Design + Environment

There is a scarcity of good, practical resources for those interested in minimising the environmental impacts of products. Design + Environment from Greenleaf Publishing, has been specifically written to address this paucity.

The authors - Helen Lewis and John Gertsakis with Tim Grant, Nicola Morelli and Andrew Sweatman - have all been involved in EcoReDesign(TM), the innovative program developed by the Centre for Design at RMIT.

The aim of EcoReDesign(TM) is to collaborate with Australian companies to improve the environmental performance of their products by following design for environment (DfE) principles.

This clear and informative work will prove to be invaluable to practising designers, to course directors and their students in need of a core teaching and reference text and to all those interested in learning about the tools and trends influencing green product design.

The book first provides background information to assists the reader understand how and why DfE has become so critical to design. Then, a step-by-step guide is presented on how to design a product that meets requirements for quality, cost, manufacturability and consumer appeal, while at the same time minimising environmental impacts.

Environmental assessment tools and strategies are also discussed in detail as are some of the links between the major environmental problems and the everyday products we consume.

Four further chapters provide detailed strategies and case studies for packaging, textiles, furniture, and electrical and electronic products. Finally, Design + Environment takes a look at some of the emerging trends in DfE that offer opportunities to significantly reduce environmental impacts.

The book can be ordered from Product Ecology Ptd Ltd using the attached form.