What is sustainable Design?

"Sustainable design(also called environmental design, environmentally sustainable design, environmentally-conscious design, etc) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.

The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design".[1] Manifestations of sustainable designs require no non-renewable resources, impact on the environment minimally, and relate people with the natural environment." Source from Wikipedia

"Sustainable design is a kind of design meant to yield products that are made only of renewable resources. Furthermore, products made though sustainable design are intended not to seriously impact the environment either when they are being created or when they are being used. These products are also often designed to allow the users to feel more connected or to relate more closely to the natural environment.
Sustainable design is also called "environmental design" and "environmentally-conscious design." It is also sometimes called "environmentally sustainable design" or "ESD." No matter what it is called, this kind of a design is just as much a philosophy as it is a practice. It is based on economic, ecological, and social principles regarding the importance of sustainability.
Products that are yielded from this kind of design range from the tiny to the massive. A tote bag made of recycled products that is intended to be used instead of paper or plastic bags at the grocery store is an example of sustainable design. While this everyday product is small, when folded up, to fit inside of a purse, it is a perfect example of the philosophy of sustainable design.
Sustainable design can create much, much larger products. In fact, this kind of design can be used to create buildings, even skyscrapers. In fact, it can be used to plan and develop entire cities. Not only can it be applied to civil engineering and architecture, but it can also be applied to landscape architecture.
Some fashion designers have also used the philosophy of sustainable design in their work by producing entire lines of clothing that are made with renewable resources. Interior designers have done the same by using earth-friendly fabrics, wall coverings, and flooring materials in their work. Because of this new trend among fashion and interior designers, many textile companies have begun to market more fabrics made out of renewable resources.
For the past few decades, it has become increasingly clear that it is important to protect the earth and its resources. Many researchers and activists have pointed out that if we reap the earth of all of its resources that we will leave ourselves without a place to live. The philosophy of sustainable design leads to a way of life and products that are used during everyday life that protect the earth and sustain its resources so that it can continue provide humans wth sufficient resources". source from www.wisegeek.com

I just wanted to have a clear defintion of Sustainable Design before I could start the project.