The Pratt Sustainability Center is delighted to announce that this Fall’s Pratt Earth Action Week (PEAW) took place from October 17-23, 2022. This week-long series of sustainability events celebrated the creative collaborations of the Pratt sustainability community and networks, and helped us connect, in person and remotely, across groups, disciplines, and initiatives. The week’s programming continued to address the intersecting crises of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the racial and social justice protests that have brought into relief systemic inequalities and unsustainable systems, but also sought to highlight successes and ongoing progress made by our students, faculty, staff, and partners in response to these challenges. Events throughout the week provided an architecture for conversation, debate, and the development of art and design solutions that can be best accomplished when we reconnect and work together.
Virtual Exhibition of Student Work
This collection of student work is centered around issues of sustainability. The projects were gathered from across the Institute and were completed within the last year.
Interior Design Department: Sustainability Projects Show
October 17th – 23rd Pratt Studios, 2nd-Floor Lobby
This exhibition showcased Interior Design students’ sustainability-related projects in the Pratt Studio’s 2nd-floor lobby. The show will include work from both the BFA and MFA programs. The show was open to everyone, including the public, and was available for viewing during Pratt Earth Action Week.
Connecting Climate Justice and Sustainability in Urban Design
PANELISTS: Mike Harrington, Director of Sustainability Engagement at the Tishman Environment and Design Center at the New School Sara Bayer, Director of Sustainability, Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC Derek Gaskill,EcoDistricts AP, Project Manager, Ascendant Neighborhood Development Corporation
MODERATOR: Martha Molfetas,Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Economics at Pratt’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, Sustainable Environmental Systems
In order to plan for a climate-changed future, we have to reconcile with systemic inequities in tandem with sustainable strategies. This panel brought together a variety of people working towards creating a sustainable and equitable future for our built environments. The intended audience was both students and professionals working in design.
Building Climate Resilient Cities (Interactive Workshop)
Monday, October 17th | 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Pratt Sustainability Center, Engineering Building, Room 001
FACILITATORS: Medhaswi Paturu, Student, Information Experience Design, New York Partnerships Manager, ClimateScience Alicia Spencer,Coordinator, ClimateScience Caroline Cronjäger, Coordinator, ClimateScience
Attendees were invited to work as a team in this hands-on workshop and learn to redesign cities to be more resilient to climate change. Climate change is making everything worse, and cities around the world are not prepared to respond. The audience was tasked with redesigning a few cities with prompts and situations provided. They worked in groups to discuss, collaborate, and design cities to solve a crisis. This event took place in person, and anyone was welcome to join, especially students and faculty interested in urban planning and solving climate issues.
PANELISTS: Wendy Fleischer, TIAA Divest! Maria Luisa Mendonça, Ph.D., Director, Network for Social Justice and Human Rights; Research Scholar at the Center for Place, Culture and Politics, CUNY Graduate Center
MODERATOR: Todd Ayoung, Adjunct Associate Professor – CCE, Foundations, Pratt Institute
This panel discussion draws connections between investment funds and polluting and extractive industries. Join Wendy Fleischer, from Divest TIAA, and Maria Luisa Mendonça, from CUNY; Director, Network for Social Justice and Human Rights for the Divest TIAA: Investment Funds and Climate Impacts.
“TIAA manages $1.3 trillion in assets and is one of the largest owners of farmland and timberland on the planet. Its clients are primarily universities and non-profits. TIAA is investing billions of dollars in oil, coal, and fracked gas. It also manages substantial investments in large-scale, high-emission agriculture and timber plantations, which have been especially damaging to Black farmers, communities of color, and Indigenous Peoples – in a time where fossil fuel investments are rapidly becoming stranded assets, and renewable energy solutions are recognized as our energy future.”
Award winners and innovation leaders from Pratt’s Creative Enterprise Leadership (CEL) International Graduate Programs and Catalyst Action Network (CAN) offered presentations to design life-centered innovation and to attend a future of our own making!
Start Them Young: Creating Interest in Sustainable Food Production
Wednesday, October 19 | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Pratt Sustainability Center, Engineering Building, Room 001
PRESENTERS: Jeff Schwartz, Francis Lewis High School, Greenhouse Coordinator and Fish Culture Coordinator William Jeffrey Tolbert, Pratt Institute, Adjunct Associate Professor Frank Millero III,Pratt Institute, Adjunct Associate Professor
This presentation was about the process of creating the NYC Department of Education’s largest greenhouse and fish culture center in a high school in Queens, NY. The presentation offered a step-by-step process of building a hydroponic greenhouse and a Tilapia Fish Culture program at Queens High School school. Using the waste of the fish in the fish tank to provide nutrients and minerals for the aquaponically grown plants. Once the plants and fish are grown, students will use the healthy food to explore new recipes for the school’s culinary program.
Hatha Yoga for Alignment
Wednesday, October 19 | 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm East Hall, Room 301
PRESENTER: Molly Cuff,Pratt SCPS, Visiting Instructor,Integrative Mind & Body Program
All were invited to join this Hatha Yoga practice, connecting movement with breath for alignment, endurance, flexibility, and balance. A yoga mat was needed, and no prior experience was necessary.
