For the second consecutive year, Pratt Institute was one of 10 colleges and universities nationally recognized with a Climate Leadership Award by Second Nature and the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The awards demonstrate Pratt’s continued leadership in sustainability education. This year, Pratt was recognized for its role in creating the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation. The Institute received the 2012 prize for its role in founding the Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability, which has brought together 30 independent colleges of art and design and three state universities across North America to integrate sustainability into academic programs.
The Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation was created as a place for Pratt’s entrepreneurial alumni to transform their ideas into viable businesses. Today, it houses alumni and non-alumni businesses in the sectors of clean energy, fashion design, product design, and social entrepreneurship, and provides provides space and ongoing strategic mentorship that has resulted in a thriving community of over 30 start-up businesses. To date, the Incubator has created 50 jobs and its companies collectively generate more than $4.2 million in annual revenues. The Incubator was founded in Pratt’s Industrial Design program in 2002 by Debera Johnson, now the executive director of Pratt’s Center for Sustainable Design Studies.