Gestalten.tv

We can be Neros just for one day! That is the provocative thesis on the subject of green design Marcus Fairs drew in his lecture at the Design Hotels Future Forum 2007 in Barcelona. Instead of opting for the usual angst-ridden, sinful concepts of guilt and shame that "green lobbyists" force upon us permanently, dezeen magazine editor-in-chief Fairs takes on the role of a lateral thinker. In a funny, provocative and polemic way he calls his concept Neroism - Like the insane Roman leader listened to music and had a good time while Rome was already going up in flames, we should celebrate the insane times we live in. The way we try we won't change it anyway. To call that cynical does not adress the issue in its entirety, since he does have a point in that and furthermore some ideas what green design could be, i.e. what could be achieved within the small world of design and architecture. But listen yourself to some of his thoughts on green design, carbon-free cities and the human right for free w-lan. Marcus Fairs works and lives as an editor, author and journalist in London. He is writing for publications like Blueprint, The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday and Conde Nast Traveller. Besides his contribution as a lecturer at Design Hotels Future Forum 2007 he has spoken at conferences in London, Tokyo, New York, Stockholm and Cape Town, among others.