UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND PRODUCTS: SOME INSIGHTS INTO ECOLUXURY DESIGN.

Abstract

The study presents a conceptual framework for sustainable goods relative to their environmental aspects. The fundamental theoretical perspective chosen for the present project views the phenomenon of sustainable development and environmentally sound design in the light of Karl Popper’s thinking. The thinking has led us to distinguish two paradigms of environmentally sound design, which define the phenomenon of sustainability on the level of form and content. In between the two main approaches of Finnish hunting pursuits there is now emerging a new form of outdoor-culture. In the new culture, the traditions of trekking in the wilderness are melding with the modern and post-modern conceptions of technological thinking. From the perspective of sustainable design this fusion will create new sensible contexts for health-promoting activities such as skiing and Nordic walking. The data indicates that sustainable design is a far more multilayered phenomenon than products made of re-usable materials and decisions not to consume conspicuously.