by yao.sossou1 -

Challenges and opportunities ahead for sustainable design: pathways to better practices

The field of sustainable design has substantial obstacles, such as balancing competing goals for sustainability, usability, and price. These issues, however, give designers the opportunity to innovate and create solutions that are not just ecologically responsible, but also economically viable and user-friendly. Adoption of new technologies and materials, integration of circular systems, and usage of inclusive design principles may all be paths to better practices in sustainable design. Incorporating feedback from stakeholders such as manufacturers, suppliers, and end users can also help to advance sustainable design processes. Furthermore, education and training initiatives for designers, engineers, and product managers can assist promote knowledge of sustainable design concepts and practices. additionally:

Education and awareness: Many people are not aware of the environmental impact of their actions, and more education and awareness are needed to encourage sustainable behavior.

Accessibility and affordability: Sustainable products and services are not always accessible or affordable to all, particularly to low-income communities.

Standards and regulations: Standards and regulations are needed to ensure that sustainable products and services meet certain criteria and are properly labeled, making it easier for consumers to make informed choices.

Research and development: More research and development is needed to improve sustainable technologies and materials, and to make them more affordable and accessible.

Collaboration and partnerships: Collaboration and partnerships are needed to bring together different stakeholders, including industry, government, and civil society, to develop and implement sustainable solutions.

Incentives and disincentives: Incentives and disincentives, such as tax breaks for sustainable products and services, and penalties for unsustainable practices, can be used to encourage sustainable behavior.

Human-centered design: Human-centered design approaches that involve users and stakeholders in the design process can help to ensure that sustainable products and services meet the needs of people and are more likely to be adopted and used in sustainable ways.

Circular economy: Adopting a circular economy approach, where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting the maximum value from them before recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life, can be an effective way to achieve a more sustainable future.

Innovation and creativity: Innovation and creativity are needed to develop new and exciting sustainable products and services, and to find new ways of addressing environmental challenges.

References

[1] Sustainable Design Challenge – SCARCE

[2] Global sustainability: the challenge ahead | Global Sustainability | Cambridge Core

[3] Achieving a sustainable future in consumer goods | McKinsey

[4] Challenges and Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples’ Sustainability | DISD

[5] What’s On | News | RIAI.ie (The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland)

by lea.zucker -

Why are mental health services underutilized and how can creative approaches change the situation?

In order to live a balanced and healthy life, one must not only take care of one’s physical health but also of one’s mental health. The problem in our society is that mental health is still a taboo subject and therefore too few people receive or claim the help they need.

A topic that has received more and more attention in the last few years, at least in my generation, but is still not talked about enough is Mental Health. The Awareness for mental health grew over all but during the corona crises, mental health issues in young adults grew as well.

My motivation stems from having taken therapeutic support myself, which has helped me in many areas and improved my quality of life overall. I believe that many people would feel the same way and that they would benefit from getting help. I have been an advocate for mental health since I started claiming mental health services myself and try to incorporate this into my community. However, I noticed in the discourse with my friends and family that even though they also suffered mentally, they did not want to seek the necessary support.

In my following research, I would like to prove the relevance of this topic, find out what reasons prevent people from seeking the help they need, where the biggest hurdles lie, and look into mental health Apps and services. I also would like to take a look at the possible solutions like destigmatizing mental health issues.

Quellen

Jacobi, F., Höfler, M., Strehle, J., Mack, S., Gerschler, A., Scholl, L., … Wittchen, H.-U. (2014). Psychische Störungen in der Allgemeinbevölkerung. Der Nervenarzt, 85(1), 77–87. doi:10.1007/s00115-013-3961-y 

Richter, D., & Berger, K. (2013). Nehmen psychische Störungen zu? Psychiatrische Praxis, 40(04), 176–182. doi:10.1055/s-0032-1333060 

Hofmann, FH., Sperth, M. & Holm-Hadulla, R.M. Psychische Belastungen und Probleme Studierender. Psychotherapeut 62, 395–402 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007