Introduction to Sustainability Final Project

1. Designed Sustainability-Web Resource and Local Sustainable Reference
By Tim Hutchens, MCAD Introduction to Sustainable Design
Here is a link http://hutchenstim.wix.com/designedsustainability
Background/History-My name for the website is called designedsustainability. This is the name I
choose the first day of school for my blog. While I have always been in the camp that just
sustaining is not good enough, particularly when you have to make up for the people not
conscience enough to care. It is a starting point, much like this website, the history of the idea
stems from when I was writing a paper to get into this program on what I would like to

2. accomplish. While adding information I have come across and a notebook full of additions to
follow once it is not for a class project.
Originally the idea was I wanted to create a resource that restaurant managers, chefs and foodies
could access online and find out what was available in their area from local farmers, co-ops,
farmers markets and how to contact them. As there are often 10-20 little distributors needed to
source food for a healthy good program, where the unhealthy norm is one gaint low quality
distributor which brings in everything. The thought being that when someone is managing a
restaurant people rarely have time and or the idea to revamp their sourcing and to find the
companies and actually doing it takes allot of time. This resource would also help when I am
consulting as to be able to access the information in an organized easy to access way from
anywhere at anytime.
While the course progressed, and the assignment drew nearer, another thought developed and
that is that there are also a million great websites and resources scattered all over the world and
web. I have read countless sites I have forgotten and come across ways to sustainabily do almost
anything, but remembering it all is the hard part. This is from both during this course and over
the years I have read all I could on the topics and related. Why not combined these resources and
make a site pointing to sustainably minded companies, products, and ideas. I also wanted to
make a children’s game based on catching sun rays and link it to this page. That idea was to
build a sustainable mindset for kids, as well as an app that you could access all the information
from your hand while busy. This last aspect would come in handy when ordering on the fly and
or working the floor in a restaurant, or driving and needing to place a forgotten order (often when
they pop into mind). At least this was the original thought and the site has changed a bit from
that focus.
Now the actual website skims the surface on each of these topics serves as a framework to build
out. I lost allot of time trying to code and then making a site in Dreamweaver, and learning
Objective-C, while trying to just makethe information presentable. I may finish these and other
attempts and link them together, but for now what I finished is a little lighter then I would have
liked. I will clean it up and add more as I get time to dig through old inventories, e-mails and
farmer contacts. I have to admit I spent a lot of time lining things up, trying to make them look
clean enough to read and make it presentable. I guess in the past while I have made a lot of “art”
(oils, metal, furniture, concert flyers, t’s) and things I have been outsourcing graphic design.
The core components are to serve as links to sustainable, local resources, basic concepts,
sustainable products and companies, and how to get more information on ideas of sustainability.
While originally I was thinking from the box I come from (restaurants) and that is how to source
organic, local farmers and make an easy to access resource for making this faster and easier for
people with no time.
While it changed into more of a framework for resources and sustainable ideas as well as how to
find further information on a variety of topics. While there are many resources available reading
some of them is like reading the dictionary and filled with jargon which most people will tune
out or leave the page uninterested. I tried to make a simple clear and accessible site to expose

3. people to sustainability, down the road I will add hyperlinks to further development and for
people interested in digging in further.
How is this useful to the sustainability challenge? Well I find there is a lot of scientific data out
there but not a lot of scientists around to explain the finding and who understand what they are
talking about. To clarify my point the common man or woman is trying to survive their job,
support their kids and or family or maybe just do the right thing but do not have five years to
understand every nuance of every study, nor would they want to. But they are bombarded with
data from every side, scientific or otherwise much so much of it being negative environmental
news that people just tune it out. I was at a dinner party and a very smart friend said “anytime I
hear something about the environment I tune out”, another I was talking with said TED “that is
above my brain power”, and that is probably common. That is where society has arrived at an
overload of data and too much negativity and their brains tune it out. This is much like when you
smell something repeatedly you can no longer smell it as the brain turns off the receptors that
would normally smell that thing (also why smell people are unaware of their stink). So while
LEED may have a 400 point evaluation and every other organization has book on every
sustainable topic imaginable this means nothing to regular people. Who are in a rush and just
trying to figure out the right thing to do without getting overloaded, depressed, or spending time
figuring out the jargon.
So I added 10 simple ways to get started, then a link to get 25 more from another website if they
want more. Then there are additional websites resources they can access should they have more
time or interest, this is one aspect I need to flush out more thoroughly. As we talk and think
about these topics everyday lets step back and present the information to the average person with
a high school education and little time or attention to spare.
With that in mind here are my 10 points I came up with to present simple steps to start with.
1. Think- How will my actions and purchases effect my children and future generations and shop accordingly.
2. Conservation is the cleanest energy source- Reduce Vampire Energy Drains, unplug or turn off power strip when
appliances are not in use.
3. Switch light bulbs to led, they will last up to 40 years and greatly reduce energy consumption.
4. Wear clothes more than once before washing (don't get crazy wash your socks and underwear), use natural
detergents and energy/water efficient washers and air dry when possible.
5. Bike, walk and take public transportation when available, ride share, avoid unnecessary trips when not, and plan
outings to minimize gas expenditures (support electric cars).
6. When purchasing goods that are upgradable, reusable (rechargeable batteries), and avoid obsolesces both planed
and perceived, purchase for durability and energy efficient.
Currently 99% of the things we purchase end up in a landfill within six months, 70 bags of waste upstream go into
creating one bag of residential waste, avoiding unnecessary purchases.
7. Reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, redistribute, and purchase products made with an unintended reuse and and easy to
disassemble, avoid *monstrous hybrids.

