Green is the hottest buzzword in the design world right now. Designers have inadvertently helped to generate the current environmental crisis because, by creating desirable products, they have helped fuel the global consumer economy and its attendant consumption of resources and pollution. Today, the profession is trying to make amends and, in particular, a new generation of young designers is exploring ways to reduce the negative impact of the goods they create. Yet there is a realisation that the problems are enormous and complex, while many solutions on offer are simplistic: the idea that we can save the planet while continuing with current levels of consumption is not viable. So, many of the most interesting "green" designs today – showcased on these pages – instead draw attention to environmental and social problems rather than proposing solutions. n