So it is clearly not just me.

And this is where the role of illustrators and designers comes in – we could be the most amazing force for instigating change. Done well, design can become all invasive and inspiring. At the moment noone really knows where we will be at or what our lives will be like in the next decade or two, but one thing is certain, things will be different. They have to be. We can decide in advance whether that future looks like, in the words of Future Cities, the "polluted city of a dying world" or a "garden city on a cared-for planet," and if designers can join forces with visionary movements such as Transition Towns then we will be contributing something vital. Part of the problem though is we really have no model for the future, and as the panelists said, sustainability doesn't sound very sexy or appealing to the vast proportion of people – and it is currently only really the guilt-ridden middle classes who are practicing any kind of offset sustainability options, most of which don't really address the key big issues, such as not flying.

Most communication about ecologically sound practices and speculations of what we need to do to alter the future of earth focus either on alarmist doomsday scenarios or the nebulous idea that small actions can make a big difference and technology will take care of the rest.

Now for all those haters and doubters out there, I don't deny that to some extent my magazine pushes new products and more things that we don't really need, but hopefully it is not, for the main, promoting the message of big businesses screaming CONSUME MORE at every turn, when the sustainable message is in fact one of less consumption at every level. In a logical extension of the flow of all consumer trends we are even currently in danger of going under in a sea of eco-junk, as defined by the wonderful George Monbiot. But if I was to get fully eco-preachy in my magazine then who actually would want to read it – my opinion is firmly situated in the idea that people must come to their own conclusions that to live sustainably in communities is actually a much better and more fulfilling way to live. No one responds well to being TOLD what to do (hello to the antagonistic twat that I met outside after the debate. Yelling in my face because I don't do all my shopping at pricey organic stores – because I can't afford to feed my umpteen work experience unless I buy the cheaper fruit and veg at my local market, thereby at least supporting local labour – is not going to make me change my ways. It is just going to piss me off.) Clearly he didn't listen too closely to the debate, through which it was constantly reiterated that you can't threaten a population, because they just suffer information fatigue and switch off. Humans need experiences that stimulate positive thoughts, because otherwise it is all too easy to become paralysed with fear and the response to that is all too often to bury one's head in the sand. Some sort of consensus was reached that it will most likely be a combination of communication and experience that will help us to change collectively.

A few attendees were keen to point out that things are not changing fast enough at a higher level, so we need more laws in place to prevent over-consumption. This, I think, removes the burden of responsibility from the individual, when it has been proved time and time again that the actions of many individuals all over the world can actually result in a huge global shift of consciousness, and it is ridiculous to rely on governments, tight in the grip of the short term financial interests of big businesses. And of course restrictive laws piss people off and encourage rebellion.

Design may operate within an economic system that is obstructive but it is up to us as designers to help find solutions from the bottom up in whatever our specialist skills may be. The creative industry can be a mixed blessing – most designers leave college having been primed to help create more demand for products we don't need, thereby leading to more consumption and demotivating feelings of guilt. I have to say that I was hugely surprised when John Thackara asked who in the lecture hall feels any guilt about their current jobs. I was one of maybe five people in the room who put their hands up. I think that people underestimate their personal contributions to global warming on every level. In the western world we all over-consume, and a cursory bit of recycling is way off the kind of overall changes we need to instigate in our entire lifestyles. Somehow sustainability has to be seen to be a desirable alternative, and the point was made that you can't sell sustainability because it is about curtailing desire. I am not sure I agree with this – we all desire certain things in our lives – but actually if you ask most people to list the things that are most important to them they will come up with a list that puts family, friendship, freedom, community and shared experiences higher than the possession of any kind of material goods. We don't consume other people as we do products! (The exception being the solitary lifestyles and ensuing emptily promiscous behaviour of many unhappy people.) But maybe our desire for what is truly important does need to be reawakened, and that is where the power of design can be utilised, to stimulate desire for a better way of life. There needs to be a seachange in education – students can be made more aware of the power of their design, and given options to think more about what they are designing for and with. Whilst there are currently not many well-paying jobs in the area of sustainable design (a point that was reiterated several times) this is going to become our future and it is important that we consider that because at some point being green will be an asset.

It is impossible to avoid becoming political when talking about this topic, and the question was asked as to whether it is possible to change the system from within, by working with and for big corporations and helping them to adapt to a more sustainable approach. Well-known environmentalist and former president of the Sierra Club Adam Werbach suffered a huge backlash when he went onto work for Wal-Mart, but maybe it is better to be in the middle pushing out than in the outside trying to get in? Yes, we do need to see huge changes in the way that businesses run, but we are all automonous and as such we can choose how we each live our lives. There needs to be an ongoing dialogue about how designers can use visual communication to promote behavioural change without being dictatorial. I personally think our whole lives need to be looked at holistically because nothing in the end is seperate. In the field of Deep Ecology there is the ecological self, which is that part of us that is not seperate from the earth, and feels the pain we inflict upon it. In me for instance it probably manifests in guilt and a desire to live closer to nature as much as possible – for we are in fact all part of this place we call home, and all of our actions have a repercusive impact.
The debate was over very quickly and followed by a few drinks to wind things up. We barely even touched on sustainable practices within the kind of materials used by designers, and there was no real conclusion, although I will attempt to sum up what I think made the most impact on those present:

Designers must consider more carefully their role as agents of change via visual communication. The personal practice and lifestyles of designers and illustrators should be sustainable. We should think in the long term and try to imagine a future that looks positive rather than negative. We can teach by doing – and designers can offer their services towards promoting sustainability awareness. A new network that connects designers and ecologically aware companies up could be useful, much like that which existed in the 90s.

All this needs to happen soon because the tipping point of consciousness needs to come before the tipping point of climate change...

To paraphrase Lovefoxx (for some reason it seems apt), Music is my lifeline, and equally, art and creativity in all their forms are essential to human happiness. And I would be a fool to deny my own love of beauty – it's the reason why I produce my magazine and why people want to look at it. Humans are drawn to aesthetic beauty and for that reason it is up to artists to help inspire change.