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What does this have to do with environmental technologies? Well, through several recent studies, it has been revealed that amidst the recent concern for the environment and mitigating the effects of global climate change, consumers are more willing to invest in cars and technologies to showcase that they are being environmentally sensitive. Think of it as the “Prius Effect.” The Prius is the clearest example of this phenomenon – multiple studies have shown that there are other cars that are equal in sustainable benchmarks, such as the Toyota Camry Hybrid, but still the Prius claims approximately half of the hybrid car market. The Prius out sells all of the other cars for one primary reason – it looks like a hybrid car.
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On one hand, it’s very discouraging to know that a technology is being misused. Yet seen in another light, this has interesting implications moving forward. If the environmentally conscious consumer wishes to display their “green-ness,” what if there was a way to design and group appropriate technologies so that they are made more visible? What if sustainable technologies were integrated into the design and became completely revealed for all to see? What if we celebrated these technologies rather than trying to hide them within our traditional design language? This way, a homeowner could proudly show their latest sustainable gadgetry, and gain the maximum amount of benefit from it, both economically and environmentally. It would be fascinating to see how talented designers can come up with creative solutions that push this idea further.