The Ups and Downs of Sustainable Design Thinking....

It's only day three in Nepal and I have already been though so many waves of emotion, so many learning curves and ups and downs regarding the project and my intentions for it. I've asked questions, I've had questions answered, and then asked some more...

I teach sustainable design in Sydney and recently taught a co-lab class on social enterprise design to 14 students from Sri Lanka and 14 students from Sydney. I like to think I am fairly well versed on the pros and cons of sustainable design and the ethical questions raised in producing goods and employing staff.  My prime intention in coming to Nepal was to see if my project really was contributing benefits to the people employed by the program, how did I know that there wasn't someone at the top giving themselves a big pay cut? And was giving the happy soulful people of Nepal work really what they needed - wasn't that just inflicting them with the same consumer-led disease that has consumed the West?

Well after taking to lots of people with different experiences today I had many of my questions answered, and while I am sure that isn't the end of the questions I can happily say that Live Softly is going ahead with renewed vigour and good intention. So let me explain to you a little of my thought process over the past three days...