Margarida Monteiro de Barros presented on the topic of design for sustainability. Over the past 100+ years, technology has advanced rapidly while society has evolved more slowly to adjust to changes. The environment has also degraded rapidly due to increased resource scarcity, population growth, and consumption. However, we continue to insist on economic models that are dysfunctional and unsustainable. Design must help create the transition to a society that lives within environmental limits by establishing new value systems and conceptualizing sustainable artificial systems through both social science and engineering perspectives.

1. DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
THE POSSIBILITY TO REBOOT OUR SYST
MARGARIDA MONTEIRO DE BARROS
6th of November, 2014

2. S e m i n a r p r e s e n t a t i o n f o r :
S e m i n á r i o d e i n o v a ç ã o e d e s e n v o l v i m e n t o s u s t e n t á v e l
I n s t i t u t o S u p e r i o r T é c n i c o | L i s b o a | P o r t u g a l

3. DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
THE POSSIBILITY TO REBOOT OUR SYSTE
Reboot (restarting systems) returns all the software and
most of the hardware to some known initial state, thus
eliminating any intermittent problems.
MARGARIDA MONTEIRO DE BARROS
6th of November, 2014

4. Firstly, lets look at some assumptions
1TECHNOLOGY ***Merriam Webster dictionary
>>> the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things
or to solve problems (knowledge + creative process)
>>> a machine, piece of equipment, method, etc., that is created by
technology (applied knowledge)
It can be said that it is related with
everything that human-beings create, material or not
2TECHNOCENTRICVIEW ***e.g. Pepper, 1996:37
>>> believes that all problems can be solved from the existing social and
economic system through negotiation (unlimited notion of growth)
>>> believes that continued progress and provision of material items for
mankind can be met by similarly continued advances in technology
(mankind will produce THE solution)
3TECHNOLOGY ≠ TECHNOCENTRIC
>>> technology expresses human knowledge through stuff
>>> technocentric sees technology and negotiation as the ONLY capable
answer for current problems
It can be said that it discharges the need for a behavioural change
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

5. WHOTHINKSTECHNOLOGY ALONE IS GOINGTO SOLVE OUR
CURRENT PROBLEMS ???
Environmental problems
Societal problems
Economic problems
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

6. Lets talk about technology
Lets see how society has evolved
Lets look at where we are spending our money
Lets understand our environment
INTHE NEXT 40 minutes …..
And what is the role of design for sustainability?
What is the future of design for sustainability?
What is the future design of our technology?
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

7. 1800- 1910
1920
+10 years
+10 years
+10 years
+10 years
+10 years
+10 years
+10 years
2000
+ 2010
An overview:Technology, Economy, Society and the Environment over the last (plus) 100 years
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

8. Steam Power, Telegraph
Mass production of automobiles, motor powered flight
TV camera + TV broadcast
Radio broadcast + Electric appliances
Nylon and plastics + Atomic bomb + 1st electronic computer + Transistor
Sputnik satellite + Copy machine + Microchip + Start solar tech discovers
Genetic engineering + 1st human heart transplant + Man on the moon
Computerised tomography + ARPAnet + Intel microprocessor
B-2 Bomber + Seedless Watermelon + Commercial cellular phone
WWW+ Space telescope + Clone (Doly) + ABS + Digital Camera + LED
TECHNOLOGY MILESTONES
GPS + Hybrid + WiFi + Google + Fibber optic mainstream + Smartphones
3D printer + 1st Electric highway
We – human beings - are inventive, innovative and ingenious
Increaseabundanceanddiversity
More and more difficulty to keep up with technology milestones over the last 15 years
TECHNOLOGY HASTHE POWERTO CHANGE HOW PEOPLE LIVE, RELATE,ANDWHATTHEYVALUE
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

9. SOCIAL MILESTONES
Slavery abolition: people stopped being transactional goods and
other´s people propriety
French revolution: Women rights + Religious freedom + Labour unions
+ Recognition of the colonies as nations +
Animals rights + Marginal people fight for equality + Public health + FIFA
Rebellion of moral restrictions + Social structure change + Prohibitions
Civil rights + Human Rights + Anti-war + Environment + Pop culture
Leisure time and disposable income + Standardization + Food
Change workforce structure + Migration form Europe to America
Intensive materialism and consumerism + Demographic shift + MTV
WW2 + Civil war(s) + Unemployment (great depression)
Ethnic conflicts + Apartheid Abolished + Germany united + Social network
New middle class comers + Reality TV + Social media
Power of the Crowd – crowd funding
Continuous settlement (in practice) of the French Revolution vision of society
Lately, major attempts can be seen to (again) change the power dynamics
although there is a constant adjustment in the exercise of freedom,
rights/equality, fairness/justice, fraternity/brotherhood,THE ‘SOCIETYVISION’
CREATEDAND ESTABLISHED BYTHE FRENCH REVOLUTION ISTHE SAME
SINCE +100YEARS BUT THE LAST DECADE SEAMSTO BE OPENING NEW
IncreaseFreedom,Equality,Fraternity
Social network
Social media
Crowd
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

