ID: Environmental Design

Interdisciplinary: Environmental Design

Course Description: We will spend the semester looking at different aspects of environmental design in our modern lives. We will be operating under the theme of exploration and invention and will spend the first part of the semester exploring environmental topics including, but not limited to; sustainable living, permaculture, deep ecology and radical environmentalism, outdoors adventuring, reducing, reusing, and recycling, and finding ways to tread more lightly on our planet. We will then turn to learning how to use discarded or unwanted objects and turn them into usable, sellable goods. We will start be learning skills in how to mend, fix, and create clothes and accessories from old unwanted materials. We will be learning how to sew, knit, crochet, silkscreen, and design recycled fashions for the future. We will consider starting our own businesses, writing business plans, and marketing our hand-made products. This part of the class will culminate in a recycled crafts and fashion show that we will promote and put on as a community-wide event. The next part of the class will be working with the Reno Bike Project on turning unwanted or slightly damaged bikes into beautiful, rideable, and sellable transportation machines. We will learn all of the skills necessary to do personal bike maintenance, and to eventually become a bicycle mechanic. We will also consider designing and building our own bicycles out of scrap materials and learning welding skills to build monster bikes and other scrap metal creations. This part of the class will culminate in a community-wide Rainshadow bicycle show and shine event including bicycle games, prizes, an alley cat race, barbeque, etc. We will be exploring and inventing all semester long.