Sustainable Design Thinking

Interdisciplinary LAB A takes you out of the realm of design thinking and into a more complex matter. Thinking about the future and creating scenarios based on our own research as well as the lectures given through topics about the Anthropocene, Big Data, Human Technology Interaction and Design at the Border has helped in viewing the future differently. As a group James, Angela, Marie and I brain stormed our scenario towards the idea of technology focused on research and development rather than communications, food abundance or scarcity and urban and green living.

The research for our scenario helped lead towards our ideas, ideas like creating urban farming similar to the indoor farm in Japan. As our scenario of green living is further highlighted in an article by Tom Armour in which he states, “Sustainable urban development, which is integrated with technology, is the answer“(2014). As a Director for Global Landscape Architecture with Arup, Armour suggests a future in very similar ideas as the group. A future where technological developments help with sustainable living as well as the population increasing resulting in high food demands turning into alternative methods to meet these demands.

Formulating our future scenario, we also had to design a suitable speculative object that integrates with our scenario. Designing the prototype taught me to think about the future of design and how to approach a design that connects with future possibilities. Our speculative object looked to the prospect of creating algae through human sweat, which is collected pass a series of filters and into a tube all designed into a pillow. Algae can be seen as the future food source, with food demands high alternative measures will be needed to feed the growing populations. Dr John Finley a professor of food science states, “Forty years isn’t very long to get there. We can’t do it with traditional agriculture alone. Microalgae has incredible nutritional value. Ultimately, it’s just an environmentally clean way to produce quality food.” (J.Finley 2014). Our object focused on creating an alternative method of producing food sustainably and organically. It was important for not only finding alternative foods but also foods that supply the nutrients needed in the future. In creating a sustainable food production, other solutions can be made towards a sustainable and ecological living.

The vision for the future is a sustainable one, “ There is certainly no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but there are strategies and actions that have the commonality…” (Jenks & Dempsey, 2005). Our scenario and speculative object aimed for a brighter future and alternative solutions. The actions of older generations cannot be changed, but in creating solutions to work towards a sustainable and ecological future is possible. With many possibilities of inventions and innovation through technology the future is looking brighter.

Reference:

Weiss, A. (2014). ‘Food of Future Past: Want sustainability? Eat Algae..’ Online. Solazyme. Viewed on 28 October : http://solazyme.com/blog/2014/09/08/food-future-past-want-sustainable-future-eat-algae/?lang=en

Armour, T. (2015). ‘The future of our cities lies in the technology – ecology balance’. Online, The Information Daily.com. Viewed on 28 October: http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2014/05/07/the-future-of-our-cities-lies-in-the-technology-ecology-balance

Ronald, P. and Adamchak, R. (2010), ‘The future of sustainable food production’. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1190: 184–185. Viewed on 28 October: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05261.x/full

Jenks, M. and Dempsey, N. (2005). ‘Future forms and design for sustainable cities’. Amsterdam: Architectural Press. Pp. 415

The Future They See – Primary research

The future, something many of us think about. There are many possibilities, many scenarios created to how our future will be like. During this subject while looking towards future possibilities, finding alternative methods and focusing on the Anthropocene, Big Data, Human Technology Interactions and Design at the border, my view of the future have been influenced. Not necessarily negative influence, but to think alternative measures that can help the future.

Leading to this aspect I interviewed my sister for my primary research to see how she viewed the future by answering 4 simple questions. I chose her specifically as she is studying communications and has a greater knowledge of global situations. These questions highlighted her view of the future, technology and society.

How do you envision the future to be like in 2050?

By 2050, the future will look heightened than what it is now. At the rate of developing technology, I think more society will rely more on technology or machine in terms of getting to places, building things, connecting with one another on a device – a lot of things will rely on technology, especially with a generation that doesn’t know what it’s like to live without it.

The environment will probably look less green. And have heightened days of really cold or really hot. Green spaces will probably be man-made in efforts to undo deforestation and you can already see that with places like Central Park Living and the shopping mall. More species of animals will be extinct, as they can’t cope with the changes of higher water and atmospheric temperatures. I also think having clean air will be a luxury, as industrialisation and urbanisation of the world affect air pollution.

The world in general will see more built structures, less houses, more apartment units, and more emphasis on saving space rather than having the luxury of space.

