EVENT: Faculty Mini-Retreat Breakfast: Toward a Greener, Sustainable, More Eco-responsible Curriculum (Part 1 of 2)

November 12th, 9:30 – 12noon

Elaine Maldonado and Karen Pearson would like to welcome you to a faculty mini-retreat on Sustainability.  Please join Scott Boylston, Professor of Design for Sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design and Board Member of the United States Green Building Council and FIT faculty panel members Sandra Krasovec, Arthur Kopelman, Scott Lundberg, Shireen Musa and Grazyna Pilatowicz.  Topics will include infusing the curriculum with sustainability and exploring the potential for inter-disciplinary and cross-curricular transformation.

This mini-retreat was made possible by the support of the NSF, FIT Sustainability Council and the CET.

Event Presentation

design/education/movement:
a non-linear exploration
or:
movement design/education movement
design education/movement education
education design/design movement

by Scott Boylston
Professor of Design for Sustainability, SCAD
Director, Emergent Structures

View the Presentation (pdf)
Listen to the Presentation:

Event Downloads

• Agenda & Handouts (pdf)
• Presentation by Scott Boylston (pdf)
• Attendee Survey Results (pdf)
• Tech-FIT Mini-Retreat 1 & 2 Attendee Survey Results (pdf)

Faculty Panel Questions

1. What are some challenges that businesses need to address to become sustainable?
2. How do you approach the inherent conflict between sustainability and the consumerism implicit in the Fashion Industries; to your students and in your curriculum?
3. How do you teach that sustainability is really about choice – and the choice depends on the problem to be solved with the triple bottom line factored in?
4. How do you introduce the “Big Picture” of sustainability with a systems approach to students and then focus on specific disciplines or areas of study?
5. How do you teach “green thinking” while addressing the methodology of “design” so students can apply it to everything they design and contribute to?
6. How do you measure sustainability?  And the success of course modifications.
7. How can different departments/majors within FIT work together to foster sustainability?
   (Shreen – will include examples of ITM networking with industry and collaborating with various departments/majors to host joint sustainability guest speaking events)
8. Where do you start? What would be the questions to ask in order to begin the dialogue about changing your curriculum?  Does this change highlight challenges in the creation of eco responsible curriculum that crosses traditional departmental boundaries?

Break-out Table Questions

1. If you had to conduct a “sustainability audit” of your industry (or one of your courses) where would you begin? What kinds of questions would you ask? Please share your thoughts with others at your table.
2. Please formulate a question that your table would like to pose to the panel that has yet not been addressed.
3. Are there topics you would especially like to see addressed at part 2 of the Sustainability mini-retreat on March 4. Please list.

Event Pictures