PETAL INTENT
The intent of the Place Petal is to positively influence how people relate to the natural environment and community that sustains us. It is essential for modern individuals to reconnect with the deep “story” of place, and the unique characteristics found in every community, so that they can be honored, protected and enhanced. In order to have regenerative and resilient communities, we must strengthen the ties between all members of that community, as well as the community’s relationship to the natural world.
The Place Petal articulates where it is acceptable for people to manufacture goods, how to protect and restore a place once it has been developed for manufacturing purposes and why it is important to respect all living species that are native to these places. Moreover, the Place Petal challenges manufacturers to consider how their impact on the local community, economy and ecosystem can function to further connect, strengthen and enrich the places where we make things.
The continued sprawl of development and the growing number of global megalopolises threaten the few wild places that remain. The decentralized nature of our residential communities and industrial zones impedes our capacity to connect not just with one another but also with the products we make, sell and use—all while increasing transportation impacts and pollution. The overly dense urban centers, in turn, crowd out healthy natural systems, isolating culture from a sense of place. As prime land diminishes, more residential and commercial development occurs in sensitive areas that are easily harmed or destroyed. Invasive species threaten ecosystems, which are already weakened by the constant pressure of human encroachment.
IDEAL CONDITIONS + CURRENT LIMITATIONS
The Living Product Challenge envisions an end to the insensitive placement of factories and other manufacturing facilities, and the production of goods that threatens fragile ecosystems, watersheds and species. Instead, we seek a manufacturing sector that conserves the natural resources that support human health and form the foundation for all the products we use. Human behavior is among the most significant barriers to transforming how we make things. A frontier mentality encourages the idea that all natural
resources are up for grabs no matter the use or quantity; ecosystems have an inherently low value unless exploited. However, as attitudes change and previously disturbed areas are restored, the natural world can have a healthy relationship with the built environment and our modern systems of production.
