Sustainable Design and Environmental Impact

Sustainable design is a concept that takes in to account the economic, social and ecological principles when building the physical structures such as house, parking sheds, fences, driveways and industrial complexes. A sustainable design seeks to mitigate negative environmental impact so that harmonious coexistence between people and objects is enhanced. Sustainable designs thrive on innovations whose emphasis is use, reuse and recycle. The tenets of sustainable design are use of recycled materials, use of efficient manufacturing technologies that require less energy while at the same producing long lasting products. Examples of sustainable designs include houses that are built using eco friendly materials, are designed to utilize natural light during the day and powered by renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power. Technological innovation has also led to the manufacture of cars the can run on solar power or biodiesel; a move that is aimed at discouraging over reliance on fossil fuels.

Sustainable design or development is a concept that has gained prominence in the recent past out of the realization that resources that were previously thought inexhaustible are being diminished at faster rate than they are being replenished. One clear example of this trend is the use of fossil fuel; rich economies gobble billions of gallons of diesel to run their industries depleting the natural reserves, damaging the environment and the ozone layer through carbon emissions. Attempts by the rich countries and the emerging economies to reach a compromise between economic gains and sustainable designs have often been met with criticism than support.  The ailing Kyoto protocol and the just concluded Durban Climate talks are such examples.

Sustainable design encompasses reducing waste disposal to reduce negative environmental impact, advocate for use of recyclable materials and reduce the production of non biodegradable solid waste. Types of sustainable designs include sustainable urban planning, sustainable agricultural practices, eco friendly energy sources and efficient water harvesting and use techniques among others.