Sustainable Lens: A Visual Guide

Sustainable Lens traces the development of sustainability through its representation in diagrams. Sustainable Lens presents a model for seeing the world through a sustainability-driven perspective. Sustainable Lens is laid out in such a way that it can be read from cover-to-cover or opened at a particular page or diagram that draws your interest. The diagrams are featured on the right-hand side so as to celebrate their elegance. Sustainable Lens will act as a source book for those involved in communicating sustainability (including designers, teachers, scientists, policy makers) and others who seek insights about the concept and practice of sustainability. We started with a visualisation challenge. We finish with a bigger challenge. As you go about your life, stop occasionally, put up a frame (thumbs and fingers work well), and ask yourself how much difference you could make by seeing this scene through a Sustainable Lens?

Samuel Mann teaches computing and design at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is responsible for the development of Education for Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic where they are committed to every graduate thinking and acting as a sustainable practitioner. This initiative recently won the ITPNZ Award for Excellence in Education for a Global Role. In 2009 Sam was the Beeby Fellow for his work in Education for Sustainability. He represented New Zealand at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development. Sam’s previous book “The Green Graduate”, subtitled “Educating Every Student as a Sustainable Practitioner”, sets out a framework for integrating sustainability into every course of study. Sam has published over 150 conference and journal papers in the fields of augmented experiences; sustainability; and computer education. Sam is working in to develop strategies, practices and resources for every area of practice to contribute positively to a sustainable future. He and his students work on systems that harness the power of technology to help engage people with information: the goal is to make the computer invisible and to instead focus on promoting engaging experiences. Sam earned a PhD from the University of Otago. You can read his blog at http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com or listen to his weekly radio show at http://sustainablelens.org