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

设计活动是商业活动的一部分。为了应对不可持续的发展，企业目前存在的是一系列包含环境问题的“附加内容”（政策、立法、工具、方法）。这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。但是，越来越多的人一致认为，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个非常节能的产品，但如果企业通过销售“单位”产品继续取得成功，消费者继续出于功能或美学原因更换产品，如果此类产品的市场继续扩大/那么每个产品的净节能被能源使用的总体增加（更多的产品，更多的人）和线性资源吞吐量的增加所折损。我们需要一个更全面的观点，找出机会，以提高可持续资源的使用水平/不扩大我们的生态能力的水平。这在两种商业运作中都是必要的：例如，在战略层面上，从单位销售利润转向设计层面，关注寿命、价值、闭环资源流；在制造方面，实现不同资源的潜力，组件再制造，闭环材料循环；在消费领域：例如通过税收、激励、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。生态素养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的人类社会中的潜在应用（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汇集在一起，以深入了解自然和我们在其中的作用。该研究探讨了如何通过生态素养的视角来看待设计，以挑战线性资源的使用。该提案寻求讨论整体思维的学科（生态学，复杂性，工业生态学），以探索超越当前被视为生态设计的设计机会。与Fritof Capra（复杂性、生态文化）、David Orr（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（认知人体工程学和系统思维）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提供坚实的基础。与此相关的是与日产欧洲技术中心合作的机会，以探索合作创新的背景；并与威尔士的生态设计中心合作，解决设计教育和培训问题，以及生态素养是否有助于“建立”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，包括：EPSRC: GR/s90645/01（首席研究员）；和DEFRA WRT129（顾问）。这两个项目都探索了可持续性设计的维度及其与1的联系。商业战略与实践；实现更高水平的可持续资源利用/减少资源的不可持续使用。

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.