Environmental Design: A User-Centric Approach to Reducing Environmental Impact
Continuing with the theme of user-centric design, this article identifies and analyses another area of waste management in which design can help towards tackling the path to a greener and more sustainable environment.
With our developing understanding to the extent of the stresses that we are currently placing upon our planet, we are gradually increasing our efforts to tackle some of the issues that are concerned with the growing threat that is extreme climate change.
Particularly within western civilisation, we are aware of how certain aspects of our lifestyles are directly related to the detrimental impacts upon the environment. Certain environmental matters are dealt with by higher authorities through punitive measures. However, there are other areas where we can have a helping hand, but these rely on the individual.
Unfortunately, not every person feels inclined for one reason or another, to reduce their environmental impact where possible. Some reasoning can be attributed to lack of understanding, habitual behaviour, and a perspective of nonchalance towards participating in such exercises. However, there are other limiting factors that can prevent those who are actively willing to partake.
Bearing this in mind, Agouti Design, a small design consultancy based in Devon, has recently been looking to tackle an ongoing problem related to the amount of household waste that is sent to landfill. Despite many local authorities enthusiastically working towards reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, Agouti Design Devon has taken an approach that addresses an underlying problem that stems from the user.
One of the best ways people at home can reduce the amount of waste that they send to landfill is through elimination of their waste through means of recycling and composting. For the purposes of this article, the focus is upon composting, a process that is growing in popularity amongst home-owners but still doesn