sustainable design

Create and share an open-source framework and educator’s platform for sustainability resources in the future using learning's through evidence-based curriculum in the context of Interior Design Bachelors of Science Programs in Minnesota, Specifically Dunwoody College of Technology. This will create the proof of concept needed to refine tools and strategies used for course competencies and outcomes that are based on Industry Accreditation requirements. Classes referenced include; an existing LEED class that was taught until 2023 at Dunwoody College in Interior Design, a Biomimicry Elective designed and taught in Fall of 2023, a newly developed Sustainable Design class to be taught in the School of Design that includes students in Interiors, Graphics, and Architecture. Industry research includes commercial Interior Design professional testing requirements, how those inform Educational requirements in Bachelors programs, and a few examples of how sustainability is referenced in those standards to better abstract and disseminate information to college students. The outcome of these learnings will help create the reputable research needed for high quality lesson plan resources used by design educators.

"In recent years, the vast majority of Americans have come to accept climate change as a reality. As people across the country have become aware or been personally affected by environmental and social justice issues such as extreme weather events, contaminated drinking water, poor labor conditions, growing economic inequality, racial and gender inequity, and more, the urgency and desire for solutions to these systemic issues continues to grow. However, there remains a disconnect between these ever worsening problems and the solutions commonly promoted to the public by the media, brands, and environmental organizations. From all of these sources, individuals are commonly told to make sacrifices in all aspects of daily life — drive less, avoid plastics, switch to efficient appliances and smart thermostats, and so forth. “Sustainability” itself has also become a vague term that denotes something undesirable for Americans — the imposing of limitations. This can make it an inadequate term for communicating the more universally desirable goals that sustainability aims to achieve. This thesis addresses the disconnect between communication, expectation, and the reality of how Americans experience the range of sustainable choices they face in their daily lives. By having greater empathy and understanding of that reality, creatives who help to craft the products they buy, the services they use, and the communication they receive can create experiences that make sustainability more desirable and more accessible. This project assembles some of the most effective tools and strategies from the fields of user experience design and marketing, and demonstrates how they can be effectively used to revamp how creatives design for sustainable action."

Sustainability is an important factor in driving environmental, social, cultural, and economic growth for our future. The pressure to invest in sustainable practices emerges from consumers and reflects how quickly companies will take action to adapt to this high demand. As companies are pushing sustainability forward, there is a need to prioritize shifting their systems, processes, and people to align with their long-term plans. Designers are a key resource in advancing this shift and could lead the way by learning and applying sustainable practices. The research and development included in this thesis consists of understanding how designers are currently approaching their design work and where they need additional support when it comes to applying sustainability. Using existing frameworks and implementing best practices, the proposed solution shows how to integrate strategic sustainable design thinking methods throughout the entirety of the design process. This method captures a systems view of the design process, depicts how each phase was developed with sustainable practices, supports design leadership, and accelerates sustainability goals.

My thesis project is a series of shipping boxes that can be transformed into foldable and portable furniture. People can cut and fold the shipping boxes according to the directions printed on the boxes, and turn the boxes into furniture. In this set, there is a table, a stool that fits underneath the table, modular cabinets of various sizes and the three kinds of standing desks. All of the assembly requires only a knife, except for the "Book" standing desk, which requires glue. The 30-inch-tall table can be made from 5 large and medium shipping boxes. The 17-inch-tall stool can be made from two medium shipping boxes. The slim box forms the shape of the stool. The flat box can form an "X" shape that supports up to 400 pounds. The cabinets comes in various sizes, but the structures are identical: a smaller box serves as a drawer that fits in a slightly larger box. The cabinets can stack on top of each other. Both the "Book" and "Italic" standing desks can each be made from one small shipping box. The "Bold" standing desks can be made from 3 medium shipping boxes.

In 2022, environmental, social, and market pressures are increasing the urgency for sustainable solutions and the demand for sustainability leadership. Despite this increasing demand, product and packaging designers at traditional creative design agencies continue to perpetuate unsustainable design behavior causing negative impacts on people, the planet, and future profit. Through a qualitative research study, academic research, and firsthand narrative evidence, key barriers to sustainable design implementation are discovered at the systems level of traditional creative design agencies. This thesis introduces a systemic solution to effectively change the leverage point - and therefore impact– of sustainable design at traditional creative design agencies. There are four key insights from this thesis: 1) Defining the optimal leverage point for sustainable design in an agency setting; 2) Proposing both bottom-up and top-down sustainable design leadership approaches to empower designers, increase capabilities, and support organizational transformation; 3) Advocating for organizational transformation using a complex adaptive system (CAS) model to create the capacity to adapt to environmental, social, and market pressures; 4) Advancing the field of sustainable design by identifying and defining a new-to-industry sustainable design leadership role, the Design Director of Sustainability, to engage sustainability at the optimal leverage point and provide domain expertise to create accountability for sustainable solutions. This thesis output provides actionable tools for both purpose-driven designers and creative design agencies to increase capabilities, build resiliency, and create adaptability to support the emerging future.