Interdisciplinary Sustainable Design Pedagogy: Board Game Development
PRESENTERS: David Burke,Pratt, Assitant Chairperson, Graduate Communications Design
This event highlighted the design process of the development of these sustainability-centered board games developed by students from the Packaging, Identities and Systems Design program. The games presented include BioBrains, Ocean Keeper,Climate Countdown, City Maker/City Breaker, and Foodprint. Participants were invited to interact with the game prototypes.
Pratt Community Sustainability Networking Event
Thursday, October 20 | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm Curran Design Center, Courtyard
Interested Pratt Community members joined the organizers for an informal networking event to meet others within the Pratt Community who share an interest in sustainability on campus, in the classroom, and beyond. Light refreshments were served. This event was limited to the Pratt Community and their invited guests.
Caleb Crawford, Pratt Institute, Adjunct Associate Professor, Pratt Institute
Caleb Crawford discussed his contributions to a recently published book on sustainable urbanism. Building Cities to LAST: a Practical Guide to Sustainable Urbanismexamines lifecycle, aesthetics, scale, and technology as it relates to cities. The book examines food, water, shelter, and mobility. Caleb contributed the chapter on shelter. This talk gave an overview of his contributions with a particular focus on the lessons for interior designers.
PRESENTER: Cindie Kehlet, Pratt Institute, Acting Chairperson, Math and Science
This workshop was held at the Pratt Textile Dye Garden and demonstrated how paint can be made from lake pigment. Cindie Kehlet conducted a hands-on workshop where she demonstrated to participants how to make paint through a process of extracting pigments from plant matter and turning those pigments into paints.
Heritage Engagement Amid Rising Water: The Hole in East New York, Brooklyn
Friday, October 21 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Pratt Sustainability Center, Engineering Building, Room 001
Jenna Dublin-Boc, Ph.D.,Pratt Institute, Assistant Professor, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
Jenna Dublin-Boc Ph.D., of the Historic Preservation faculty, discussed her work with the East New York Community Land Trust. She engaged residents of a flood-prone community in conversation about their neighborhood’s unique water-induced characteristics – from its environmental hazards to its bucolic streetscapes.
Ease Into Your Flow Through Elemental Meditation & Sound Bath for Self & the Planet
PRESENTER: Joelle Danant, Pratt Institute, Program Director & Visiting Instructor, School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Attendees were invited to find their flow through elemental meditation and a soothing sound bath for wellness and sustainability, using sensory awareness/memory. Meditation and sound healing helped relax the body and clear the mind, enabling wellness and creativity to flourish. From this inner state, attendees can sustain themselves and the world around them. All were welcome. No prior experience was necessary.
Have You Ever Felt Overwhelmed?
Friday, October 21 | 5:00 pm Dekalb Gallery, Pratt Institute
PRESENTERS: Mary Mattingly,Pratt Civic Engagement Fellow, 2022 Amy Howden-Chapman, Pratt Institute, Associate Professor, Humanities and Media Studies
Have You Ever Felt Overwhelmed? was a participatory performance and collaboration between Pratt Students participating in ‘Ecological Turn’ a class led by Mary Mattingly (Pratt Civic Engagement Fellow, 2022), visitors, and artist Amy Howden-Chapman. The work takes interviews with climate professionals as the material for a performance that explores the feelings of exhaustion, consternation, and sorrow that the climate crisis inspires. Documenting the perseverance of individuals committed to tackling this crisis, it also models possibilities for action and hope.
Making Sustainability Central in Design with Q&A hosted by SCPS Faculty
PRESENTERS: Tetsu Ohara, Pratt Institute, Adjunct Associate Prof. CCE, Interior Design Daniel Penge, Pratt Institute, Visiting Instructor, SCPS Kat Choate, Pratt Institute, Visiting Instructor, SCPS
MODERATOR: Joelle Danant, Pratt Institute, Program Director and Visiting Instructor, SCPS
Attendees learned how our Sustainable Design Faculty make sustainability central in their work for the common good. They had the opportunity to be inspired by the Sustainable Design Certificate Program Faculty Team to learn how these successful professional designers make sustainability central in their own design work for the common good.
Presentations were followed by a Q&A.
Clean Up in the Rockaways
Saturday, October 22 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm The meeting point will be shared with registrants
Participants joined Envirolutions, LEAP, and PDRN at Dubos Point in the Rockaways for a beach clean-up. They joined together to clean up along the shores of marshland at Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary, while also volunteering to maintain it and learn more about the Jamaica Bay Watershed. The event was guided by our partners at Harbor LAB.
BYOT – Bring Your Own Trash
Sunday, October 23 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm The Rose Garden behind the Pratt Library
EVENT LEADERS: Fangyi Yang, Alumni, Pratt Institute, BFA Communications Design ’22 Penny Fan, Alumni, Pratt Institute, BFA Communications Design ’22
BYOT- Bring Your Own Trash is a collaboration between two award-winning alumnae specializing in Sustainability Design. One used the grounds of New York to raise questions about waste and trash, while the other explored ritualistic ways of honoring nature in contemporary culture. This event was intended to challenge how participants perceived their surroundings, hoping to achieve a harmonious relationship with the Earth. Participants were invited to bring along items they deem as waste, and during the workshop, to transform and see them through a different lens.
