Simple, Sustainable Living: An Illustrated Journal

As we are faced with the gravity of climate change, fundamental lifestyle changes need to occur in order to achieve a sustainable future. The purpose of my creative project was to create an illustrated journal that promotes simple and sustainable living in Melbourne. This paper describes the process undertaken to complete this project. Initially, I discuss the power of art in transitioning to a post-growth society and the benefits of using an illustrated journal as an artistic medium. I also outline the background of the voluntary simplicity movement. In my Methods section, I discuss why Melbourne was a perfect location to base my journal, and continue with a description of the background research I conducted to include in my journal. Over the course of a three-week period in Melbourne I read many books, carried out directed observation research by visiting farmers markets, parks, gardens, a meditation class and more; and I interviewed four simple livers. After completing this research I organized my findings into eight main sections ranging from food to transportation, housing to happiness. Next, I illustrated the text and printed my journal. The journal is also a multipurpose tool that transforms into a bag, demonstrating the kind of creative thinking needed to transition to a sustainable future. Lastly, I left my final product on a park bench for a resident to find and use. The rest of this paper describes the thought process behind my final piece, and evaluates the effectiveness of my project. It discusses the audience of my work, the influence my work had in terms of promoting sustainability, and what I would change if I were to do it all again. In my conclusion I argue my illustrated journal was successful and effective in communicating the benefits of simple living, but I would have needed to distribute many more copies to create real change

Proste życie i zrównoważona konsumpcja

After a brief reference to the philosophical background of simple living and its basic ideas, we explore how simple living can aid sustainable consumption. We look at general linkages between the two concepts and suggest how simple living can be used to support sustainable development (what elements to promote, what policy instruments to use, what barriers may be encountered). We conclude that philosophical reflection is the most important element of simple living that might enrich the current debate on sustainable consumption and suggest how to further strengthen the popularity of simple living movement.Artykuł rozpoczyna omówienie filozoficznych uwarunkowań idei ‘prostego życia’, które następnie umieszczono  w kontekście zrównoważonej konsumpcji. Zwrócono uwagę na ogólne powiązania pomiędzy prostym życiem, zrównoważoną konsumpcją, a rozwojem zrównoważonym. Wskazano, jak proste życie może wspomóc wprowadzanie rozwoju zrównoważonego (jakie jego elementy należy promować, jakich instrumentów politycznych użyć i na jakie bariery można napotkać). Artykuł zamyka sugestia, że refleksja filozoficzna jest najważniejszym elementem prostego życia, który może wzbogacić prowadzoną obecnie debatę prowadzoną wokół zrównoważonej konsumpcji, a sama idea prostego życia warta jest popularyzacji

More Than a Home: How Affordable Housing for New Yorkers Living with HIV/AIDS Will Prevent Homelessness, Improve Health and Reduce Costs

The near-universal standard for affordable housing requires that tenants pay no more than 30 percent of their income towards rent. In New York State, only one low-income housing program denies tenants this standard affordable housing protection -- the HIV/AIDS rental assistance program.Low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families in New York City's "independent living" rental assistance program are forced to pay upwards of 70 percent of their disability income towards rent, well above what is considered affordable housing or a sustainable rent share burden. As a result, hundreds of low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS are homeless and thousands more are on the brink of losing their homes. In addition, chronically ill people are forced to make difficult trade-offs between medical care, food and other essential needs in order to pay their rent each month.Many are unable to continue this difficult balancing act and become homeless, with all the risks to their health -- and to HIV prevention efforts -- that homelessness entails. Homelessness can be a virtual a death sentence for a person living with HIV/AIDS. It jeopardizes the success of other interventions to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic, making it harder for people living with HIV/AIDS to adhere to medication and medical appointments, adopt proper nutrition, and practice safer sex and other forms of HIV prevention.A simple solution -- and one that has broad bi-partisan support in the state legislature -- is to ensure that homeless and formerly homeless people living with HIV/AIDS pay no more than 30 percent of their income towards their rent if they already qualify for rental assistance. This report outlines why this is not only humane and just, but also a highly effective public health intervention that will produce cost-savings for taxpayers

Sustainable Design Process and Factors Considered for Product Service System

"Sustainability" is apparently reflected in corporate management and product development. Technology development and industrial revolution not only provide human beings luxury living quality but also causes global environmental problems and natural resources crisis on earth. Therefore, quite a few environmental protection policies in the world have been made. "Reduce, reuse and recycle" definitely becomes a new life trend. Under this circumstance, Product Service System (PSS) is a new way to satisfy the customers' needs by means of a complete process in products and services. It can make resource usage become a closed loop, thus reducing total product quantity and enhancing resource usage sufficiency. PSS has a characteristic of lower environmental impacts. Therefore, the author incorporates the concept of PSS into sustainable design strategy. This study first utilizes Analytic Network Process (ANP) to analyze both service categories from PSS and ranking priority of life cycle structure to be the foundation of sustainable design. Secondly, this study adopts Modified Delphi?MD?method to inspect the sustainable design factors considered for the application of PSS on case study. Furthermore, the author develops evaluation guidance and check list to make sure the target achievement of product sustainable design. Finally, this research accomplishes an applied process of PSS's sustainable design. By employing PSS on sustainable design, the study improves the impact of product life cycle on environmental quality. As a result, this study provides the PSS's design factors considered of sustainable products for corporations, and supplies a continuous service to create an operation mechanism with higher profit and lower risk as well

