NEW YORK, NY - October 29, 2007 /PRNewswire/ In an exclusive interview with DESIGN 21, a Felissimo-UNESCO initiative that promotes better design for the greater good, world-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs discusses how the design industry can make a difference.

Sachs says, "Designers are the key to showing how to mobilize cutting-edge technologies, new materials, and new approaches to older materials and technologies, in order to solve problems such as clean water, safe cook stoves, low-cost housing, internet connectivity for the poor, safe methods of delivery of medicines and vaccines (such as safe syringes), and much more"¦Once these are proved, then they can be taken to scale through a combination of market incentives, development assistance and large-scale philanthropic efforts."

In the DESIGN 21 interview, Sachs cites the anti-malaria bed net as an example of an effective design solution implemented in regions of extreme poverty.

"Scientists have shown in the past 20 years that a simple bed net, treated with an insecticide, can protect communities from the ravages of malaria"¦With excellent design and engineering, a major problem has been solved in the past decade. Instead of needing to 'retreat' the nets with insecticide every few months as in the past, new 'long-lasting insecticide-treated nets' last for five years. This is a design and engineering triumph"¦that will contribute to saving millions of lives in the future. Design breakthroughs will play similar roles in many other areas, including food production, preparation and storage, energy supplies, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and connectivity of remote communities to the rest of the region and world."

When asked how design can help disaster relief efforts, such as the California wildfires and Hurricane Katrina, Sachs says: "the key for designers is to understand the real needs of particular communities...I recommend that all who are interested in these activities to make a special effort to understand the local ecologies and economies of the poor, in different parts of the world. Much of success will come from taking general solutions (in energy, water, food, shelter and more) and applying those general lessons in ways that are socially and ecologically appropriate and urgent."

To see the full interview, visit www.design21sdn.com.

DESIGN 21: Social Design Network

DESIGN 21: Social Design Network

DESIGN 21: Social Design Network is a joint venture between Felissimo and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. We promote better design for the greater good. Our mission is to inspire social consciousness through design. Through a network of more than 10,000 individuals and 200 organizations, we connect people who want to explore ways that design can positively impact our communities; ways that are thoughtful, informed, creative and responsible.

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