10. IncreasenegotiationsENVIRONMENT MILESTONES
Stockholm - union nation conference: men and the environment
Humans’ impact on the environment supported by scientific data
Starts the environmental movement – public concerns about pollution
Brundtland report:, world commission on environment and development
Vienna: human rights + Rome summit + Kyoto: climate change
Millennium dev. Goals + Johannesburg summit + conf of the parties
Increasepopulation,resources+energyscarcity
We face big challenges
EVIDENCEARE ABUNDANT: ERRATICWEATHER PATTERNSAND INFRASTRUCTURE
COLLAPSING, SIGNALTHE DIFFICULTYTO MANTAINTHE SYSTEMSWE CREATEDAND
OUR CIVILIZATION
Soil - nutrients
overloading
Over-exploitation
of oceansLost of biodiversityHabitats changeClimate changeWater scarcity

11. ECONOMIC MILESTONES
Feudal Model: feudalism – Feudal Economy
Long distance merchandise commerce – Mercantilism economy
Industrial production – Industrial Capitalism
Extension of the common market of the EU (EFTA gone)
Development of means of production to provide affordable goods
2 paths of EU development: common market + EU Free Trade Association
Marshal plan – European reconstruction + Starts EU project
Decrease private consumption + increase public , industrial consumption
Improving and exploring the production and consumption model
Great depression – unemployment rates raising
Globalisation: free circulation of merchandising and capitals (not people)
Financial virtual products: derivatives – Finance Capitalism Model, CRASH!
Fast change of the economic players + sustaining Finance Capitalism
Increasevirtual,decreasepeople
Little consideration of people beyond seeing them as consumption or labour actors
Industrial capitalism model maintained across the XX century allowing capital accumulation
– on the last 15years evolved to a Financial capitalism model
LATELY, ECONOMY ISTRYINGTO SUSTAINOLDER PARADIGM OFWEALTHTHROUGH ENVIRONMENTALAND
SOCIAL DAMPING
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

12. OUR HISTORY IN SHORT
Feudal economyMercantilism economy
Industrial Capitalism
Extension of the common market of the EU
Affordable goods
EU development
Starts EU project
Decrease private consumption
Improving production and consumption model
Great depression
Globalisation
Finance Capitalism Model, CRASH!
Change of the economic players
Stockholm men and the environment
Scientific environmental impacts
Environmental movement
Brundtland report
Human rights + Food + climate change
Millennium dev. Goals
Slavery abolitionFreedom: beginning of citizenship
Intensively personal
Rebellion
Countercultural
Golden age - leisure
Workforce
Materialism and consumerism
Ww2
Social networking
New middle class comers ( BRICS)
The power of crowds
Steam Power
Mass production
TV broadcast
Radio broadcast
1st electronic computer
Sputnik satellite
Man on the moon
Intel microprocessor
Cellular phone
World Wide Web
Wireless
3D printer
TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY
ECONOMYENVIRONMENT
Environment what?
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

13. SAME RESULTS
TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY
ECONOMYENVIRONMENT
Increase creativity and ingenuity
Fast pace evolution - Great stuff happening
Increase adjustment to the vision of society implemented
by the French Revolution: Freedom, Equality, Fraternity
Slow pace evolution
Increase scarcity: energy and resources
Increase population and consumption rates
Fast pace degradations
Increase insistence on a dysfunctional
model that already crashed
Very slow pace evolution
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

14. SAME RESULTS
TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY
ECONOMYENVIRONMENT
Increase scarcity: energy and resources
Increase population and consumption rates
A LOT OFTHINGS
HAPPENING
AWAKENING OF
POSSIBILITIES
NO REAL ANSWERSTOTHE
CHALLENGES
SUSTAIN DYSFUNCTIONAL
MODEL
Increase creativity and ingenuity
Fast pace evolution - Great stuff happening
Increase adjustment to the vision of society implemented
by the French Revolution: Freedom, Equality, Fraternity
Slow pace evolution
Increase scarcity: energy and resources
Increase population and consumption rates
Fast pace degradations
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

15. Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Cosmetics in the United States 8
Ice cream in Europe 11
Perfumes in Europe and the
United States
12
Pet foods in Europe and the
United States
17
Business entertainment in
Japan
35
Cigarettes in Europe 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105
Narcotics drugs in the world 400
Military spending in the world 780
Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Basic education for all 6
Water and sanitation for all 9
Reproductive health for all women 12
Basic health and nutrition 13
DYSFUNCTIONAL MODEL
Were are we spending our money?
(Source: The state of human development, United Nations Human Development Report 1998, Chapter 1, p.37)M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

16. HOWTHOSE ITEMS CONTRIBUTES FOR
OUR WELLBEING?
Wellbeing variable measured
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

17. •Beyond ecological limits
•Beyond Peak Oil
•Warming of climate
•Increases in global population
•Globalisation of markets
•Ongoing inequities
•Short-termism
Policies,
Legislations
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
Financial
Main stream
economics
perspective
Life-Style
options
Resources: energy,
material
Labour,
intelligence,
ingenuity
ENVIRONMENT
As an “outside agent”
TECHNOLOGY
STUFF to serve
life-styles
WHY?
Workforce and
consumption
As an instrument
Frame needs
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4 Ref: Monteiro de Barros, Margarida; 2011

18. Policies,
Legislations
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
Financial
Main stream
economics
perspective
Life-Style
options
Resources: energy,
material
ENVIRONMENT
As an “outside agent”
STUFF to serve
life-styles
NATURE
Natural limits to growth
Opens other opportunities
HUMAN
ECONOMY
Establishes a value-
system models for
the society we
want to live in
TECHNOLOGY
Create artificial systems
with healthy metabolisms:
tangible or not
Conceptualises a society we
want to live in within limits to
growth
WE NEEDTO DESIGN
THISTRANSITION
Workforce and
consumption
Labour,
intelligence,
ingenuity
TECHNOLOGY
As an instrument
Frame needs
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4 Ref: Monteiro de Barros, 2012

19. HOWTO CREATETHIS
TRANSTION?
DESIGN ENGINEERING
From a social science
perspective
From an exact science
perspective
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

20. HOWTO CREATETHIS
TRANSTION?
output
Reduce Unsustainability
Current
QUESTENING
While a product unit’s environment attributes may increase, with a growing global
consumption rate of products, business and design activity still results in a net increase in
resource use.
(Roy, 2000)
Create sustainability
DIFFERENT QUESTION LEVEL
Questions regarding what society we want to live in
What do we value
input
Different outputs
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
Ref: Monteiro de Barros, Margarida; 2011

21. J Ehrenfeld Beyond Sustainability – a Manifest
http://www.worksavvy.ws/BeyondSustainability.pdf
THE CHALLENGE OF
DESIGN
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

22. “…challenges that organizations have to face, communities have to face can not be solved
by creating more products, services, experiences even from an human-centric approach.
CREATING PRODUCTS IS USUALLY THE SOLUTION TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT HUMANS IN
THE XXI CENTURY DON´T HAVE”
VanPatter, G.K., 2009, March – free translation

23. DESIGN 1.0 ARTEFACTS COMMUNICATION & ATTRIBUTES
DESIGN 2.0 PRODUCTS & SERVICES
DESIGN = PROBLEM SOLVER
Processes, skills
and competencies
related to tangible
results
Processes, skills
and competencies
related to non-
tangible results
THE ROLE OF DESIGN
DESIGN 3.0 ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION
- BOUNDED BY THE ORGANISATION AND BUSINESS STRATEGY
DESIGN 4.0 SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
- COMPLEX, NOT BOUNDED
TRADITIONAL VIEW OF DESIGN
CURRENT VIEW OF DESIGN
Also known as DESIGN THINKING
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

24. DESIGNTHINKING?
“… design thinking is perhaps more readily identified with the thought
process associated with the creation of such things than with the
deliverables themselves.”
(Wylant, 2009:4)
CREATING SCENARIOS AND SPECULATE INTERVENTIONS TO CONSIDER AND
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS INVOLVED
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

