IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

To plan for the future, designers must consider what is meaningful to emerging generations – that of Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. As the stakeholders of the planet’s future, these demographics value environmental conservation, truth, social justice, equity, and freedom of self-expression, and they champion sustainable consumption. For these generations, the environmental movement needs to become more inclusive and intersectional, where sustainability, gender fluidity, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are at the center of environmental activism and designed experiences. Emerging in the mid-1970s, Ecofeminism, coined by Françoise d’Eaubonne, is a philosophical and political movement that combines ecological concerns with feminist ones. Intersectionality, coined in 1989 by Kimberle Crenshaw, speaks to the interconnected nature of race, gender, class, and specifically sought to reveal the oppression of African American women. Intersectionality expands the definition of Ecofeminism and shows how an individual may face multiple types of overlapping discrimination simultaneously. Historically, gender identity influences people’s considerations toward sustainable behaviors, placing women at the forefront of conscious consumerism. However, as younger generations begin to dismantle gender norms, they are more likely to embrace sustainable practices regardless of biological sex. As gender norms defined by society fall to the wayside, younger generations seek to shift societal perceptions through their self-expression, consumer behaviors, fashion, and activism. This paper will examine the history of ecofeminism and intersectionality as it relates to generational attitudes towards sustainability to shape the future of design to be more sustainable and inclusive.