Artificial Natural

Jason’s comments on over-packaging and the ‘natural wrapper,’ on some foods raises questions about whether we as designers are stepping on nature’s toes, struggling to create artificial solutions to problems nature has already overcome. Whilst packaging does provide designers with a canvas space to make a specific product stand out and give an area for legal packaging information, it rarely has a secondary function and consequently creates vast quantities of waste.

Jonathan’s blog highlights the problems of human ‘waste,’ but whilst humans acted as part of nature, their ‘waste’ became fertiliser or even food for a whole host of other species as part of a complex web of dependency. Problems have started occurring as scientists and designers have failed to consider the entire lifecycle of products, creating things which are entirely unnatural and consequently cannot be broken down and reabsorbed into the eco-system. Nuclear, plastic, and electrical waste will accumulate and scar our planet until an artificial or natural solution evolves. With our conscious determination to create we should adopt a conscious responsibility to deconstruct or re-create after a given objects useful life.


Used electrical wire, Zulu craftsman, Africa

Professor Bob Spicer showed us the devastating effects our waste is having on the atmosphere, and consequently our climate. Yes our climate is cyclical and as Jonathan mentioned, nature is a rapidly changing and constantly evolving force, but we have now accelerated the rate of change to a speed where evolution can no longer keep up. Many species are already feeling the impact of climatic change and as with canaries in coal mines we can observe these more sensitive species in order to evade their fate.

Changes in the migratory behaviour of birds has been noted, with ‘unprecedented numbers of warblers, blackcaps and chiffchaffs,’ choosing to winter in England. ‘With average temperatures predicted to rise steadily over the next century it is possible that in 10 or 20 years the migrating warblers will become established as birds wintering in Britain.’ As Professor Bob Spicer demonstrated with the climate forecasting models, the British climate is not the only area changing; northern Africa and the Sahel countries will become hotter and drier. Cuckoo numbers are already in decline due to this, as it is suffering ‘from drought in northeast Africa where it spends the winter.’ Likewise ‘Other species wintering in this area may also be affected by the lack of water and insects to eat.’

The latest design proposals which tackle the climate crisis seem to worryingly assume that man has tamed nature and now holds the reins. Cloud seeding and creating a giant sulphur screen may well enable us to continue driving our 4x4s, but these ‘5 ways to save the world,’ don’t address the real issue of our excessive carbon production. Neither do they consider the dwindling resources of fossil fuels. The latest bird flu crisis in Suffolk illustrates what can happen when humans twist nature to suit our economic needs, viruses and infections thrive on the cramped conditions supported by industrial farming and similarly monocultures with arable farming.

Whilst I have argued that humans have a lot more to learn from nature and that many design solutions already exist within the natural world, I also have some deep rooted concerns about the way we artificially intervene. Another planet saving idea comes from Professor Jones, who wants to ‘add one of the components of urine - urea - to the areas of the ocean that lack phytoplankton.’ Urea is a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that helps plants grow, exactly the same fertilizer which when it has seeped into river or coastal water sources from sewage causes eutrophication.

Coastal Eutrophication

‘Eutrophication generally promotes excessive plant growth and decay, favors certain weedy species over others, and is likely to cause severe reductions in water quality. In aquatic environments, enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton (that is, an algal bloom) disrupts normal functioning of the ecosystem, causing a variety of problems.’ But Professor Jones thinks it will turn these areas into a lush "forest", eventually reversing the effects of global warming. The consequences are another scientist’s problem.


The Times: March 25, 2006 ‘Traditional herald of spring is in danger of falling silent,’
The Times: November 18, 2006 ‘Lazy birds give African winter the cold shoulder,’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/6354759.stm
http://hsc.csu.edu.au/earth_environmental/core/caring/9_4_4/944net.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication
http://www.re-f-use.com/view_product.php?id=50025&action=previous
http://www.ozestuaries.org/indicators/Images/swan_algae.jpg

No Exit

We don’t live sustainable lives and have never done so before. This is because we have always created waste, as it is an unavoidable consequence of life. Now there is over 6 billion of us inhabiting the planet our collective waste is causing changes, and with it some problems. Notions of going back to a “primitive” way of life seem very misplaced in adapting to changes and solving the problems we face.

The idea we have reached the limit of sustainability interest me because of the notion that going beyond this point will change everything. The idea that the environment stays the same is a very constricted view and seems to deify its rich history. In truth, the environment seems to like change a lot more than we do. Nature has never stood still, it is always changing, developing and bringing life out of the challenges it faces.

If we look at the atmosphere billions of years ago oxygen only existed in traces amounts, therefore all organisms respired anaerobically. Through the emergence of photosynthetic organisms the level of oxygen was greatly increased as a waste product of photosynthesis. Oxygen polluted the earth to the point where it changed the diversity of life completely. "Ingenuity triumphed and the danger was overcome, not in the human way by restoring the old order but in the flexible Gaian way by adapting to change and converting a murderous intruder into a powerful friend."(J.E. Lovelock 1979) Through being too concerned with trying to escape the changes that are occurring we are missing out, we should be following nature’s example of adapting to new situations and tacking advantage of the opportunities.

On the issue of “economic wants against ethical beliefs” which has been raised, I don’t see them as apposing choices. In the future large global companies will be forced to take an ethical and responsible stance towards manufacturing. This is not only because of legislation such as the 2003 recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) “requiring producers in member countries to take responsibility for recycling and waste management,”(New Scientist no.2585 p32) but largely because it is more economically profitable to make ethical choices. If we look at Japan they now recycle more than 80% of old TVs and computer manufacturers are obliged to take back old computers. Ethically driven advances like these are providing new jobs and opportunities for commerce. They have begun designing for disassembly and are now profiting from Europe’s lag in taking up sustainable and ethical positions. There is money involved in more ethical design solutions so businesses will change to take advantage, but also just to survive.

J.E. Lovelock, Gaia, 1979, Oxford University Press.
New Scientist no. 2585, 6th January 2007.