A new book by Nathan Shedroff called Design Is The Problem is beginning to get attention in the design world (more specifically with younger designers). But while the title was obviously chosen to sell the book, the subtitle “The Future of Design Must be Sustainable,” tells you more about Shedroff’s message.

As Shedroff explains in an interview for Core 77, the title was designed to engage “designers who aren’t yet ready to talk about sustainability.” He wants to encourage them to at least join in the conversation, and ultimately hopes to be able to change the landscape of some status quo design thinking. Shedroff says, “Designers need to take a larger, systems-perspective to their work and to the world and a book like, Sustainable Design for Dummies, isn’t going to challenge their mindsets.”

It’s a nice interview with some juicy quotes like “sustainability isn’t merely a few more things to add to the design checklist,” and “This is the first realization that many people come to when learning about Sustainability: that it’s not just about the environment.”

The point of the book seems to be that we need to start thinking about design and sustainability as being interchangeable – and we can if we organize our systems so that the actions of one doesn’t cancel out the actions of another. And if this new process is clearly explained in a way that the average person can connect design and sustainability decisions in their own lives back to the larger production system we’ll be able to quickly make sustainability more than just a moral hammer.

The interview is highly recommended reading and they also provide a link to purchase the book at 15% off. Read at Core 77.