Speculative Scenario of Public Products and Services Enhancing Nature Connectedness
When in contact with nature, we sometimes feel connected to it, we respect it and we are determined to protect it, this particular feeling and awareness is called ‘Nature Connectedness’ and it can significantly increase vitality, promote positive emotions and increase life satisfaction.
Based on literature research on the connotation, pathways, and measurements of NC and field research on the current state of citizen interaction with urban nature and analysis of propaganda promoting new values, this project speculatively designs a set of public products and services enhancing NC in a possible future Eco-city, comprising three products, which follow different pathways to enhance NC, and an accompanying online service platform, which prompts citizens to think about an alternative way of interacting with nature, and creating possible, pioneering ‘eco-products’ for the ‘eco-industrialization’ of China’s Ecological Civilization strategy.
The first device, Meanter, is a small printer that looks like a pendant. While wearing it, citizens are encouraged to speak out the name of a natural element and the printer prints out related poems, stories and artworks. Following pathways of meaning and contact to enhance NC, the printer presents how nature brings meaning to lives and the potential meaningful contexts where surrounding natural elements are bathed in.
The second device, Emostener, is a nature sound receiver. It’s an ear-muff-like sound condenser with a little cushion placed on the windowsill. By putting on Emostener and stretching out of the window, people can immerse themselves in the sounds of urban nature for meditation. Following pathways of emotion and contact to enhance NC, Emostener creates a meditative space to comfortably interact with nature, showing how to emotionally connect with nature from the windowsill of one’s home.
The third device, Comparder, is a mobile phone plug-in. Citizens can record nature in need of help and report it to the relevant authorities by pressing its button. The device follows pathways of compassion and contact to enhance NC, and it shows how using a mobile phone can make a difference to nature.
In addition, nature connectedness as a new value may be promoted by policy activities in the future, so the three devices have a public attribute and are paired with an online platform where citizens can request and return the three products when they need to enhance their NC.
Paper
a graduation project by
陆文韬 LU Wentao
A ‘fabricator’, working on intellectual construction and hands-on experiment about nature and culture.
luwentao17piapi@gmail.com