This book introduces two sustainable methods, one is ecological sustainability, and the other is technological sustainability. Ecological sustainability mainly focuses on solving specific ecological problems. And technological sustainability mainly focuses on management and the operation of society.
The author emphasized the value of local knowledge and its importance in ecological design. Because local knowledge is applicable to specific information such as climate, geology, biology, etc., respecting local culture can help us reduce damage to the ecological environment in most cases.
At the same time, the article also mentions an interesting point. Ecological diversity and cultural diversity are closely linked. Ecological diversity provides the soil for cultural development, while cultural diversity consolidates ecological diversity. The popularity of compost toilets mentioned in the article is a good example. Compost toilets were not only popular in rural areas of the United States and Europe, but also in many rural areas of China in the last century, there were only compost toilets. Although it can handle people’s excrement and produce gas and fertilizers, its user experience is really terrible. I have used it before, and the stench inside is unbearable in the summer.
I came up with an ecological design related to my life. When I was traveling in the mountainous areas of southwestern China, the local residences left a deep impression on me. This type of building is called a stilted building (as shown in the far right picture above). Because the local area is extremely humid and there are many poisonous snakes and insects, residents will use bamboo poles to support the buildings. Then local residents will surround the first floor with a circle of bamboo walls and raise livestock inside.
This design fully conforms to the first principle of ecological design, and the answer comes from the place. However, due to limitations of the times, these designs did not comply with the second principle, and ecological accounting relied on information for design. However, the daily activities of local residents have had little impact on the local environment. At the same time, these buildings are built according to water and incorporate natural landscapes, so they comply with the third principle of ecological design. This architectural form is actually a summary of the local residents’ architectural techniques, so it conforms to the fourth principle of architectural design, where everyone is a designer. This architectural form is willing to communicate with nature, for example, people can interact with nature through rows of windows, so it conforms to the fifth principle of ecological design, making nature visible.
In addition, the research methods mentioned by the author are also worthy of our reference. The article mentions an example where a group of mathematicians once studied how long the coastline of England was. They used Koch curve to fractal the coastline. Through this method, they have calculated various details of the coastline, such as a straight line on the map that, when zoomed in, you can discover that it may be a peninsula or composed of many different ports, alluvial fans, and hills.
This method can effectively help us calculate natural resources. Then, we can overlay a Cartesian grid on top and record human activities on the grid. By using mathematical methods to calculate the natural capacity and pollution generated by human activities, we can more accurately identify where the environment urgently needs our protection. Meanwhile, through this method, we can also better understand how closely humans are connected to nature.
So, ecological design needs to break the singularity of thinking and start from the relationship between humans and the ecological environment.
reference：
1.Ecological_Design_Book_Ryn and Cowan
2.On the cultural value orientation of Tujia stilted buildings; XiangLong, LongXiangping
* Picture 1-3 is from search engine, Picture 4 is taken by me, Picture 5-6 is from bibliography, Picture 7 is from search engine
