Back in November the winners of the 2013 German Federal Ecodesign Award - the Bundespreis Ecodesign - were announced at a slightly less than glittering ceremony in Berlin. In February 2014 an exhibition featuring the 12 winners and further 19 nominated projects opened in Ludwigsburg. Following a brief stop at the designforum in Vienna the Bundespreis Ecodesign 2013 exhibition is currently being presented at the headquarters of the Umweltbundesamt - the German Federal Environment Agency - in Dessau.
As any fool know, the most ecologically responsible approach to design is of course not to produce things. But given that things in all possible connotations are occasionally necessary, if not desirable: how do we produce them in a sensible, responsible, future-orientated fashion?
Viewing the 2013 Bundespreis Ecodesign exhibition one sees, roughly speaking, four favoured approaches: recycling, new materials and new approaches to energy generation/use. In addition to reducing consumption.
What one also sees is that environmentally responsible design isn't just about protecting the environment but also about increasing social equality and so not only helping extend the length of time that planet Earth is habitable, but making it a planet we want to inhabit.
Insights that make the sparse but very accessible and informative exhibition very easy to recommend
Not that we're suggesting anybody should make a special trip to Dessau to view the exhibition, apart from anything else that would be ecologically irresponsible; however, should you find yourself in Dessau this summer, say visiting Bauhaus Dessau or the exhibition Unter Zwischen im Ampelhaus in Oranienbaum, the Umweltbundesamt is next door to Dessau train station and it is well worth investing the time for a visit. For everybody else, all nominated and winning projects can be viewed on-line at www.bundespreis-ecodesign.de
The Bundespreis Ecodesign 2013 Exhibition can be viewed in the foyer of the Umweltbundesamt, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau until Sunday August 24th. Entrance is free.
