Designers Accord
I was reading up on The Designers Accord recently, and something struck me as odd… Why isn’t sustainable design given the same priority in school as colour choice, paper weight, or font selection? “Green” design is treated more like a gimmick than necessity. There is a great WWF campaign out right now, telling people “the world has changed - so can you” referring to environmentally damaging things we used to do, but don’t have to do anymore (riding a bike to work, hanging clothes out to dry, etc.). The same holds true for design school. The industry has changed, and our generation of students is vital to improving our impact on the earth.
The Designers Accord guidelines Education section, suggests college and universities do the following:
Publicly declare participation in the Designers Accord.
Initiate a dialogue about environmental impact and sustainable alternatives with every student and colleague in your educational program. Rework curricula and assignments to emphasize environmentally responsible design and work processes. Provide course content, lectures, and assignments that focus on strategic and material alternatives for sustainable design.
Undertake a program to educate your colleagues about sustainability and sustainable design, and plan the integration of these concepts into course curricula.
Measure the carbon/greenhouse gas footprint of your institution, and pledge to reduce your footprint annually.
Advance the understanding of environmental issues from a design perspective by contributing actively to the communal knowledge base for sustainable design.