Exploring Sustainable Design

Dawn

About

This My Nature Outing project inquires into questions surrounding sustainable design and examines local efforts at the University of Pittburgh. My Nature Outing is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh's John C. Mascaro Center for Sustainable Engineering and the Office of the Provost's Year of Data and Society.

Lush, green rooftop pollinator garden next to a stone walkway.

Sustainable Design

What is sustainable design? What does it do? How does it work? Why is it important? How can we increase interest in sustainable design?

A bicycle leans against a large black fence with a sign that says, Bike Curious?

Bikes

Bicycles are a healthy form of transportation that's good for the environment, and for you.

Rain garden with green plants and stones, enclosed by concrete curb.

Rain Gardens

Rain Gardens collect water and reduce flooding.

Brown-eyed Susans - flowers with yellow petals and black centers.

Man-made Beehives

Bee's population has been declining so people are making beehives.

Re-use clothing store price list - bags $5,belts 2$

Thriftsburgh

Thriftsburgh is like a normal thrift store, it takes student donations and resells them at low prices so that other students can get new clothes for a small amount of money, and the clothes that can't be resold are sent to be recycled, so nothing is waisted. It's important because nothing is waisted and because students can get clothes for less than half the price.

Bikes hang from the wall at the bike re-use store.

bikes

Brown-eyed Susans - flowers with yellow petals and black centers.

flowers

Various hats and jewelry hanging on white wall.

thriftsburgh

Interview

An aisle lined by large racks filled with re-use clothing.

I interviewed Linda and we talked about sustainable designs





Low-angle shot of a rooftop garden with plenty of blue sky.

generated by Pitt Fuego

Why make a spark when you can light a fire?