It’s clear that the way we learn has changed immensely in the last decade. It used to be that lectures, discussions and labs formulated the bulk of a formal education, but as all of the students on the panel would attest, their educational experiences have been greatly enriched by the collaborations with other students, exploring the design process through collaborations on Quirky.com, branching out across multiple disciplines to enhance learning, engaging with the community and online instruction through You-Tube and RISD’s own quickies – student taught and organized workshops, a peer to peer learning experience.

What was interesting to note was that only one initial introductions to President John Maeda were made face to face, the rest were as a result of social media or technology. Either through Twitter, You-Tube, Facebook, and e-mail, which is truly as sign that the times have changed particularly in such a small school setting as RISD.

Students included in the panel discussion were: Carly Ayres – Industrial Design, 2013; Jessica Herron – Film Animation, 2011; Greg Nemes – Masters of Architecture, 2012; Peter Simon – Industrial Design, 2011; Ian Storm-Taylor – Graphic Design; Mackenzie Younger – Painting, 2011; and Jake Zien – Graphic Design 2012.

Tempo Lounge by Sushir J Kadidal; Nabolis Chair by Mike Jozewicz; 1 for 2 Chair by Esin Arson (Photo Credits: Urban Sherp)

For the 2010 “Wilsonart Challenges,” students were challenged to design (and build) a functional chair that incorporates Wilsonart Laminate chips which are GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality. The winning chair, see far right in red, was the 1 for 2 chair designed by Esin Arson of the Pratt Institute.

Together Chair by Ben Huggins/New British Design (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Folding Chair (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Stackable Chairs & Barstool from Design Deutschland 2010 (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Family Chairs by Lena Nordqvist (Design Stockholm  House) $350/each & $1295 for 4 in natural, black or white. (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

O&G Studios (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Low Stools by Objeti (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Milking Stools by UM Project (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

Ray Chair (rubber foam) & Blossom Chair (formed plywood) by Antonio Pio Saracino/APS Design (Photo Credit: Urban Sherp)

The lectures and discussions did fill up, drawing crowds of concerned citizens and students.  We sat in on a conversation with NPR’s Robin Young  and Laury Hammel, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston. He’s  a riot and a tireless ambassador for greening local businesses. If you are a small business looking to find out how to curb your carbon footprint and cut down on your energy bills, I would definitely recommend getting in touch with him to find out what small changes you can make that will really add up. He saved one company an average of $1200/month on utility bills!

Bill Reed’s discussion of the Integrative Design Collaborative discussion of the Living Systems Design concept was quite powerful. His theory of integrated design goes a step beyond the current LEED standards and assesses the relationships of all the components involved instead of separating out and looking at aspects of design individually, as is the case with the LEED system. Each element of the design is assigned a point value that adds up to the whole, but how do those parts interact? Incredibly powerful to watch ecosystems transform when you look at the whole, at what happens above and below, what happens when the river slows, what happens when concrete replaces rock, what happens when beavers move away taking their damns with them and how they affects the landscape. We have gotten away from being stewards of the land and it is really amazing what happens when we start to pay attention to more than just the surface. If you ever get a chance to attend one of his lectures, I definitely recommend it.

Hopefully the show will continue to attract these high caliber lecturers who have dedicated their lives to protecting the planet and spreading the word about how to live a greener life.

Photos from Down:2:Earth 2010:

Here are some shots from the exhibit:

The ‘green’ dining room presented by The New York School of Interior Design focused on the concept of Cradle to Cradle design:

Several evetns were hosted in the Pavilion including a dinner and a silent auction to benefit Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS.

DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) is one of the country’s largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventive education for those at risk. Merging care and commerce, supporters of DIFFA come from all fields of fine design and the visual arts, including: architecture, fashion design, interior design, photography and consumer product design. With fundraising efforts bolstered by strategic partnerships and unique events showcasing innovation and creativity, DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities and granted over $38 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide.