Define
planned obsolescence.
the business practice of deliberately outdating an item before the end of its useful life
Define
sustainability.
the concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
What are some ways to
design more sustainably?
(7 things)
- choose non-toxic, sustainable or recycled materials that don’t require as much energy to process
- manufacture and produce products using less energy
- make products fuel and material efficient
- produce products that are long-lasting and better-functioning so there is less replacement and use of products
- design products that can be recycled when their use is done
- develop products that are profitable but also offer income to producers
- consider the impacts of a design on all of the stakeholders involved in its development
What are the
6Rs
which can be used to assess sustainability?
Rethink
Reuse
Recycle
Repair
Reduce
Refuse
Define
circular economy.
an alternative to a traditional linear economy in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while they are in use, then recover and regenerate parts and materials at the end of their life
What is
cradle-to-cradle production?
production in which all material inputs and outputs are seen either as technical or biological nutrients
technical nutrients can be recycled or reused with no loss or quality, and biological nutrients can be composted or consumed
What are some examples of
cradle-to-cradle production in action?
(4 examples) (little depth for this card)
- Adidas’s Parley for the Oceans trainers
- G-Star RAW’s Parley for the Oceans denim garments
- Lauffenmuhle’s textile yarn
- Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick’s Aeron chair
Tell me about
Adidas’s cradle-to-cradle trainers.
Sports brand Adidas and environmental initiative Parley for the Oceans released trainers with uppers made using recycled plastic recovered from the sea.
Tell me about
G-Star RAW’s cradle-to-cradle denim garments.
G-Star RAW and environmental inititave Parley for the Oceans partnered to produce collections of denim garments from recycled plastics removed from the oceans.
Tell me about
Lauffenmuhle’s cradle-to-cradle textile yarn.
Lauffenmuhle invented a textile yarn designed for workwear such as uniforms, which uses a blend of cellulosic fibres derived from FSC-certified wood and biodegradable synthetic polymers.
Tell me about
Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick’s cradle-to-cradle chair.
Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick designed the Aeron Chair to be sparing of natural resources, durable and repairable, and constructed for ease of disassembly and recycling.
Define
finite resources.
and give some examples. (3)
non-renewable resources that cannot be replaced in a sufficient timeframe to allow further human consumption
e.g. crude oil, natural gas, coal
What are some examples of
non-renewable energy?
(2)
- nuclear
- gas/coal/oil
How is
nuclear used to generate electricity?
(5 steps)
- Nuclear fission generates heat.
- This heats water to generate steam.
- Steam turns turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How are
gas/coal/oil used to generate electricity?
(5 steps)
- Fuel is burnt to generate heat.
- This heats water to generate steam.
- Steam turns turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
What are some examples of
renewable energy?
(7 examples)
- hydroelectric
- wind
- solar photovoltaic
- tidal barrages
- wave
- geothermal
- biomass
How is
hydroelectric used to generate electricity?
(4 steps)
- Dam is used to trap water.
- The water released turns turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How is
wind used to generate electricity?
(4 steps)
- Blades are designed to catch wind.
- Blades turn turbines using gears.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How is
solar voltaic used to generate electricity?
(1 step)
- Photovoltaic cells convert light to electricity.
How are
tidal barrages used to generate electricity?
(4 steps)
- Barrage built across river estuary.
- Turbines turn as tide enters (and when tide leaves).
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How are
waves used to generate electricity?
(3 steps)
- Motion of waves forces air up cylinder to turn turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How is
geothermal used to generate electricity?
(4 steps)
- Cold water is pumped underground through heated rocks.
- Steam turns turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
How is
biomass used to generate electricity?
(5 steps)
- Fuel (wood, sugar cane, etc) is burnt to generate heat.
- This heats water to generate steam.
- Steam turns turbines.
- Turbines turn generators.
- Electricity is distributed.
What is
fairtrade about?
establishing better prices, work conditions and terms of trade for farmers and workers
