Thanks for the link. Someone made an interesting comment to me – that prior to European expansion into Africa, the concept of race was based more along cultural/national divides. In other words, the various cultures of Europe identified by culture, religion, history, so on and so forth (think “Irish” or “Catholic” or “Italian”)

As Europeans settled the new world and began to assimilate, there was a shift from segregation based on culture/history, to a segregation based on skin color. While “Italian neighborhoods” and “Jewish Neighborhoods” still existed, Americans looked for a new way to set themselves apart. I’m guessing here, but I’d bet the common challenges of settling a new land unified early European settlers. Labels like “Italian” and “Irish” became less prominent, only to be replaced by a new system of classification: Black vs. White.

In any case, this brief bit of history shows how designations of color, culture, class etc largely function to divide rather than unite people. The title of my essay alludes to this tendency – where the term “white” became a label to designate ALL Europeans and exclude ALL Africans (and hispanics and native Americans and Chinese…so on and so forth).

My point here is that we need to be careful. Let’s not let the term “green” become code for “affluent,” “privileged”, or “elite”

Geoff

Regardless of the price-tag attached to Dwell-showcased design, I draw inspiration from the creativity and functionality within (from form and color to energy-saving design). This combined with a DIY spirit keeps me hopeful for low-cost alternatives that I can use in my own projects.

Have you noticed that increase in demand for eco-friendly design/products has lowered costs? If this is the case, then I would expect consumers of such products to diversify. The success of Wal-Mart suggests that the blue-collar masses give price priority.