This is a design assignment–try to keep the focus on design.
For background in the Design Principles behind sustainability, watch the following films:
- Permaculture: A Quiet Revolution
- How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Earth, but Not Civilization, Toby Hemenway
Pick two posters from the lexicon set of 24. we will use a redundant model (mimicking natural systems) so that each student has 2 poster topics and each poster has 2 students.
For each two posters, submit a two page summary of research findings (with sources, like films, website, articles, books you’ve read etc) that would be simple to convey to a general audience interested but but not knowledgeable about your poster topic. Use two categories: “Lexicon Research” and another category you create for your poster topic. In sum you will be producing 2 posts, and each poster will have 2 posts about its topic.
It is helpful to have a list of “fun facts” to discuss, as well as any background or history behind the idea. What is the issue/problem that this new design is attempting to solve? What is the familiar old design? What is the new alternative? Is the new alliterative also an old idea? Who is doing this? What has the response been by local people? government? corporations?
A progressive source of these new cultural trends can be found at:
You might check out their section on “happiness”–which has a strong correlation to sustainable behavior.
An example of the controversy each issue may raise:
The topic “localize” has been adopted in a quiet revolution around the world, and also by small farms in Maine. However, corporate legislation has sought to prevent small farmers from thriving–there is a great controversy in Maine about this. What do you know about it?
Your job is to educate yourself, and to learn enough to carry on a conversation with passers by and fellow students about the poster topics–which often correspond to new design ideas for living sustainably. The goal is not to convince anyone of anything, but to learn about the new design practices in a set of informed conversations.