The 11th Hour

An interesting discovery that i made whilst watching was that almost seventy countries in the world no longer have their original forests. The forests are being cut down at a very rapid rate as our population increases exponentially. Another insight i got from the film was that almost all scientists agree that there are negative effects happening to the planet. The major prevention for a global positive change is the world’s politicians, who do not all agree that there is a major issue.

Prior to watching this film i was not fully aware of the environmental impact that has been caused by humans over the years. This film is a real eye opener for designers especially, since we are responsible for what consumers buy and use. I began to realise that there are many solutions to the environmental troubles and that if we have a more sustainable approach to design, the world will change significantly. I think a lot of young designers will hear the facts from the film and begin to realise the importance of being sustainable and environmentally friendly. I believe the insight that i got from the film will alter my outlook and make me pay more attention to the environmental aspects of my future designs.

1) An important message which is also one of the biggest misunderstandings in the world today is that we are part of nature and not separate in any way, this uncertainty is the biggest cause of destruction in the world.

2)  There are many solutions in nature that can alleviate this effect; the biggest source of energy on the planet is the sun. The sun produces enough energy every single day to power every factory, home, car on earth thousands of times over. We must start avoiding the use of fossil fuels and oil and look to nature for solutions to the big problems.

3) The biggest and most important message that i got from the film was that we need to shift our attitude and be aware of what’s happening, there are companies already that are designing more environmentally sustainable auto mobiles  houses and buildings. I think as Industrial Designers we need to slowly but surely change our frame of mind to a more optimistic one and take into consideration what nature has to offer and what we can discover from it.

If i had the power to be able to spread this film around the world, i would. I think all design students and designers need to know the importance of this film and the message it portrays. We need to be more cautious about our actions on earth and the current problem that is affecting the earth.