25. EXAMPLE
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

26. Scenarios of sustainable living everyday
EXAMPLE
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

27. Scenarios for sustainable food delivery
EXAMPLE
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014

28. • Co-operative, co-creative and collaborative
• Agent / Half transformation
• Approach to understanding the indeterminate problems
• Not associated exclusively to the field of Design
• Tangible and intangible results
DESIGNTHINKING
CHARACTERISTIC
DESIGN ADOPTSTHESE DESIGNTHINKING CHARACTERISTICSTO CREATE
SUSTAINABILITY RATHERTHAN DIMINISHING UNSUSTAINABILITY
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

29. BUT DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT ONLY ABOUT
(1) CHARACTERISTICS ANDTHE ABILITYTO (2) INTERVENE BEYOND
PRODUCTS
IT IS ALSO ABOUTTHE (3) SCALE OF ACTION
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

30. THE POTENTIAL OF DESIGN
And its use for
sustainability
Market System
Organisational System
Products
Services
Products & Services Systems
Outputs
Economic System
Social System
Governance System
Human System (Ethos + values system)
Natural system
Organisational System
Products
Human System
Overview of Design Thinking as value creation
Related to innovation culture
Mix between tangible and intangible results
Expansion of the product development process to other problems
Participatory process involving stakeholders as co-designers
Tangible results
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY should focus at the scale of Human
systems aiming for intervention in socio-ecological systems
Monteiro de Barros, Margarida 2011. Creating Sustainability: An exploration of Innovation Through
Dialogues. Ph.D thesis, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Loughborough University. UK:461

31. DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND
INNOVATION
GROWTH
Create and adopt to new knowledge
A
EXHAUSTION
Difficulty to engage with change: inertia
Use of adequate knowledge
B
REGENERATION
Correction, reformulation and redefinition of the model
Investment in knowledge
D
REVIEW
Look for alternative models
Difficulty in adapt. Use of inappropriate knowledge
C
Traditional view of innovation:
provoke a transition for a
regenerative cycle within the same
paradigm of current economic model
And value-system
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

32. Evolutionary Fractal Leaps:
defies the view of chronological events and are provoked by
turbulence
Nottale, L., 2007 - astrophysicist
Traditional view of innovation:
increase competitiveness in business
and industry
(A) DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Needs to design interventions
to break current cultural paradigm of
growth embedded in business-as-usual
Breakingparadigm
Creating an evolutionary LEAP = paradigm
change embracing sustainability values –
cultural change ***
INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD
FOCUS ON CONNECTING THE NEW CULTURAL
PARADIGM (INPUT) WITH NEW PROCESSES
AND OUTPUTS
MARGARIDAMONTEIRODEBARROS|6thofNovember,2014
Ref: Innovation For Sustainability
Monteiro de Barros & Dewberry, 2008
Ref: inspired on CDN, Barcelona
Monteiro de Barros, Margarida 2011. Creating Sustainability: An exploration of Innovation Through
Dialogues. Ph.D thesis, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Loughborough University. UK:461

33. (B) DESIGN FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
Needs to create tools,
processes, models and/or
methodologies to generate
artificial systems with healthy
metabolism – new purpose for
technology
Breakingparadigm
Monteiro de Barros, Margarida 2011. Creating Sustainability: An exploration of Innovation Through
Dialogues. Ph.D thesis, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Loughborough University. UK:461

34. KEY POINTS we talked about
TECHNOLOGY RELATES TO ALL THAT WE CREATE (TANGIBLE AND NOT TANGIBLE) AND WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY
CREATING AMAZING THINGS
CURRENTLY, ECONOMY IS TRYING TO SUSTAIN AN DYSFUNCTIONAL MODEL AT THE EXPENSES OF SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
THERE IS A NEED TO START CREATING DIFFERENT VALUE-SYSTEMS (WHAT AND HOW WE VALUE) FOCUS ON SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL
HEALTHY METABOLISMS
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY (DfS) IS STRICTLY RELATED WITH INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY WITH A CENTRAL ROLE OF
PROVOKE A PARADIGM CHANGE - DIFFERENT CULTURAL MODEL
DfS SHOULD FOCUS ON SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND CREATE TOOLS, PROCESSES, MODELS FOR PEOPLE TO REFLECT,
THINK, CREATE, DO AND ACT DIFFERENTLY
M A R G A R I D A M O N T E I R O D E B A R R O S | 6 t h o f N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 4

35. THANKYOU
margaridambarros@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
S e m i n a r p r e s e n t a t i o n f o r :
S e m i n á r i o d e i n o v a ç ã o e d e s e n v o l v i m e n t o s u s t e n t á v e l
I n s t i t u t o S u p e r i o r T é c n i c o | L i s b o a | P o r t u g a l