When watching the two TED talks this week (Paul Gilding: “The Earth is Full” and Peter Diamandis: “Abundance is our Future”), I was slightly surprised to find myself motivated by Mr. Gilding and more angry and provoked by Mr. Diamandis.
For a couple of days, I have pondered the question of why the dark provocative voice of Mr. Gilding would motivate me, and the bright positive voice of Mr. Diamandis would have the opposite effect.
I started thinking of several occasions in my career where the topic of sustainability in design has come up with “important people” in various global companies and the many different reactions, I have encountered.
Usually tthis type of person does two things when confronted with the notion of going in a more sustainable direction:
This ignorance makes me angry as well as sad, but it is very common in industry today, even in the parts of the world, we normally concider “civilized”.
I think, that is why Mr. Gilding´s message is more appealing to me. To change the mindset described above, we need drastic meassures, and I am afraid that will not happen as a calm, smartphone-based evolution. Our platform has to burn for us to wake up. (His Pearl Harbor example is excellent.)
Mr. Diamandis clearly understands the problems at hand, but I think his large faith in human kind(ness) is somewhat naive and unrealistic. If you look back at the history of humankind and this planet, coming together for the greater good of the earth, is not something we have been very good at lately.
That being said, I do not intend to sit around and wait for the next world war or major natural disaster to wipe us all out. I do believe that we need the energy and creativeness of people like Mr. Diamandis and many others to constantly push ourselves in the right direction.
Personally, I feel a great responsibility as a designer to show the world better ways of living our lives, with everything that entails. As designers (of any kind) we have the power to envision, innovate and create new solutions, that most other people cannot. We have to show them better ways to produce, to cooperate, to reuse, to work, to travel, to create, to share, to transport, to live.
Many of the designs and ideas we will come up with will be discarded, but the ones that do not, could change the world.
That is our most powerful tool. When we are faced with the Chairman or CEO that ridicules the green movement and calls us “trehuggers” with a smirk or a frown, we should not argue with him. We should rather show his market the RIGHT solution and make them want it.
THAT will get his attention.
/Christian
For a couple of days, I have pondered the question of why the dark provocative voice of Mr. Gilding would motivate me, and the bright positive voice of Mr. Diamandis would have the opposite effect.
I started thinking of several occasions in my career where the topic of sustainability in design has come up with “important people” in various global companies and the many different reactions, I have encountered.
Usually tthis type of person does two things when confronted with the notion of going in a more sustainable direction:
- Self defense. They strive to convince their surroundings (and themselves) that they already are as sustainable, as they can be - both as individuals and as companies. In addition they point to others (people, companies and countries) that are doing LESS than they are. “Well if China would only reduce CO2, this whole thing would be solved...”. Or:“Until we get the situation in Africa under control, none of this really matters...”
- Ridicule. I have heard many responses like the following:
- “You are not a trehugger, are you?”
- “What are you? Some kind of idealist?”
- “You would be stupid to want to pay more for a product with a lower performance!”
This ignorance makes me angry as well as sad, but it is very common in industry today, even in the parts of the world, we normally concider “civilized”.
I think, that is why Mr. Gilding´s message is more appealing to me. To change the mindset described above, we need drastic meassures, and I am afraid that will not happen as a calm, smartphone-based evolution. Our platform has to burn for us to wake up. (His Pearl Harbor example is excellent.)
Mr. Diamandis clearly understands the problems at hand, but I think his large faith in human kind(ness) is somewhat naive and unrealistic. If you look back at the history of humankind and this planet, coming together for the greater good of the earth, is not something we have been very good at lately.
That being said, I do not intend to sit around and wait for the next world war or major natural disaster to wipe us all out. I do believe that we need the energy and creativeness of people like Mr. Diamandis and many others to constantly push ourselves in the right direction.
Personally, I feel a great responsibility as a designer to show the world better ways of living our lives, with everything that entails. As designers (of any kind) we have the power to envision, innovate and create new solutions, that most other people cannot. We have to show them better ways to produce, to cooperate, to reuse, to work, to travel, to create, to share, to transport, to live.
Many of the designs and ideas we will come up with will be discarded, but the ones that do not, could change the world.
That is our most powerful tool. When we are faced with the Chairman or CEO that ridicules the green movement and calls us “trehuggers” with a smirk or a frown, we should not argue with him. We should rather show his market the RIGHT solution and make them want it.
THAT will get his attention.
/Christian