How will technology change in the future?

It might be ‘smarter’ than humans in terms of efficiency and cost. In the production of goods, technology could be the one producing rather than the hands of people because they might do it at a faster rate and is cheaper instead of paying for labour.

Sense of immediacy from technology will drive the competition between manufacturers of technology… what/who can do something the fastest, achieve the best result in the most limited amount of time. In the future, there will be a bigger market of different technological industries (phone, computer, Wi-Fi, transport, etc.).

What would society be like in the future?

There will be less diversity in a global society. As people travel more, live in different countries, have interracial offspring; the blurring of culture and national identity slowly erases the differences of these cultures. People will become accustomed to a culture from somewhere else (an example of this right now is the international fanbase of kpop). English is becoming a global language, making it difficult for generations forward to be able to speak a mother tongue of their parents.

Borders will probably still exist to distinguish nation states but a higher population of people will be global citizens due to ease of connection through social media (presently) and whatever form that will be in the future, and this ease of connection will be made through advancement of technology.

How will we be living like?

People might not know how to be ‘social’ with one another, or be able to know each other on a deep and personal level. Instead we’ll rely on communication through technology. Immediacy and ease of connection with the world could hinder our ability to connect face to face. This could be the norm. Social cues and common sense could be lost. At the same time, we might already be experiencing this and this whole technological phase could pass and everyone might try and live with each other without reliance on technology.

We’ll probably be living in tower buildings and houses might be a thing of the past and viewed upon with rarity. We might be more sun-conscious due to climate change and our fashion might alter to cater to climate protection whether in very hot or cold weather. Global citizenship could possibly increase number of languages spoken by a person through interest and interaction with people in other countries. Who knows?

Maybe this is the view many of us think of when we are asked about the future. The future where technology will be ‘smarter’ than humans, citizen are global citizens with borders expanding and our cities will continually be going up than out. We can only think of alternative solutions to solve these growing views of our future and the negative connotations it brings. Solutions which start now.

Transhumanist and We?

Top 10. A common sight found of various sites. Top 10 future gadgets, Top 10 Innovations and Future Tech. With many future scenarios focusing towards technology and the possibilities of a technological driven world, how much of human interaction will be affected by technology? Even now with social media and smartphones, our lives have been effectively influenced by technology. As technology develops, so do ideas. As human interactions have changed due to the overwhelming integration of technology, we have become mass consumers and mass producers of data. From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall back asleep, our engagement with technology is throughout.

New innovations are changing, from interaction to becoming a part. Technicism is described in which technology would become the main contributor to the changes in society. Not only that but the future of Trans-Human technology is becoming prominent, with many breakthroughs in science, “You are now living in an era of trans-human technology — an era some call an evolutionary renaissance. And you are what we call a cyborg: part human, part machine.” (C.Phillips 2014). Are we slowly changing human interaction with technologies to incorporating technology within human form?

Joel Kinnaman stars in Columbia Pictures’ “Robocop.”

In the 2014 remake of Robocop directed by José Padilha shows a future possibility with the creation of Cyborg. The film shows a critically injured man being selected to be part of a governmental experiment in creating robot soldiers. Although seemingly unrealistic, the scenario may be possible. The Robocop has software implanted that allows his brain to process information as accurately as a computer. Does the idea of half man and half robot showcase possibilities of humans in the future and effect human interaction? Maybe.

This goes back to our present day, with many of us using technology, our interactions goes further than human interaction. It works towards how the Internet has become our form of interaction with one another. Video viewing, commenting, liking, are just some aspects of interaction within the Internet. Its vast sources have enables humans to gain knowledge of ongoing situations from around the world. It also creates a virtual reality within our lives through social media. Technology has set a part human interaction, with connecting and communicating creating a gap between, “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual worlds, this leaves little time for our real-world relationships.” (L.Rosen, 2015)

The advancement of technology is only going to be exponential, in both human interaction and human integration. Although thoughts of human’s already becoming robot like due to our connection to technology rather than human integration, are we going to become like a robot? Future possibilities are there with the cyborg but it may just be an alternative in making us more human.

