Sustainability and Design Ethics, Second Edition

Sustainability as a concept remains just as challenging and important today as it was when the first edition of this book was published. The Second Edition of Sustainability and Design Ethics explores the ethical obligations of knowledgeable people such as design professionals, taking into consideration the numerous changes that have taken place in recent years. This book expands the growing discussion on the principles of sustainability to further include the role of businesses and governments and considers the general recognition that modern society has occurred at the expense of nature with significant social and environmental impacts.

Are there limits to the individual’s ethical obligation? How do such obligations change or adapt to a world of sustainable design? As the shift toward sustainability proceeds, designers’ ethical underpinnings will be confronted with a wider range of people and concerns whose interests must be weighed. The design professionals are likely to be among the lead in the shift toward sustainability because of the special knowledge and expertise provided to them by their education, experience, and distinctive position in society. The entire world of design is being reassessed and the guiding principles and ethics of design reflect this change.

New to the Second Edition:

• Expanded international scope that includes a comparison of professional organizations in the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and China
• Discusses how cultural differences between the West and China result in different underlying foundations for professional ethics
• Revised analyses to reflect changes in regulatory and technical areas such as the inevitable rise of artificial intelligence in design
• Updated arguments reflecting the need for sustainability and the designer's role and obligations
• Updated references pertaining to the progress of sustainable design and development

Sustainability and Design Ethics, Second Edition is an attempt to explore the ideas and principles that might contribute to the thinking of thoughtful design professionals. The emergence of "green" design discussed in this book is used to evidence progress, but also to demonstrate the degree to which more is needed.

Jean Russ is a professor of environmental technology at the College of Southern Maryland and an adjunct member of the faculty at the University of Maryland University College. Russ has worked in management positions in manufacturing and design/engineering consulting firms, including as a principal in two firms. Her professional accomplishments include the design and management of environmental cleanups on manufacturing sites, the assessment and design of brownfield cleanup projects, and restoration planning and design for disturbed sites. She has also been the project manager or principal in charge of more than 60 land development projects of various sizes.Since becoming a full-time educator, Russ has developed and taught the environmental technology and environmental management curricula for the College of Southern Maryland. Russ is a licensed landscape architect and has served in a variety of roles in professional organizations, including the American Society of Landscape Architects, National Association of Environmental Professionals, Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the Maryland Consulting Engineers Council.