Designing the future - educating for sustainability in art and design

How can we integrate sustainability into arts and design education to empower students to make an impact?

In the latest episode of the RCA Podcast, Dr Nick de Leon explores this question with representatives from the Sustainable Markets Initiative, the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE), the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad (India) and the Rhode Island School of Design (USA).

Following on from the global success of the 2022 edition, the RCA is partnering for a second time with the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab - a competition to discover student led, high impact solutions to the climate crisis.

This year’s Design Lab has expanded its reach to also partner with Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE), National Institute of Design Ahmedabad (India) and Rhode Island School of Design (USA).

In this podcast episode, leaders from each of these institutions come together to consider:

• How we can integrate sustainability into higher education

• The value of multidisciplinary collaboration, and collaborating between academia and industry

• Taking an entrepreneurial approach to learning and design

• Making an impact through international partnerships

• The Terra Carta Design Lab and Sustainable Markets Initiative

Host & guests:

Nick de Leon is the RCA’s Academic Lead for the Terra Carta Design Lab. He is also Executive Education and Knowledge Exchange Lead in the RCA’s School of Design, where he leads the development of the School's research and knowledge exchange relations.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, M.V.O., MBA is Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Markets

Initiative, a global organisation that mobilises the private sector to put sustainability at the

heart of global value creation. His Majesty King Charles III, a champion of sustainability for over 50 years, launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative (when he was Prince of Wales) in 2020.

Touba Ghadessi is President Provost of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), setting a visionary path for student learning and academic affairs. Of Iranian ancestry and raised in  Geneva, Switzerland, Touba embodies a commitment to diplomacy and cultural dialogue.

Hani Asfour is Vice President of Innovation and Institutional Partnerships at Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). He is a founding member of DIDI, playing a pivotal role in shaping its curriculum, developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The New School's Parsons School of Design.

Praveen Nahar is the Director of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India. His leadership extends across various departments and committees within NID, with a focus on areas such as Sustainable Design and Systems Thinking. 

Learn more about the Terra Carta Design Lab on the RCA website

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