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The handbook of design for sustainability

I was lead editor for this substantial volume comprising 32 chapters and general and section introductions. I also authored major parts of the book: Chapter 28: Imagination’s Promise (100%); Chapter 25: Design Sleepwalking (50%); Chapter 30: Design for Cyber-sustainability (33%); General Introduction – Design for Sustainability (90%); Section Introductions for Parts 2&4 (90%), Section Introductions, Parts 1&3 (20%).

Its four main sections cover:

- HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES (6 chapters);

- METHODS AND APPROACHES (6 chapters);

- SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE (7 chapters); and

- EMERGING DIRECTIONS AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES (13 chapters)

I was the lead in reviewing the literature and commissioning the work. It brings together major international experts and leading edge research in the field with contributions from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, China, India, United States, UK, The Netherlands, Italy, and Finland.

The originality and international contribution of this work lies in its comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of the subject – its development, its methods, its practices and its potential futures. It covers a breadth of historical and theoretical understandings and includes sections that explore methodological questions pertinent both to professional designers and to design educators. There are descriptions and examples from a variety of design fields, and a substantial section that explores emerging directions for sustainability. It is the first systematic overview of the subject that, in addition to methods, includes historical perspectives, philosophical approaches, business analyses, educational insights and emerging thinking.

My research in this area led to a variety of keynote invitations which include: TEDx Birmingham 2013; Dialogues about Sustainability, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil 2013; BBC: Systemic Shift: Design for Transition to Sustainability, New Broadcasting House, London, 2013 – a presentation to industry leaders decision-makers in broadcast media including: BBC, ITV, Hewlett Packard, Sony Entertainment, Sony Deutschland, Telephonica, Forum for the Future.