This site has been established to explain and further the idea of sustainments.
Sustainments are carefully designed environments (products, buildings, services, institutions, plans, policies etc) that bring about major cultural changes, promoting and sustaining more sustainable habits and values.
This website can introduce you to the idea of sustainments and give you access to activities undertaken to conceptualise and realise sustainments. There are six main areas to this website:
SUSTAINMENTS introduces you to the idea of sustainments, explaining the philosophy behind the notion and giving you discipline-specific examples. This section of the site also contains our archived newsletter.
PATHFINDING PROJECTS gives you access to a range of research and actions currently being undertaken. There are many opportunities for you to participate in these 'scouting' parties and help map ways toward more sustainable futures.
CHANGE DESIGN is the EDF's student network providing members with forums, research assistance, newsletters and updates.
D|MAT DESIGN enters the debate on Dematerialisation and Sustainable Consumption.This section contains a comprehensive linked bibliography of international publications, links and our D|Mat research papers.
RESOURCES contains Abby Mellick's Design for Sustainability Guide—a groundbreaking resource introducing relational design for sustainments. The Ezio Manzini Pages contain unpublished manuscripts and a linked bibliography of work by Manzini, who we consider one of the most important thinkers in design today. Our links section includes critical reviews on a range of themes. Articles and books written by EDF staff are also available through this section of the website.
EDF provides details about the organisation that runs this website, the EcoDesign Foundation, describing its nature, past and future and those who sustain and are sustained by it.
