Page - 132 - in Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies - Conference Proceedings of the 17th STS Conference Graz 2018

This is a different approach than trying to reduce the environmental impact, which is usually the starting point for ecodesign. With just reducing the impact, system level is not abandoned, while a change in system structure is needed to achieve a better sustainable solution. A change in systems structure is for example to include material cycles, that means to change from linear to a cyclical system. The kind of mental model with which a designer approaches his task was observed to make a prominent difference in results (De Pauw et al. 2014). As an important reason it is discussed that with applying these principles, designers address environmental sustainability at a systems level (De Pauw 2015, 200). Students with a design task following biomimicry or Cradle to Cradle design principles considered solutions with a wider systemic perspective and a wider solution space then students following ecodesign rules, and developed more extraordinary designs and included new product functions (De Pauw 2015, 182). Applying biomimicry and C2C principles thus supports to adopt a systems approach and achieve sustainability, as de Pauw found out (De Pauw 2015, 168). The positive footprint is especially important to bring in social aspects and biodiversity. Especially biodiversity is an aspect which is usually not considered during design, and is also not considered using the LCA, put can be addressed by using the concept of the positive footprint. Biodiversity is also included in the third principle of Cradle to Cradle: “celebrate diversity”. It gets into view when the whole system (including material origin, production processes and reuse phase) is considered. It helps to shift attitudes regarding the importance of biological systems. This principle though is hard to translate into design or formulate a design goal from it, as Feldbacher found out in her master thesis (Feldbacher 2016, 71), especially because there are no tools available. It is a special problem that there are not many best- practice examples to show how to include Biodiversity and to translate the principle “celebrate diversity” in product design. For architecture there are several beautiful examples, though, for example the WWF Building in Zeist by Thomas Rau (Hannemann 2010) or the concept of Animal Aided Design (Hauck & Weisser 2015). Tools for teaching the positive footprint In the following, several tools and methods to teach the positive footprint are discussed that have been applied in circular design classes as well as results, on the basis of student lectures given to newcomers in sustainable design and students with prior knowledge in ecodesign in comparison. Special attention deserves the teaching of all three Cradle to Cradle principles (1. Everything is a resource for something else , 2. Use clean and renewable energy, 3. Celebrate diversity). Young designers have to learn to use these principles as equal important and to consider all three in their design projects. It is necessary to insist in the projects that students learn to widen the perspective also on topics of which they have thought so far are out of the responsibility of a designer. Otherwise designers tend to selectively apply the design principles they like or consider useful, and skip those that they think are out of the scope of their influence, which was also observed by de Pauw (De Pauw 2015, 196). Selectively applying of the C2C principles is common practice, but does not lead to high innovative developments or a positive footprint. Students have to learn about the core ecological concepts (Stone & Barlow 2005), to understand what are the basics of ecosystem functioning. To make something beneficial for the environment, one first has to have a minimum understanding what this could be and to teach 132