Today I will explain the basic meaning of eco-effectivity. Later on I will give examples of (design) theories which, in my opinion, can be applied to eco-effective designing.
An important strategy to work environmentally friendly is eco-efficiency. This means a production that is as efficient as possible, in which more is done with less. Hereby terms as reduce, re-use and recycle often appear. Reducing means you slow down the process, but toxics will still end up in nature. Re-using helps us saving raw materials, but the used products still give of toxic emissions. Recycling mostly is downcycling. The quality of a material reduces, because multiple materials are mixed and melted together. Something which is recycled does not necessarily have to be environmentally friendly. But this also counts for something natural. Water for example can be toxic if taken in large amounts. Eco-efficiency is a noble concept with reduces the damage which is done now, but it will not be enough on the long-term. The contamination will be spread less prominent, but it is still there.
An important strategy to work environmentally friendly is eco-efficiency. This means a production that is as efficient as possible, in which more is done with less. Hereby terms as reduce, re-use and recycle often appear. Reducing means you slow down the process, but toxics will still end up in nature. Re-using helps us saving raw materials, but the used products still give of toxic emissions. Recycling mostly is downcycling. The quality of a material reduces, because multiple materials are mixed and melted together. Something which is recycled does not necessarily have to be environmentally friendly. But this also counts for something natural. Water for example can be toxic if taken in large amounts. Eco-efficiency is a noble concept with reduces the damage which is done now, but it will not be enough on the long-term. The contamination will be spread less prominent, but it is still there.
With eco-effectivity you think about the effect a (design)choice has on the environment. With environment I mean the surroundings. The ecological environment is about the surroundings of nature. Something becomes economical when people need it and it is not freely available for everybody, then people start trading. The social/cultural environment includes human activities, for example the way people communicate and use things.
A good example of eco-effective design-thinking is the way of using rubber. This material does not consists of toxic chemicals, but is very slowly biodegradable . This is a toxic material when it leaves little parts in nature, e.g. a car tire wears out or someone walking on rubber shoe soles. But as isolation between walls it does not harm the environment.
After working eco-effective you need to think about how to do this efficient again. Because although you might not create waste anymore, your used resources are infinite they still need time to recover. It is all about balance.
A good example of eco-effective design-thinking is the way of using rubber. This material does not consists of toxic chemicals, but is very slowly biodegradable . This is a toxic material when it leaves little parts in nature, e.g. a car tire wears out or someone walking on rubber shoe soles. But as isolation between walls it does not harm the environment.
After working eco-effective you need to think about how to do this efficient again. Because although you might not create waste anymore, your used resources are infinite they still need time to recover. It is all about balance.
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