Friday, 20 July 2007 | Levent OZLER
The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability
 With sustainability entrenched in the media and public consciousness, the challenge now lies in defining the term in a functional way. Ann Thorpe's Designer's Atlas of Sustainability presents a clear guide to the highly publicized concept, giving designers the knowledge to forge their own innovations in the area.
Colorfully illustrated with graphics and up-to-date charts, The Designer's Atlas explores the roles that economics, communication, community engagement and human emotion play in designing products. While Thorpe makes an argument and business case for sustainability, she also frankly addresses obstacles such as the high cost of ecological materials and the demands of our fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle.
The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability offers surprising revelations about the connections between our material comfort, our emotional well-being, and the health of our planet. Thorpe presents both a visual tour of the ecological, economic, and cultural elements of design and a collection of concepts that will help cultivate "environmental and social conditions that will support human well-being indefinitely."
Ann Thorpe teaches sustainable design at several universities in and around London, England. She was the founding editor and publisher of On the Ground: Multimedia Journal on Community, Design and Environment and has lectured widely on sustainable design.
Visit Thorpe's website at http://www.designers-atlas.net. Read about relevant and useful solutions to issues in business, economy, ecology and culture.
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