Talk about sustainability early on.

Sustainability needs to be highlighted before the real work begins, to avoid having to retrofit and post-rationalise later on. Before the very first meeting, it could help to do an audit of the client’s sustainability history - the goal here is not to judge or criticise, but to give the team a realistic understanding of where their client’s business is at. Sustainability should be discussed during project kick offs (internally, and with the client). This is the time to set some targets and goals for running a sustainable project.

It’s better to pick a sustainable idea from the start than fix it later.

Apart from very few exceptions, most of our concepts will not be about sustainability itself but instead have other primary goals, e.g. emotion, spectacle and convention-breaking designs that attract and focus attention.

Nonetheless, when sustainability is considered at the earliest stages it becomes possible to guide the design away from unsustainable solutions that rely on heavy power usage, non-renewable/non-reusable materials or unnecessary long distance shipping.

We cannot separate the digital world from the physical one.

Digital computation can seem abstract and ephemeral, but it does have a real-world impact. “Virtual” realities can only exist thanks to the extraction of very real materials, mass manufacturing, global supply chains and electrical energy production. Likewise, the “cloud” is constituted through infrastructure that is very much solid.

Sustainable design thinking can be applied at a systems architecture level, such as carefully considering hosting options for large scale, “always available” online roll-outs. Next in order of importance is optimising both server-side and client-side processing to conserve computing resources.

Prefer local, sustainable and ethically-produced materials.

When building installations we should opt for materials that are made sustainably and that are appropriate for the lifecycle of the project.

Look for sustainable versions of go-to construction materials such as MDF and plywood. Even better, seek out innovative recycled materials, or materials made from unexpected resources, such as mycelium or surfaces made from coffee grinds. Wherever possible, keep an eye out for materials with a positive story to tell that is relevant to the project or the brand.

Minimise non-renewable energy use on site.

The choice of venue often determines the energy mix available onsite, and this choice is sometimes out of our control. Nonetheless, we should be proactive in investigating the energy supply situation for each site. In some cases, it may be possible to select a different venue or propose alternative energy sources. At the very least, we should be able to quantify the expected energy consumption of our project and track its costs (unit cost, and mix of renewable/non-renewable sources).

Once the selection of location(s) is done, we still have work to do. The choice of hardware, and how we use that hardware, can have a big impact on the energy consumption of the installation while it’s running on site.

Minimise shipping and travel, and offset when it can’t be avoided.

The most efficient travel option is not to travel at all. Meetings, presentations and even on-site setup can be done remotely, given the right tools and sufficient preparation. If travel is required, we should avoid the most carbon-intensive options (e.g. air travel) wherever possible.

Shipping of equipment and materials also needs to be considered. The “cheapest” option may have hidden costs if it requires transport over large distances.

As a final measure, we can offer an offset model for environmental impact that cannot be otherwise prevented or mitigated, such as flights and shipping of manufactured products (e.g. electronics). This offset can include contributions to the various certified organisations that we already work with, such as Carbonkiller, Rainforest Alliance, Trees For All, etc.

We can only improve if we can measure our impact.

We need to document and measure the steps and choices made with respect to sustainability throughout each project. This enables us to summarise what we have achieved in the form of a report.

The purpose of the report is to help our clients and ourselves to appreciate where we have made a positive difference, and identify areas where we can improve next time.