Reference

Blackford, R. (2015). ‘A Transhuman Future’. Online, Philosophersmag.com. Viewed on 24 Oct. http://www.philosophersmag.com/index.php/tpm-mag-articles/11-essays/25-a-transhuman-future

Phillips, C. (2015). ‘Building a Better You? The Era of Trans-Human Technology’ (Op-Ed). Online,Viewed on 25 Oct. http://www.livescience.com/45872-transhuman-technology.html

Chow, D. (2015). ‘‘RoboCop’: When Will Cyborgs Walk Among Humans?’. Online,Viewed on 25 Oct. http://www.livescience.com/43287-robocop-cyborgs-robots-future.html

Geggel, L. (2015). ‘Human Cyborgs Come to Life in Nat Geo’s ‘Breakthrough”. Online. Viewed on 26 Oct. 2015.http://www.livescience.com/52419-human-cyborgs-national-geographic-breakthrough.html

Rosen, L. (2015).’ Is Technology Making People Less Sociable?’. Online, WSJ. Viewed on 26 Oct. http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-technology-making-people-less-sociable-1431093491#livefyre-comment

How Important is Technology for Food?

Technology has developed exponentially. Within the past 30 years technology has grown, especially in the past 10 years with groundbreaking innovations. Ray Kurzweil wrote, “ We won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21^st century- it will be more like 20,000 years of progress”. (Kurzweil 2001). With innovations like the wireless Internet, smartphones, social media, it can only continually grow towards other contributing factors for the future.

The future of technology towards food technology has been set in motion. With focus regarding the possibilities of food becoming scarce, scientists are on the fast track to create alternative ways to produce food both naturally and genetically. The future of genetically modified food is a high possibility, with many alternatives in biotechnology, nanotechnology and indoor productions that are currently being experimented.

Our future idea focuses towards food abundance and technology being used to research and develop towards agriculture and food production rather than human interactions in terms of communication. As we progress further into the future, technology and its focus on food become more prominent with alternative ways as a means to produce food. By 2050 the population has grown with that the need of food is up by 50%, different ways like genetic modification will play an important factor with how we produce food in the future, “Generally people have given up on climate change as happening through restraint and regulation and sort of believe now the answer’s going to be technical, and one of the technical solutions is to manufacture food.” Nicholas Negroponte (Big Think, 2015) The video below is Nicholas Negroponte discussing the changes in climate change and the advancement of technology for genetic modifications.

With many of the technologies today designed towards human communication, aspects of the technologies enables scientist to experiment different methods and possibilities. Ideas like nanotechnology and biotechnology have moved forward in creating food for the future. With the possibility that raw food produce would slowly deplete these approaches are essential in creating for an abundant future.

Another alternative is indoor food production. The possibility to be built within the city walls, with other cities experimenting has given a positive outlook in our future. Indoor food production can not only bring in food but also have a sustainable way of running this alternative that can be placed in cities in need of food. It is a sustainable way in food production, with it able to cut food waste from 30% to 40%. With special design ways to recycle the water used in production and LED lighting that stimulates plant growth, indoor production has a high possibility in the futures we have. This alternative is also beneficial for farmers to move towards indoor farming and use their knowledge. “What is important here is that the success of this project depended not only on the technology, but also on the accumulated knowledge of farming practices,” (Shigeharu Shimamura, 2014) who has created the worlds largest indoors farm and has set the possibilities of food production in our future.

Our future scenario focuses on food abundance and the importance technology plays. With future scenarios facing the idea of food scarcity being inevitable, our future looks towards technology and its major role it will play. With alternate technologies in biotechnology, nanotechnology and indoor farming, the future alternatives are the motivation for our future.

Reference

Editors, B. (2011). Big Idea: Technology Grows Exponentially | Big Think. Online .Big Think. http://bigthink.com/think-tank/big-idea-technology-grows-exponentially#articles-nav-dropdown-65. viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Editors, B. (2014). Genetically Modified Food is the Future, says Nicholas Negroponte | Big Think. Online. Big Think. http://bigthink.com/think-tank/genetically-modified-food-is-the-future-says-nicholas-negroponte. viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Elliot, T. (2014). Life in Australia in 2044. Online. The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/life-in-australia-in-2044-20140925-10luzx.html . viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Neville, R. 2001, ‘Seizing the Moment for Future Generations’, in S. Inayatullah & S. Leggett (eds), Transforming Communication, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT, pp. 166-168

