by Shane Henson — June 20, 2012—Green products shouldn’t give people the blues from being designed with a lack of forethought to what consumers will find attractive. Not only can sustainable design be beautiful, its beauty can make it more sustainable.
This is the central message of The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology and Design, written by Lance Hosey, CEO of GreenBlue, a nonprofit founded to equip businesses with the science and resources to make products more sustainable.
“Conventional wisdom portrays green as not just occasionally but inevitably unattractive, as if beauty and sustainability were incompatible,” Hosey writes in his new book, published by Island Press. Yet, “long-term value is impossible without sensory appeal, because if design doesn’t inspire, it’s destined to be discarded.”
In his book, Hosey outlines a manifesto for both designers and consumers interested in bridging appearances and doing right by the planet. He identifies three core principles of sustainable design—conservation, attraction and connection—to show how good design and green design can become one and the same. Hosey cites such examples as:
- Cars so aerodynamic they get 80 miles a gallon without new technology;
- Comfortable chairs built from a single piece of plywood;
- Packaging that uses less material while keeping food fresher;
- Electronics so appealing you can’t throw them away; and
- Buildings that adapt to their locations to use a fraction of typical energy needs.
- Comfortable chairs built from a single piece of plywood;
The first book to outline principles for the aesthetics of sustainable design, The Shape of Green does not ask that consumers sacrifice comfort. Rather, it shows how designers can create products that are aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly, and enjoyable for years to come. “Can we be as smart about how things look as we are about how they work?” asks Hosey.