UNIVERSAL DESIGN APPLICATION THROUGH SOUTH KOREA REDEVELOPMENT (A Study Review)

The evolution toward Universal Design was began in the 1950s with a new attention to design for people with disabilities. At the same era South Korea began their development after several wars. Recently some of researchs and projects in South Korea which conducted on Universal Design concept are increasing in quantity and widening in multidiciplinary areas to make a better living for people in South Korea. This study examined those researches and projects to determine the progress of Universal Design principles application in South Korea in several periods and evaluated the result by the project’s purpose. This study is a review from several literatures related to universal design application in South Korea. The Review revealed that South Korea has published regulations, guidelines and law based on universal design principles. South Korea has established universal design principles as fundamental basis in designing and developing their public space, public facilities building and elderly residential houses. Application of universal design influenced the knowledge of diversity for people especialy in disability and elderly. Universal design encourage people with diversity in ability, ages, gender to live together without barrier to access and use every facilities in their regions. Keywords : Universal Design, Development, South Korea, Review, Diversit

Community action for sustainable housing: Building a low-carbon future

This paper presents a new analytical framework of 'grassroots innovations' which views community-led initiatives for sustainable development as strategic green niches with the potential for wider transformation of mainstream society. This framework is applied to a low-carbon, low-impact, community-based sustainable housing initiative in the USA that pioneers straw bale housing techniques within a strong community-building ethos. The project is evaluated according to New Economics criteria of sustainable consumption, and is found to be successful at localising the construction supply chain, reducing ecological footprints, community-building, enabling collective action and building new institutions and systems of provision around housebuilding. However, viewing it as a strategic niche with aim to influence wider society, it is clear that it faces significant challenges in diffusing its ideas and practices beyond the niche. Its model is not necessarily suitable for scaling up or widespread replication; however, the scope for niche lessons to be adopted by mainstream builders is greater, given a supportive policy environment. Recognising the innovative nature of green niches at the policy level could lead to new approaches to governance of bottom-up community action for sustainable development

Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards

FinalistaPostprint (published version

Encourage. Empowering People. Annual Report 2012

Peter Löscher, President of the Siemens Stiftung Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Board: Siemens Stiftung aims to contribute to positive changes in society with technical solutions, concrete concepts, and platforms for knowledge transfer. Cooperating with various stakeholders is a fundamental requirement for increasing the impact of its projects and anchoring them for the long term. For that reason, Siemens Stiftung seeks to cooperate with other foundations and non-governmental organizations as well as with government institutions, businesses, and the scientific community. Partnerships allow complementary approaches, skills, and resources to be bundled and sustainable programs to be developed. The previous fiscal year, in particular, delivers impressive examples of how such partnership models can increase the effectiveness of project work

Defying marketing sovereignty: Voluntary simplicity at new consumption communities

Purpose of this paper: To broaden the scope of or knowledge of collective voluntarily simplified lifestyles in the UK, by exploring whether voluntary simplifiers achieve their goals by adopting a simpler life. Design/methodology/approach: Radical forms of voluntary simplifier groups were explored through participant-observation research. The methodology can be broadly classified as critical ethnography, and a multi-locale approach has been used in designing the field. Findings: Although for some of these consumers voluntary simplicity seems to have reinstated the enjoyment of life, certain goals remain unfulfilled and other unexpected issues arise, such as the challenges of mobility in the attainment of environmental goals. Research limitations/implications (if applicable): This is an ongoing research, however many opportunities for further research have arisen from this study. Quantitative research could be undertaken on the values and attitudes buttressing voluntary simplicity specifically in the UK. The extent to which such communities influence mainstream consumers could be studied both quantitatively and qualitatively. Mainstream consumers’ attitudes to the practices of such communities could prove useful for uncovering real consumer needs. Practical implications: Despite these communities position in the extreme end of the voluntary simplicity spectrum, their role in shaping the practices and attitudes of other consumers is clear. What is original/value of paper: This paper provides new consumer insights that can re-shape policy-making and marketing practice aimed at achieving a sustainable future

We Owe it to the Earth: The Importance of Environmentally-Friendly Lifestyle Changes during the Transitional College Years

This paper aims to explain and justify my choice of film as the medium employed to persuade my audience of the need for environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes to be made by individuals. In order to effectively stimulate action by college students, the target audience, film was used to communicate the necessity of developing green habits. During these years students in higher education develop intellectually and mature into adults. It is a prime time to learn simple green lifestyle changes and translate them into their daily behavioral repertoire. To begin my project I researched current information about the state of our environment, how individuals can do their part, and why it is important to reduce your impact on the environment. Then the documentary was produced, the steps of which will be detailed in the paper. In order to validate my use of film, academic databases were searched for applicable articles of the influential powers of television and documentaries specifically. After the documentary was produced it was tested on an ecology class and a control group was utilized. The results showed an increase in desire to perform green habits