Our throw away culture isn’t sustainable. Great website referral…really like the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi where the repairs are embellished with shiny stuff to show the object’s honored history.
“Design for repair” and “design for recycle” has to be incorporated at the earliest stages of product development. Unfortunately, the misnamed “ideal design” of today focuses on minimizing proximate cost (with no consideration for full cycle and environmental costs), and having all parts wear out at the same rate, so when anything fails, you just toss and replace. After all, why have 20 year life hardware in a product that only lasts 5 years?
Perhaps as a society we will find it easier to think long term as technology enables us to live much longer and healthier lives. Knowing we will have to live with the future consequences of our actions in the present may actually change them for the better.
Our throw away culture isn’t sustainable. Great website referral…really like the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi where the repairs are embellished with shiny stuff to show the object’s honored history.
“Design for repair” and “design for recycle” has to be incorporated at the earliest stages of product development. Unfortunately, the misnamed “ideal design” of today focuses on minimizing proximate cost (with no consideration for full cycle and environmental costs), and having all parts wear out at the same rate, so when anything fails, you just toss and replace. After all, why have 20 year life hardware in a product that only lasts 5 years?
Perhaps as a society we will find it easier to think long term as technology enables us to live much longer and healthier lives. Knowing we will have to live with the future consequences of our actions in the present may actually change them for the better.
Well said, Cliff.