ABSTRACT
CHALLENGES TO PRACTICING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN In the disposable culture of the United States, there is a sense that everything used can be discarded. Yet, whatever is discarded continues to exist in our one, closed system. Global warming is an example of the detrimental effect that our lifestyles can have on the environment of a closed system. In the United States, where there are about 70 people per square mile, we can continue to create and expand our landfills. That is not so easy in India and the United Kingdom where there are 700 people per square mile. Europe and China have approximately 400 people per square mile. These enormous differences in population density breed varied approaches to the environment. In the United States, we tend to think of our natural resources, including land, water and forests, as unlimited and disposable.
