Last week, GIGA China invited in the partner of Design Li3 to speak about greening contractors. With a large group of architects and planners in the room (roughly 40), the night was set for an interesting discussion, and GIGA’s highly interactive culture provided just that.
Lily’s speak, contrary to the title, was actually pretty focused on their drive to develop green products, and develop a wider green mindset within their clients and suppliers. Both of which would prove to stoke questions and debate later in the evening.
Of particular interest to me though was how they approached the development of their products in a sustainable way, and how their definition of “green” and “sustainable” went beyond the typical materials (of course they use bamboo):
1) Local Sourcing. For DesignLi3 the idea that designers have a responsibility to find means of locally sourcing materials, and planning for their use, is one of their key messages. That looking locally not only reduces the carbon footprint by reducing the need for transportation, but that it also introduces a level of economic sustainability as sourcing materials locally supports local businesses, which supports local jobs, which support the wider community.
2) Local Identity Working within local traditions and customs is also an important element of their work. To simply import a foreign design is to remove a layer of culture within the community, and it is also a practice that only requires more work when managing contractors.
3) Use Recycled/ Reused materials:Nothing new here, but I liked their comment that you can find potential “anywhere”, and that every object has the potential to be transformed into something new and “useful”
Following the presentation, a spirited debate ensured where a lot of questions on local capacity, empathy, and next steps were thrown out. there were some important questions asked about just how useful the efforts of “those that care” were when the profit motive was so strong, and when the message of sustainability is still largely a “foreign”one.