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Pratt Institute is undertaking an innovative educational initiative that addresses one of the preeminent issues of our time. The school is catalyzing new ways of educating future architects, artists, industrial designers, urban planners, and other design professionals so that they have the skills and sensibilities to creatively and successfully meet the immediate challenge of global warming.
Design schools already have significant resources on hand. Pratt Institute offers numerous courses that address the issue of environmental sustainability. The school has expert faculty, a committed administration, and the facilities with which to experiment and innovate. But it is no longer enough to bring sustainability into temporary focus through stand-alone courses or special events. Pratt’s approach harnesses the resources to systematically educate design students about the ecological impacts of their professional choices and their creative opportunities for designing the future.
Pratt’s Greener by Design Initiative is: 1) establishing academic vehicles for new curriculum development and interdisciplinary research and teaching on sustainability, including the newly established Center for Sustainable Design Studies, a series of professional development interdisciplinary faculty workshops (Biomimicry, Life Cycle Assessment, Sustainability Crash Course, faculty development research stipends that have integrated the concepts of sustainability into our courses, and our new all-institute minor in Sustainability; 2) employing the college campus as a living laboratory for innovation, providing students with applied experiences in sustainable practice which have include redeveloping our dorm rooms, creating a biking-on-campus program; and 3) documenting, disseminating, and exchanging information among schools of art and design through numerous lectures and collaborative dialogues between institutions.
The Institute has convened a series of internal and external strategic visioning meeting to expand the reach of the new Center for Sustainable Design Studies (CSDS). The overlap of concepts and the strong support from Pratt's President, Provost, and Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The CSDS has been formally institutionalized. We are ahead of schedule on reaching our goals and have exceeded expectations. Pratt’s ongoing commitment of resources into the next three years has been secured for the Academic Director of Sustainability. The Institute has committed to expanding the campus location of the CSDS from 500 square feet to 3500 square feet in October 2011 serving to create a stronger presence on campus. This is critical to created a culture of sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation within the Pratt community.
ONLINE REFERENCES:
Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research
http://csds.pratt.edu
PALSS - Pratt Academic Leadership Summit on Sustainabilty
http://www.pratt.edu/palss
Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation
http://incubator.pratt.edu
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Debera Johnson
Project Director
Pratt Institute
Office of the Provost
200 Willoughby Avenue -
Main 1
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Tel: 718-636-3690
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