This morning, David, an old family friend in his eighties, shared with me a childhood story of growing silk worms.

As a little boy, he would gather a pile of mulberry leaves, stuff them into a shoe box, and hide half a dozen small caterpillars beneath the foliage.

The creatures were the object of fascination for David as a little boy. He would marvel at the caterpillars’ ravenous appetites as they devoured box after box of mulberry leaves.

With every mouthful, the caterpillars grew fatter. Eventually the little critters grew thicker than David’s thumb. When the caterpillars were fat and happy, it was time for a wondrous process of change.

The creatures would weave – as if from magic – cocoons made of silk, bundles of softness within which they would hide. They would enter as caterpillars, and within a couple of weeks emerge, transformed, into silkworm moths.

Silkworms, like many insects, go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult.  The caterpillar is the larva stage, the pupa is the stage the worm enters when housed within its cocoon, while the adult stage is the silkworm moth. In the larva stage, silkworms are soft-bodied, slow moving caterpillars. They shed their skin more than four times as they grow to some 3 inches long, ready to cocoon, within as little as a month. Indeed, some growers talk of aligning with the lunar cycles to ensure maximum growth.

In reflecting on the humble silkworm, I recall my friend, William, a little boy I went to school with in Australia. He grew silkworms and brought his “magic shoe-box” into class for “show and tell”. It was fascinating as a child to watch the transformation of these creatures over time. I remember stroking the chubby caterpillars and marvelling at how soft and squishy they were before they each disappeared into their cocoons, never to be seen in that form again.

Of course, the story of the silkworm is not an entirely romantic vision. Whilst the creature originates in Asia and weaves a cocoon made of fine, strong, lustrous fibre – the source of commercial silk – the silkworm is a popular food source for domestic reptiles and amphibians.

Today, the silkworm has been domesticated out of natural existence. It only lives in captivity and no longer survives without human care. All wild populations are extinct. This is not least because the moth has, over centuries of human relationship, lost its ability to fly. The silkworm’s dietary reliance on mulberry leaves might also contribute to its demise in the wild.

Even though it is exploited for commercial interest, the humble silkworm has much more than silk to offer. As an adult, I’ve often reflected on how such a simple thing as observing the life cycle of an insect can provide wonder and imagination for young minds. The silkworm is a case in point. It provides children with a window into the natural world, a sense of wonder at the transformational capacity of nonhuman life…and all within the curious world of a leaf-filled, caterpillar feeding, silk-weaving, and child-enticing “magic shoe-box”.

Eco Design is an approach that incorporates an awareness for the environment, that it is sustainable and ecologically friendly. Many businesses today are adopting a “green” approach and feel they have an increased responsibility to find better solutions for the future of our Earth.

For eco-design to be effective, a life-cycle approach must be adopted. That is, thinking about and adapting the best outcomes for the environment with as little negative effects as possible over the products life.

Designers are responsible for the beginning stages of a product and it is here that they can really shape what impact it will have on its surrounding environment. There are many things for designers to think about in the planning stages. They can control negative environmental properties such as toxic substances and materials and introduce positive attributes such as recyclability and energy efficient machinery.

There are some initial approaches to consider when designing your product.

Reuse – Can you re-use the product, or parts of it, to save it from ending up as landfill?

Repair – Can you repair the product instead of replacing it? This prolongs the life of the product and the need for new materials.

Recycle – Can your product to be recycled at the end of its life cycle?

There are other elements to think of when designing your product. Durability is a major factor and again, lessens the need for new goods, therefore reducing the impact on the environment.  There is responsibility at the end of the products life cycle also; as to where it ends up and how safe that is.

There are some fascinating and innovative ideas out there, all you have to do in open your eyes and ears to them.