WS 7 Imagining the Future p. 535 Paul DiStefano

This article brings up a very interesting topic, “hope.” We all know that things are bad and that we need to do something, but not many of us actually do anything. We think that these problems are too big for us and that there is no way we can make a difference. This is the wrong way to think. If everyone does his or her part, it is not just one person making a difference; it is the world making a difference. When we just hope for a better future nothing happens. We just sit back and pray that a higher power will come save the day, when it is us that has to do the saving. It is good to imagine and hope that our future will work its way out, but it’s the action that actually does something.

WS 6 A Personal Action Plan p. 513 Paul DiStefano

I thought this article was very well written. It explains that obviously not everyone is an environmentalist. That most people have their plan and that they know who they are and what they want to do. People have their jobs and their interests and that is what is important, but if you become the “environment aware” version of that person, then we will all take a step in the right direction. Being conscious is what is needed in order to change the world, not becoming an environmentalist. All we need to do is make “changing the way we live” a part of our plan, and doing the small stuff that no one thinks will help, and we will be on our way to a better future.

WS 5 Landmines p. 218 Paul DiStefano

This article has really made me aware of how terrible landmines are. Obviously they are terrible because of how deadly they are, but they do much more to the world in general. They only cost about three dollars to make and kill over a thousand people a month. There are still about forty five million still scattered worldwide. They tear apart our planet and are extremely expensive to have removed. No matter what, these landmines are doing harm to the earth, even if they never go off. They are one of the worst things ever created and the only way to truly get rid of them is to design a way to remove them with less destruction to land and our wallets.

WS 4 Landscaping p. 198 Paul DiStefano

This article was very interesting to me. It explained that lawns are absolutely pointless and that we should change the way we think about landscaping. Lawns are an endless cycle of fertilizing, watering, and energy, and serve almost no point in our lives. They have almost nothing to do with nature and are a waste of time and energy. We are wasting space, and money on an area that could be put to good, helpful, and productive use. It would be much more purposeful if we were putting that effort into maintaining a garden, or anything else that would actually make a difference. Unlike a boring lawn that serves almost no purpose except that we think it looks good.

WS 3 Biomimicry p. 99 Paul DiStefano

With technology being as big as it is these days, and will be in the future, artists have really stepped away from nature. Long ago nature had a much bigger role in artist’s work. Using much scenery and use of outdoor space, you can tell that nature was one of the biggest inspirations for artwork. Times have changed however, and with much more focus on computer graphics, design, and technology, nature has lost touch with much art. I believe that even with technology in the rise, nature should still have a bigger impact in our artwork and in our lives. Our land did not form to us, but we formed the land. We did not change to fit our surroundings, but we fit it to us. Our land is much more important to us than many stop to think about. It is the reason why we are alive and even able to create new technology. We cannot continue to ignore how we are treating our planet. If nature played the same role it did many years ago, today, then maybe people will realize what’s going on and make a difference.

WS 2 Art Meets Technology p. 96 Paul DiStefano

Artists are designing the future, and as technology advances, artists have the responsibility to design in an environmental friendly way. This is a very important statement that I believe all artists have to realize. With technology souring in the art field, many of us have turned away from our environment. The world is becoming all about “faster, smaller, and smarter,” and as designers, we are required to think that way. However, when thinking this way, we have to still be conscious of our future. What will happen tomorrow? Or what will happen twenty years from now? These are questions we have to ask ourselves in order to be positive contributors to our world.

WS 1 Questioning Consumption p. 32 Paul DiStefano

This article addresses the points that we talk much about in lecture, and that is consumption. As Americans we have always been about “stuff.” We think that the more “stuff” we have, the more successful we are. This is a way of life that we have to break away from. We are at the point where our world is getting smaller and smaller and the only way to keep from destroying it, is to consume less. Consuming is obviously very important and we need to do it in order to survive, but we have to know when we are consuming too much. We have to consume only the amount that we need, and less of what we want.