Pratt Institute's Center for Sustainable Design Studies (CSDS) will present its second annual Sustainability Crash Course as part of Green Week 2012 from 9:30 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, March 24 in the Engineering Building on Pratt's Brooklyn campus. The day will include a series of workshops featuring over 20 experts from Pratt's sustainable design faculty and elsewhere. Registration is free for all and is required. Members of the press who are interested in attending may RSVP to Amy Aronoff.
Highlights include:
A keynote discussion with Allan Chochinov, Pratt alumnus, partner, and editor-in-chief, Core77, and Mary McBride, chair, Pratt's Design Management program, and partner, Strategies for Planned Change, that will examine what has been accomplished in sustainable design, what some of the barriers have been to success, and what the next step is for designers. Deb Johnson, Pratt's academic director of sustainability, will moderate.
A presentation by Peter Barna, provost of Pratt Institute; Thomas Hanrahan, dean of Pratt Institute's School of Architecture; and Myonggi Sul, professor of interior design at Pratt Institute; on the Won Dharma Center, a zero carbon footprint 28,000-square-foot recreational and spiritual retreat located on 430 acres of forest and meadow in Upstate New York. It was designed by Hanrahan (hanrahan Meyers architects), Sul (Myonggi Sul Design) and Barna (Light and Space).
A hands-on workshop by Frank Millero, visiting assistant professor of industrial design, and Carolyn Schaeberle, assistant director of Pratt CSDS, on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of life cycle analysis. After presentations by Millero and Schaeberle, participants will examine simple products to discuss and map out the materials and energy needed to produce it.
A presentation by Alice Zinnes, adjunct associate professor of foundation art and a fine artist, on “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing) and how it will affect the lives of New Yorkers. Zinnes will provide background information on the controversial gas drilling practice and will provide insight on how artists get involved in sustainable practices and advocacy.
A discussion with industrial design alumni Sahar Ghaheri and Ashley Thorfinnson (dh studio) and Kristina Drury (TYTHEdesign) about their work in the social sector. Both dh studio and TYTHEdesign help non-profits and social ventures address the issues they are passionate about by helping them work better, provide improved service, and realize their goals. Ghaheri, Thorfinnson, and Drury will explore the ways designers can create impact while working with limited resources and multiple stakeholders.
Additional presentations include:
Combat Paper Project: Turning Conflict into Art
Decoding Environmental Science
Eco Fashion: Made in New York City
Ecosystems: Where They Came From, How They Work, and Why They Stick Around
FuseProject's “Clever Little Bag” Sustainable Packaging Design for PUMA
The Seven Golden Rules of Green Marketing
Sustainable Stormwater Management: Theory to Implementation
Urban Farming and Food Justice
For additional details on registration and some of the topics covered, please click here.
Pratt Institute's annual Green Week celebration, to be held on the Brooklyn campus from March 24 through April 4, will feature gallery exhibits, competitions, talks, films, hands-on activities, and much, much more. Green Week has something for everyone, whether interested in sustainable materials, transportation options, environmental justice, biking safety, or the controversy of “fracking.” All events are free and open to the public. For more detailed information or to register for events, please click here.
Established in 2007, Pratt CSDS is the centerpiece of Pratt's transformative leadership in sustainable design education. A physical space and hub for resources, CSDS encourages the use of Pratt's campus as a living lab for innovation to provide students with applied experiences in sustainable design and serves faculty in the development of educational experiences that help shape emerging curricula in a time defined by complexity, change, and global challenge. It also houses a comprehensive case studies and materials library that provides access to life-cycle assessment tools, organizes professional development workshops on sustainability, and offers individual research and consulting services in an eco-friendly atmosphere.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu
ON-SITE MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Aronoff at 716.698.5919