Design for Sustainability Education Day: Dialogues in Practice
In May Ecodesign Centre Wales hosted a seminar for our partner universities from across Wales. The event held at Cardiff castle, “Design for Sustainability Education Day: Dialogues in Practice”, was run in conjunction with Dr. Emma Dewberry from Open University, an expert in sustainable design education.
The event allowed EDC to take stock of progress on ecodesign teaching in the universities and for the staff to provide EDC with constructive feedback on the education resource pack. It also allowed each university to share experiences and discuss the role of ecodesign and sustainability in design education in Wales in the coming years.
The feedback from the staff has been very positive and EDC remains committed to working with the universities over the coming years. By engaging with the universities, EDC will ensure that Wales produces the next generation of designers, entrepreneurs and business leaders that will lead the way in sustainable design and production.
Some feedback from attendees:
“The first half of this century will require industrialised societies to achieve ten times the materials and energy efficiency of today. This is a huge ask. Decisions made in the early part of the product design process will determine how efficient a product will be – it is therefore crucial that product designers are informed and motivated to take on the sustainability challenges that lie ahead. The learning resources that EDC have produced in this area are really comprehensive and have already provided an extremely valuable platform for discussion amongst design lecturers and students in Wales on design for sustainability. This workshop is an opportunity to broaden that discussion and to importantly reflect on what is useful and helpful in promoting sustainable literacy in the Higher Education Design sector in Wales and beyond”.
Dr Emma Dewberry, Senior Lecturer in Design and Sustainability, The Open University
“We at Bangor, as part of our assessment of projects, assess students' Eco considerations when they are designing products. We allocate 20% of marks to Eco considerations. We are beginning to develop an ethos: how can design be good design without considering the Eco elements? Up to now, students have responded by emphasising upon material savings when designing products. As a result of resource material produced by Ecodesign Centre Wales, students are broadening their understanding of sustainability when designing. As their understanding is broadened we find this part of the work easier to assess”.
Mr. John Hughes, Director of BSc Courses, Bangor University
"Over the last 10 years there has been a notable increase of student interest and awareness of the environment. Undergraduate design project work has always addressed environmental design issues however with the support of EDC it has been possible to present contemporary theory and practice. This is evident in the students design work and has moved their interest to informed decision making."
Judith Hills, Principal Lecturer in Product Design, Glamorgan University
To read the Design Week article 'A Change is Gonna Come', reporting upon the event please click on the link.
20 May 2008
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