Exploring ecoliteracy and its relevance in realizing far-reaching sustainable innovation

设计活动是商业活动的一部分。在应对不可持续的发展方面，企业目前存在的是一系列包含环境问题的“附加”措施（政策、立法、工具、方法）。这些准则有助于指导企业改变活动、提高资源效率、减少浪费和防止污染。然而，人们越来越一致认为，生态效率活动本身不足以达到实现可持续性所需的变革水平。例如，一个人可以设计和制造一种非常节能的产品，但是如果通过销售产品的“单元”，业务继续成功，并且消费者出于功能或美观的原因继续更换，并且如果这种产品的市场继续扩大，则每个产品的净节能被能量使用的总体增加所抵消（更多的产品，更多的人）和线性资源吞吐量的增加。需要一个更全面的观点来规划更高水平的可持续资源使用/水平的机会，而不是扩大我们的生态能力。这在两个业务运营中都是必要的：例如，在战略层面上，从单位销售利润转向-在设计层面上，关注寿命、价值、闭环资源流-在制造层面上，实现不同资源的潜力、部件再制造、闭环材料循环;在消费领域：例如，通过税收、激励措施、教育和培训影响资源消费决策。生产者和消费者迫切需要更加意识到他们的生态极限。生态文学涉及理解生态系统的组织原则及其在理解如何建立可持续人类社会方面的潜在应用（Capra，1997：89）。它结合了系统科学和生态学，将促进学习过程所需的元素结合在一起，以深入欣赏自然和我们在其中的作用。研究探讨了如何通过生态素养的透镜来看待设计，以挑战线性资源使用。该提案旨在寻找讨论整体思维的学科（生态学，复杂性，工业生态学），以探索超越目前被视为生态设计的设计机会。与Fritof Capra（复杂性、生态文明）、大卫奥尔（环境教育、生态设计）、John Ehrenfeld（工业生态学）、Stephen Sterling（可持续发展教育）和Ken Eason（认知人类工程学和系统思维）等专家合作并向他们学习，将为质疑当前设计的局限性和不同产出的机会奠定坚实的基础。与此相关的是与日产欧洲技术中心合作的机会，以探索创新合作的背景;并与威尔士的生态设计中心合作，以解决设计教育和培训问题，以及生态文化是否可以帮助“接地”设计教育和实践的不同观点。该提案补充了我目前的研究组合，其中包括：EPSRC：GR/s90645/01（首席研究员）;和DEFRA WRT 129（顾问）。这两个项目都探索了可持续性设计的维度及其与1。业务战略与实践; 2。实现更高水平的可持续资源利用/减少资源的不可持续利用。

Design activity is a part of business activity. In responding to unsustainable development what currently exists for business is a series of 'add-ons' (policy; legislation; tools; methods) that encompass environmental issues. These are useful in providing guidance to business to alter activities, to gain resource efficiencies, to reduce waste and to prevent pollution. However, there is a growing consensus that eco-efficient activities are not in themselves sufficient to attain the required level of change toward sustainability. For example one may design and manufacture a wonderfully energy efficient product but if business continues to be successful through selling 'units' of products, and consumers continue to replace for functional or aesthetic reasons, and if the market for such products continues to expand / then the net energy savings per product are discounted by an overall increase in energy use (more products, more people) and increases in linear resource throughput. A more holistic view is required to map out opportunities for greater levels of sustainable resource use / levels that do not extend our ecological capacity. This is necessary in both business operations: for example, at a strategic level a move away from profit per unit sale, - at the level of design, a focus on longevity, value, closed loop resource flow - and in manufacturing, to realise the potential of different resources, component remanufacturing, closed material loops; and in the domain of consumption: for example affecting resource consumption decisions through taxation, incentives, education and training. There is a pressing need for producers and consumers to become more aware of their ecological limits.Ecoliteracy concerns understanding the principles of organisation of ecosystems and their potential application to understanding how to build sustainable human society (Capra, 1997: 89). It combines the sciences of systems and ecology in drawing together elements required to foster learning processes toward a deep appreciation of nature and our role in it. The research explores how design can be viewed through a lens of ecological literacy to challenge linear resource use. This proposal seeks out disciplines where whole thinking is discussed (ecology, complexity, industrial ecology) to explore the opportunities for design beyond that which is currently regarded as ecodesign. Working with, and learning from, experts such as Fritof Capra (complexity, ecoliteracy), David Orr (environmental education, ecological design), John Ehrenfeld (industrial ecology), Stephen Sterling (education for sustainable development) and Ken Eason (cognitive ergonomics and systems thinking) will provide a strong foundation from which to question the limits of current design and the opportunities for different outputs. Linked to this is the opportunity to work with Nissan's Technical Centre, Europe to explore contexts of collaboration for innovation; and to work with the Ecodesign Centre in Wales to address design education and training and whether ecoliteracy can help 'ground' a different view of design education and practice. This proposal compliments my current research portfolio which comprises: EPSRC: GR/s90645/01 (Principal Investigator); and DEFRA WRT129 (consultant). Both of these projects explore dimensions of design for sustainability and its connection to 1. business strategy and practice and 2. achieving greater levels of sustainable resource use / reducing the unsustainable use of resources.