Simmons, J. (2015). Online. Available at: https://www.ncbiotech.org/sites/default/files/pages/Three-Rights-White-Paper-Revised.pdf. Viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Doede, B. (2015). Single Sign On | UTS Library. Online. Go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au. Available at: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|A223751102&v=2.1&u=uts&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&authCount=1. viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Dickie, G. (2014). Q&A: Inside the World’s Largest Indoor Farm | Nat Geo Food. Online. News.nationalgeographic.com. Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140717-japan-largest-indoor-plant-factory-food/ .viewed on 10 Sep. 2015

Group Activity quadrant – Scenario 2

Quadrant: Food abundance + Techno-utopia

Scenarios:

– Better waste efficiency
– Western countries help develop the agriculture in 3rd world countries for food resources.
– Easy access to food, creating city agriculture rather than rely on farmers
– Creating systems in growing food organically and sustainable.
– Effect towards farmers, still growing food naturally or reliant towards technology (inside production rather than natural)
– Food availability not subjected to the seasons, all year round.
– Increase in garden foods then livestock- based food, due to growth in population resulting in livestock-based food becoming a luxury
– Effect towards human employment, everything technology focused
– Create alternative/new ways to produce food

The Anthropocene

The Anthropocene enters a geological era where human kind and its activities have greatly influenced the biosphere. The effects to the environment are more prominent than ever, temperature is increasing, sea levels are rising, the degradation of the biosphere is quickening at an alarming rate. Human resource consumption and waste production are also mounting, affecting the ecological growth. These trends have begun within 150 years or have accelerated suddenly from previous insignificant levels, but other eras are also a possibility

Jan Zalasiewicz a geologist at the University of Leicester, UK, and the chair of the Anthropocene Working Group highlights the difficulties in understanding Anthropocene ““is an order of magnitude more complicated than the stratigraphy”, “We need to discuss the utility of the Anthropocene. If one is to formalize it, who would that help, and to whom it might be a nuisance?” he says. “There is lots of work still to do.” (Zalasiewicz 2015)

The Anthropocene Working Group have made numerous research that have resulted in great findings of the impact humans has on the ecological systems in this timeline. Although other possibilities such as agricultural and livestock cutivation about 5000 years ago or mining 3000 years ago could have played a significant part in the Anthropocene.

CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have risen exponentially, more so than the past 800,000 years and 100 times faster in the past 20,000. This is due to the use of fossil fuel and the use of land and its significances changes to the earth systems. With the a rapid growth of global population happening within the century, the industrial era makes a point on the human effect and its influence on the environment.

Looking towards CO2 concentrations, natural fluctuations have been shown through 8 different periods of the ice age cycle within the 800,000 as shown below. The last 60 years are also shown with greater difference, it is with in only 2013 that studies found by a number of agencies the CO2 concentration levels exceed 400 parts per million. In today’s concentrations are 30% high that ever during the past 800,000 years, due to significant burning of fossil fuel and deforestation. A problem created at the hands of human actions. Professor Thomas Stocker, University of Bern, Switzerland and Co-chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, talks in-depth about the impact of climate change towards the Anthropocene.

Human impact on the environment is emphasised in the research of the Anthropocene. It is an unofficial epoch that continues to create debate between researchers, as we try to steer away from the problematic possibilities and find solutions to the growing problems. As the generation that is growing in most complex and interesting times ever, we are the ones to work on the solution.

Reference:

Ruddiman.W.F, 2013, The Anthropocene Annual review of earth and planetary sciences [0084-6597] vol:41 pg:45 -68 viewed 25 August
<http://www.annualreviews.org.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-123944>

Zalasiewicz. J, Williams. M, Haywood. A, Ellis. M, 2011, Introduction: The Anthropocene: a new epoch of geological time?, viewed 25 August
<http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1938/835&gt;

Monastersy. R, 2015, Anthropocene: The human age, article, viewed 24 August
< http://www.nature.com/news/anthropocene-the-human-age-1.17085#/helm>

Imperial College London, 2013, Anthropocene: The closing doors of climate change, video, viewed 26 August < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn3_hviRfdU>

WelcomeAnthropocene, 2012, Welcome to the Anthropocene, video, viewed 23 August,
< https://vimeo.com/39048998>