J08

I chose to research Design & the Environment.  Taking the environment into consideration when designing products is very important because we don't have unlimited resources and the products we use have an impact on the world around us.  For a long time people designed and consumed as if they could do so forever without any negative side effects, but we have realized that this is not true.  Everything we use comes from somewhere and after we use it, it has to go somewhere.  So designing with the environment in mind helps to decrease the amount of materials that need to be newly introduced into each product and considers where the product will end up after its intended use.  It also tries to decrease the amount of harmful materials the consumer, workers, and environment are exposed to.

1) http://www.epa.gov/dfe/
This website, Design for the Environment, is a partnership with the EPA that has information for consumers and producers about environmentally friendly products and how to find them.  The DfE logo is a guarantee that the chemicals in the product have been approved as safe for the environment and the consumer.  There is also information on this website about global climate change and why designing for the environment is important.

2) http://www.dceplanning.com/
Design, Community, & Environment is an organization designed to organize communities around the idea of trying to "work in concert with the natural environment." They work with government agencies, urban planners, and landscape architecture.  Their website is intended to connect designers with clients who are looking for environmental solutions to their community's needs.

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNudnI5tzf
This youtube video shows the effect of sustainable energy on a local community.  The use of a wind turbine for alternative energy is an example of how design can work with the environment rather than against it and still serve the community.  A new design for the wind turbines also allows for versatility in placement, making them easy to add to a more urban setting as well as in rural areas.

4) http://www.wbdg.org/design/sustainable.php
The Whole Building Design Guide offers codes and resources for builders, as well as an overview of sustainable building practices.  The guide also emphasizes the importance of decreasing the environmental impact of buildings by pointing out the energy use, waste production, and CO2 emissions of all the buildings in the USA.  

5) http://www.lanl.gov/environment/risk/p2_sd.shtml
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a lab working on sustainable solutions to the problems of environmental management, pollution prevention, and risk reduction.  The website offers links to carbon footprint calculators, hot topics in the environment, and public involvement opportunities.  The website has descriptions of previous environmental projects done by the lab and lots of information about environmental threats and what can be done to reduce them.