Abstract
This paper considers how traditional ways of living could contribute to contemporary approaches to design for sustainability. For more than four decades now, there have been many concepts, methods and approaches developed to tackle the disruptive impact that humans have on the natural world. Many of these approaches are eco-modern and thus adopt a similar mindset to that which has led to unsustainable ways of living. It is clear that modern values and knowledge are not addressing sustainability issues comprehensively. However, research in many fields such as medicine, disaster management, architecture, etc. has shown that traditional knowledge and practices can reflect a harmony between aesthetics and function, spiritual and physical needs, economic and ecological judgments, resulting from millennia of shared wisdom and experiences that fits well with localized eco-systems. This paper contributes an autoethnographic review of Indian traditional products and associated practices and critically examines the products and practices in the context of design for sustainability. The paper concludes that traditional Indian knowledge and practices have much to offer in terms of developing a more holistic approach to design for sustainability.
Keywords
design for sustainability, traditional products and practices, holistic and meaningful future
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.378
Citation
Changede, S., Thomas, L., Mullagh, L.,and Jacobs, N.(2023) Out with the new, in with the old: Future directions for Design for Sustainability, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.378
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Out with the new, in with the old: Future directions for Design for Sustainability
This paper considers how traditional ways of living could contribute to contemporary approaches to design for sustainability. For more than four decades now, there have been many concepts, methods and approaches developed to tackle the disruptive impact that humans have on the natural world. Many of these approaches are eco-modern and thus adopt a similar mindset to that which has led to unsustainable ways of living. It is clear that modern values and knowledge are not addressing sustainability issues comprehensively. However, research in many fields such as medicine, disaster management, architecture, etc. has shown that traditional knowledge and practices can reflect a harmony between aesthetics and function, spiritual and physical needs, economic and ecological judgments, resulting from millennia of shared wisdom and experiences that fits well with localized eco-systems. This paper contributes an autoethnographic review of Indian traditional products and associated practices and critically examines the products and practices in the context of design for sustainability. The paper concludes that traditional Indian knowledge and practices have much to offer in terms of developing a more holistic approach to design for sustainability.