might in turn become integrated with INDIGO, DESIGN WEEK 2012, SUTS et al goals – is in play – To somehow integrate the above – with the goals as outlined on
http://www.craftunbound.net/projects/code-of-practice-for-craft-design-collaborations
and INDIGO>DESIGN WEEK 2012 has to be next?
(Some reflection on the ‘arrogance’ of colonizing cultures is required.)
Tony Ward (AFW) ,Dip Art (Advertising)
Lecturer,Communication Design
Swinburne Design
School of Business and Design
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus
Jalan Simpang Tiga, 93350 Kuching
Web: www.swinburne.edu.my
https://anthonyfward.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/afw66/
http://cargocollective.com/ficusartandindustry#
http://www.indigodesignnetwork.org/
Skype:ID anthonyfward
Leave a Reply