I came across this dire paragraph at work recently:
The policy requires that we deliver sustainable solutions across our activities by evolving our multidisciplinary approach, developing our technical expertise and building on our track record of delivery.
What… the… Hell… does that mean? It’s supposed to explain how “sustainability” is to be addressed by the designers (we are an engineering consultancy), but it tells you nothing about the concept of sustainability or any concrete information about what it would entail in practice.
In contrast to that, last week I noticed a memo on a colleague’s desk entitled “Sustainability as sartorial style”. This compared the whole building design process to choosing an outfit. The underwear is the ground engineering, the fabric is the structure, the architecture is the flamboyant shirt. The sustainability of the design, however, is NOT the accessories, the cufflinks and watch; it is the style, the overall look. This is a way of saying that you can’t do the whole design (put all the clothes on) and then add sustainability at the end – it has to be a conscious part of the decision making from the start, and will affect all the choices you make. It was simple, understandable, and memorable. I can’t think of a better description of good writing than that.
Posted by Pete Collins 
