Walking the Talk

I was walking to catch my bus and was stopped on the street by a woman who said to me, "Way to go - bringing your own mug." I said, "Thanks." And walked away thinking that there was a time when no one would have cared that I had a coffee in my hand, let alone one that was reusable. Now someone wants to know if I'm carrying a mug, what kind of coffee it is, where it was made, what resources were expended in the creation of it and if my mug came from the right company. To me, another reminder of the bombardment of ideas and thoughts around living a "sustainable existence." 

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting of the working group for Walking The Talk. This group gathers to determine how they can develop the next generation through sustainable education (K-12, higher education and non-formal education). 

Upcoming Exhibit

My submission was accepted into the upcoming student show at the Concourse Gallery at Emily Carr. The opening is on January 30 from 7-9pm.

Today in Research Methods, I introduced a collective project called: The Book Project. The idea is to have everyone contribute their voice (in whatever medium they choose) to a Moleskine book. The book will be handed off to each person every four days and culminate in a group "artifact" to show at the end of the year.

Studio Crit: 5 December 2007

I discussed my investigations into rhetoric (specifically Aristotle's ethos, logos and pathos) as a jumping off point for my rhetoric of sustainability research. My audience would be the "browns" or "sprouts to apathetics".

If you would like to see a full pdf version of this, contact me.

Bill Moggridge Day

This event occurred last semester but I wanted to keep it in the archives of opportunities that I took in this year. Bill Moggridge is the co-founder of IDEO. One of the highlights I took away from our time with him was the idea that as designers we have looked at how we do things (affect the world) and how we feel (feedback from the world). But he encouraged us to look at the last with some intention: how do we know what we know? In design research, this becomes an important question to ask. Creating a knowledge base will be important to the ongoing work in design (whatever discipline you may fall into) as we decipher what our role will continue to be. And what do we offer? A Map or a Path?

MAA Design

The first of a long line of posts to journey the process of my graduate studies at Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design + Media.

My thesis will look at the rhetoric of sustainability. In other words, "What does green mean?" We've been bombarded by the idea and seem to sit in a current state of confusion as to how we should go about our daily lives. Not only do I need to know about what is or is not sustainable, I also need to be aware of the reality of my consumption. I am hoping to find a way to communicate through design so that some of the fog gets cleared. A lofty goal for certain. But in my own pursuit of understanding this broad topic, I've come to notice that many people want to do something of value in their world. But sometimes they don't know what or how even with all the talk of it. Can we guide a consumer differently through design to understand practically how to meander through the green washing? Stay tuned for more...

I am being advised in various capacities by:
Maria Lantin
Bonne Zablotney
Louise St. Pierre
Ron Burnett

This week we formed into research groups to work on a charrette. Our group focused on observing an individual to create content for a final product in a medium of our choosing. 

I also had the chance to meet and dialogue with Ann Thorpe who has written The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability. Her discussion about the debates we face as designers was of interest to me: responsibility, appearance, operation, scale and pace. And it goes without saying that we must gain economic and environmental literacy. Which makes me ask, "Is awareness enough anymore?"

This has led me to explore a method of inquiry: the chalkboard in a public space (in this case, the Concourse Gallery at Emily Carr University of Art + Design). The outcomes: This Is Green