Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2013

DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR

GREEN ERGONOMICS

Andrew Thatcher

1

, Gabriel Garcia-Acosta

2,3

&

Karen Lange Morales

2,4

1

Psychology Department, University of the Witwatersrand,

South Africa

2

School of Industrial Design,

Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia

3

Centre de Disseny d’Equips Industrials,

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain

4

Institute of Ergonomics, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

This paper provides an outline of the green ergonomics approach

and the relationship between green ergonomics and human factors

for sustainable development. Green ergonomics is based on ergo-

ecology, the broader multidisciplinary field. Four design principles

for greenergonomicsbased on ecologicaland ergonomics science are

proposed and introduced. The principles explained are: (1) evalua-

tion, design and innovation for eco-efficiency, eco-effectiveness, and

eco-productivity; (2) evaluation, design, and innovation consistent

with ecological resilience; (3) evaluation, design and innovation for

indigenous/vernacular solutions; and (4) acknowledge how natural

systems value “design”.

Introduction

Given the large and growing number of ecological crises, and humanitarian and

economic catastrophes it is important to understand how ergonomics might con-

tribute to the long-term survival of all life on our planet. The area of ergonomics that

is currently gaining attention in this regard is sustainable development and human

factors (Steimle and Zink; 2006). Steimle and Zink (2006) drew on a combination

of Brundlandt’s (1987) definition of sustainable development, Elkington’s (1998)

notion of the “triple bottom line” (TBL), and Docherty et al.’s (2002) concept of

sustainable work systems as the theoretical background. TheTBL approach encour-

ages people to think in terms of a balance between three types of capital (economic,

social, and natural capital) in order to attain sustainability. Sustainable work sys-

tems refer to work that meets the physical, physiological and psychological limits

of human functioning while still allowing sufficient rejuvenation opportunities (i.e.

recreation and rest) to recover. More recently, ergoecolog y (Garcia-Acosta et al.,

iFirst) has been proposed as a multidisciplinary field for developing more compre-

hensive approaches to intervene in socio-technical systems (the built environment)

in relation to ecosystems (the natural environment). The term green ergonomics

(Thatcher, iFirst) has been suggested to explore the synergies between human work

http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/b13826-69

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320 A. Thatcher, G. Garcia-Acosta & K.L. Morales

Figure 1. Bi-directional relationships for green ergonomics

systems and the natural environment. Green ergonomics is a component of sus-

tainable development and human factors within the multidisciplinary framework

of ergoecology.

Green ergonomics defined

Green ergonomics is concerned with ensuring human and natural system wellbeing

through understanding the bi-directional relationships between natural systems and

humansystems(as showninFigure1). Natural systems providearangeof ecological

services (Daily, 1997) that provide sustenance and resources that enable human

wellbeing and health whereas humans require a conservation ethic to ensure the

preservation and restoration of natural environments. The ecological crises alluded

to in the introduction produce environmental conditions that are not conducive to

human health and wellbeing and have been linked to a range of human health and

social upheaval impacts (Pimentel et al., 2007).

Green ergonomics plays a role on the one side of the relationship in the conservation

and preservation of natural systems and, more actively, the restoration of natural

systems. These activities are meant to ensure that ecological services continue to

provide environments conducive to human wellbeing and health. On the other side

of the relationship, natural systems provide a range of services that can by harvested

byhumans for a range of human benefits. From the perspective of ergonomics, such

benefits might include the design of work-rest cycles, biomimetic or sustainable

bionic designs, and creativity benefits. See Thatcher (iFirst) and Hanson (in press)

for more detailed examples.