Sustainable designers guild, the initial fazes of setting up a sustainable group

Graham Interview 

Today we had an interview with Graham Tansley about sustainability within the college and his thoughts on sustainability in general.

Questions

Are you on the sustainable board?

What is it you do for the college? (on the sustainable board)

What is the college currently doing to be a more sustainable?

What do you think of the college’s sustainable approaches?

Is there anything which you would like to see the college do more of?

Do you think the college has a responsibility to educate the students on sustainability practices?

Do you teach how important sustainability on your course? For example provide briefs, lectures on sustainability?  

If there was a change in the college curriculum that had a brief or whole module revolved around sustainability, do you think that would be something good to implement?

What would you like to see done?

  

You co founded an ethical design studio in Bradford, did you implement sustainable practises within your work?

Have you heard of the green exchange? If so have you ever taken part? Or know anyone who has taken part? 

Have you got any advice to give us in taking part in sustainable design and setting up a sustainable design group? 

Although we had these questions we didn't really follow them and we just basically had a chat with Graham but covered all of them in one way or another. Bellow are the points he covered and things i found interesting. 

• See what other courses are like what makes them sustainable 

• Do it within university, we have access to other students who are interested, small so can make a change and we have the possibility of actually making a change because we have a better access to staff and board members. 

• He thinks that having sustainability implemented across all courses and have it within the module or a brief is a really good idea and something he has tried, so with us speaking up it will add a lot of weight to his argument.  

• They are marked on how ethical there work is like on vis com, this should be across all courses. Plus there is a number of his students who are interested in sustainability. 

• The uni has strict costs restraints and so its hard to implement some high cost energy saving methods. 

• The uni has a lot of sustainable approaches already in terms of heating, lights, smart meters etc but there needs to be more within the module and more collaboration between students and staff, getting the students involved will have more of a impact and the boards members will listen if a large body of students who had something to say.

• He thinks talking to James in students Union is a good idea and setting up a group will show how much of a interest there is in sustainability and sharing ideas and things that need to be done is a good idea. 

• Creating a research project to show what all the course in the Uni are like (e.g. what makes photography sustainable?) and what the sustainable approaches are at the other universities in Leeds. 

• He would like a student voice on the sustainable board from each course so there is that communication between students and staff and we can get our voice across.