Introduction to Green Design

By Chris Hendrickson, Noellette Conway-Schempf, Lester Lave and Francis McMichael
Green Design Initiative, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

“Green design” is intended to develop more environmentally benign products and processes. The application of green design involves a particular framework for considering environmental issues, the application of relevant analysis and synthesis methods, and a challenge to traditional procedures for design and manufacturing. In many past situations, environmental effects were ignored during the design stage for new products and processes. Hazardous wastes were dumped in the most convenient fashion possible, ignoring possible environmental damage. Inefficient energy use resulted in high operating costs.

Waste was common in material production, manufacturing and distribution. Consumers cast aside products, usually with only minimal re-manufacturing or recycling. Recognition of these problems inspired environmental engineering applications to clean up past pollution (called remediation) and ongoing waste streams (called waste treatment). Clean ups are still needed in many cases. But design changes can often be more effective at reducing environmental burdens and more efficient at reducing costs than traditional “end-of-the-pipe” clean up strategies.

Some examples of such practices include:

• Solvent substitution in which single use of a toxic solvent is replaced with a more benign alternative, such as biodegradable solvents or non-toxic solvents. Water based solvents are preferable to organic based solvents.

• Technology change such as more energy efficient semi-conductors or motor vehicle engines. For example, the Energy Star program specifies maximum energy consumption standards for computers, printers and other electronic devices. Products in compliance can be labeled with the “Energy Star.” Similarly, “Green Lights” is a program that seeks more light from less electricity.

• Recycling of toxic wastes can avoid dissipation of the materials into the environment and avoid new production. For example, rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries can be recycled to recover both cadmium and nickel for other uses. Inmetco Corporation in Pennsylvania and Accurec in West Germany are routinely recycling such batteries using pyrometallurgical distillation.

The challenge of green design is to alter conventional design and manufacturing procedures to incorporate environmental considerations systematically and effectively. This requires change in these existing procedures. Change for any existing process is difficult. Changing design procedures is particularly difficult because designers face many conflicting objectives, uncertainties, and a work environment demanding speed and cost effectiveness. Environmental concerns must be introduced in practical and meaningful fashions into these complicated design processes.

For the future, we wish to prepare consumers and designers to think proactively about the environment.

More info green design pdf file

Background to green design pdf file by Ken Yeang

Green design – Ken Yeang

Back to eco design home