Leslie Langnau
October 01st, 2007.
One of the advantages editors have at a show is the opportunity to see the industry as a whole. By focusing on the bigger picture, rather than on one company, one product, or one aspect of an industry, we hope to provide information that may help you in your decision making.
–Many conversations with exhibitors at the National Design Show in Chicago last week (Sept 25-27) revolved around “green,” or “sustainable” design, the terms now being used to describe products that minimally affect the planet from “cradle to grave.” U.S. exhibitors see the move towards such practice on the horizon, but few have made large efforts in that direction.
While “green” is desirable, some question whether you can really develop such products. For example, one term used in the designing community is “carbon neutral.” As Dr. Gerhard Antony, President of Neugart noted, “how do you determine the carbon effect of your product, especially when you factor in the manufacturing process, not just the design of the product itself? U.S. industry is at the beginning of this trend and has a long way to go to answer such questions. But it is something designers will be facing if they are not already facing it in product design. (more…)
1 Comment
Leslie Langnau ::
Managing Editor
Leslie has been a professional writer for more than 25 years.With a BS in Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, she began her career with Allen-Bradley Co., working in the CNC division as an analyst of industrial machine controls and
systems. Her writing has focused on the design and physics behind equipment, systems and controls, as well as on the strategies and processes needed to produce and most efficiently use such equipment.