4. 8. Purchase from companies that are responsible for their wastes and use reclaimed materials, buy in bulk and avoid
packaging and bring a reusable bag.
9. Grow your own food, plant a farm instead of a lawn, use/build hanging gardens, support local gardening, and buy
from local farmers and reduce distance from farm to table.
Utilize rain barrels to capture rain to water your garden and plants, use a water recapture device to flush your toilets
with greywater.
10. Eat less meat, or become a flexitarian. Share goods, boats, cars, hotels (airbnb) and utilize goods thoroughly with
share programs, craigslist, garage sales & add a 2nd lives rather than landfills.
*monstrous hybrids are when more than one material is fused making recycling impossible(think plastic top on milk
carton, or plastics woven into natural materials or clothes).
10 not enough here is 25 http://www.treehugger.com/culture/25-ways-to-save-the-planet.html
While this is one page, and I seek a couple points in as well to get the reader thinking. There are
also resources to point to sustainability in all area, architecture, electric cars,technology and local
resources for them as well. There are links to local bike trails, bike swaps, bus access, and
eventually a local sustainable one stop shop. Basically if you woke up naked and with no
memory in Minneapolis how you could get clothed, there is a sustainable food job board (to
make the money needed for clothes and food), eat locally and function sustainably?
How would I scale this up?
Well, I do not think in logical little terms. I would want to make it go viral and go rock star on it
(or at least get some rock stars behind it). I would have to fund raise. So I would fund raise
through e-books and online publishing, small books promoting sustainably and related books.
Once I had enough from this venture, to support a couple fund raising and good will trips I
would contact all the celebrates I know and or have meet of the years, rock stars, dj’s, and
musicians, as well as rock star chefs to assist with the promotion, and or pick their brains for
promotional tools. See if any TV shows in NY or LA are interested in interviews or promoting
the concept, while selling it to them by greening their image, in order to expand the influence
and hopefully afford some real coder and IT pros.
Then I would first fund and ramp up all aspects of the site, seo, face book pay per click, ad words
as well as the Wix online marketing options. Then I would offer things on social media linking to
it and build an online community that give feedback to improve and expand the topics,
information presented and offerings.
I would make it focused first regionally, and then expand into other markets. In MN where to get
the best recipes for tater tot hot dish, where it find PBR tallboys and how to be earth friendly as a
zombie (for the zombie pub crawl). Draw in the things that the local hipsters are interested in,
where to find sustainable mustache wax, tight pants in reused demin, vintage already dirty
concert tees, fixie hangouts. Reach out of local celebrities for support, and site cameos. Then

5. basically do some sustainable real world marketing, mixed in with online paid per click, seo
marketing to reach the masses. Then have links to eventually roll out more companion e-books
and kindle books, and apps on the cheap to fund it or so the site could grow and fund itself.
In conclusion, the aim of this site is to be a sustainable, local, online resource that connects
Minneapolis to the great resources that are available in the MN and the surrounding areas. While
raising awareness of sustainability in a gentle none threating way that is informative. Avoiding
green washing, guilt, and all the hippie sentiment that turns off some many that like to shower
(hopefully a short warm shower), and presenting it logically that anyone could access and benefit
from. I think the only way we will move the mass population out of apathy is reaching them
where they are. Where they are is on the street, on apps, Facebook, and turning the channel
anytime someone brings up an environmental concern. Rather than then thinking up countless
scientific journals, replaying environmentalist speech after speech and fill everything with
scientific jargon and thinking it will affect change. We need to ask the people, “how would you
like to be communicated with?”We can come up with a million names for systems, papers,
regulatory structures, pollutants and carbon emission; but if no one but us understands what we
are talking about why are we talking?