ABSTRACT Our current take-make-waste extractive industrial model is not sustainable. Circular economy (CE) solutions "design out" waste; however, CE educational initiatives do not reach all sectors and levels of society, particularly the generations that have the most at stake. Experiential learning can empower youth to work with circular concepts in tangible ways, creating awareness and reflexivity about the impact of individual actions. This project's primary objectives were to help youth and their communities transition to a CE by changing their perception of waste streams as a potential resource. A survey was distributed to youth to identify knowledge on sustainability and the CE; then, the youth were asked to create something new from household waste while sharing information about the CE. Key insights were that younger generations are already interested in new approaches to benefit society and the environment and were aware of the CE, even without knowledge of the linear economy. Creating prototypes led to frustration with the continued use of unsustainable materials for everyday objects (e.g., plastic) and excess waste generated by packaging (e.g., boxes), as well as inspiration from learning new skills (e.g., sewing). Involving youth in the design thinking process can help communities concretely identify opportunities to reduce and re-up cycle waste, stimulate product innovation, and contribute positively to a sustainable way of life and human development. This change begins with actual experiences at the individual level.

Textile dyeing and its effects on the environment and human health have received little attention in comparison with the larger sustainable fashion movement. Through the use of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking, this project examines why that is, what keeps dyers from being more sustainable, how to raise awareness of textile dyeing's impact on the environment and human health, and how to help dyers transition to more sustainable practices. The project's execution revealed that while there are many options for more sustainable dyeing, dyers are relatively uninformed about those options. And even when they are able to apply less damaging processes, it is difficult or impossible to measure the change because the impact assessment tools available don't include the specifics of dyes or dyeing in their data. These insights led to the decision to create a resource for dyers that gives them the tools to make better, more sustainably-minded decisions, advocate for improvements within their industry, and be included in the larger sustainable fashion movement.

This project's objective is to use sustainability techniques and principles along with habit-forming technology to create long-term, measurable change in the relationship between the PNW human community and the SRKW. The future of a sustainable Salish Sea ecosystem depends on a period of restoration and habitat recovery. Understanding the complex system of the Salish Sea and how even the most minor behaviors impact the SRKW relies on analyzing the technosphere surrounding the SRKW habitat. Human communities surrounding the Salish Sea impact the SRKW daily, and Systems Thinking provides the opportunity to explore the interrelationships and find leverage points. Human interaction and impact will need to be balanced with constant conservation efforts. Evaluating conservation efforts can be prioritized by using The Natural Step. Based in four sustainability principles, The Natural Step will act as a compass and help guide value-driven action for the app. Finally, forming new and sustainable habits in concerned PNW individuals needs to be supported by an engaging experience designed to frequently connect their concern to a solution. The Hook Model, developed as a four-step process to subtly encourage behavior changes, acts as a guide to create a product/service that influences positive habits.

Consumerism plays a huge role in climate change; thus it is of utmost importance to recognize that every decision we make contributes either positively or negatively to the overall well-being of our planet. Taking accountability for our individual behaviors is a necessary step for making a positive societal transition to a resource-constrained future. This thesis project examined the significance of socio-cultural influences behind children's birthday celebrations, with the goal of understanding prospects for system interventions, specifically those needed to move consumers beyond a disposable mentality towards a greener sustainable lifestyle. Children's birthday parties presented themselves as one of the most accessible places for sustainable interventions, acting as a place to make a positive impact on social and cultural fronts. These parties provide access to the heart of most families due to the family being the basic social unit of society, which is also where cultural changes are easily adapted by groups.

We live in a time of great uncertainty, complexity, and systemic challenges never faced before. Addressing complex sustainability challenges requires unprecedented collaboration and new ways of working across sectors and industries1. This thesis will explore near-, medium-, and long-term plans for developing a local Regenerative Materials Innovation (RMI) Hub on the island of Maui in order to proactively educate as well as generate current unmet consumption alternatives for community and local business uses. The importance of Maui and the Hawaiian Islands as a wholeas a model to solve global environmental problems today lays in these islands' ecosystems claim to the richest set of ecological conditions on the planet and the depth of knowledge indigenous inhabitants have had on managing large civilizations within this diversity. Aligning with current county, state and international goals, time is critical for more innovative systems such as this proposed materials hub to materialize on Maui carrying indigenous island values of collaborative coexistence and codependency with the natural environment. To tackle the social and environmental challenges of our time, intersecting diverse local stakeholders such as farmers, cultural art practitioners and artisans, ethnobotanists, marine biologists, research scientists, business owners and designers will hold the key to a new Hawaii.