SUSTAINABLE & ETHICAL DESIGN & ENGINEERING TOOLKIT
Photo by Sasha Pestano on Unsplash THIS IS A FREE TOOLKIT PRODUCED AND COLLATED BY DATTA VIC. JOIN US TO ACCESS OUR EXTENSIVE LIBRARY OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGIES RESOURCES |
This toolkit is intended to be an invaluable resource for teachers to use when introducing the concepts of sustainability and ethical practice to their Design & Technologies, VCE PD&T and VCE Systems Engineering students |
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Fantastic Fungi - The Sustainable Solution to Plastic Waste This is a recording of a DATTA Vic Online Teach Meet from 2022, which was delivered in partnership with NGV. Amanda Morgan, founder and Head of Research and Development at the multi-award-winning Fungi Solutions, shared how their work with this amazing natural organism diverts resources from landfill to sequester carbon, creates new materials and generates economic opportunities. |
| Melbourne City Design Challenges - Designing Preferred Futures Our Melbourne Minecraft City Challenges provide an immersive design experience for your students that links directly to the requirements of the Design and Technologies learning area, and tackle some of the biggest issues of our time: food and energy security, sustainability and health & wellbeing. |
| These free student resources from DATTA Vic engage your students in speculative design – work which uses design (products, services and scenarios) to address challenges and opportunities of the future. There are five activities, covering wearable technologies, future communities, future transport, healthcare and lunar living. |
| From The Creative Futures Annual Design Workshop. DATTA Vic and Melbourne Museum and Banyule Nillumbik Tech School collaborated with a group of teachers to create a Bio Communities resource which engages students in regenerative design. It asks, How can we design new, sustainable neighborhoods based on principles of Bio Communities? The resource is based on nature-based exhibitions at Melbourne Museum, including Bugs Alive!, the Gandel Gondwana Garden and the Milarri Garden Trail. |
| This speculative design resource is also the result of our annual partnership with Melbourne Museum, supported by Creative Futures, and was co-produced with a group of teachers. This is a digital portfolio that helps students explore the history of Melbourne’s story and then generate new and innovative ideas for how it can sustainably evolve in the future in the areas of transport, energy and community. |
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Co produced by DATTA Vic and Eco Innovators, this animation allows students to peer into the lives of everyday products as they tell their stories of mistreatment and neglect. They express their frustration with wasting energy, being mistreated and how they are poorly designed to break. Through short vignettes they tell us, the owners, how to emancipate them from the binds of misuse and how to become more sustainable. A perfect way to introduce the concept of the circular economy to students. |
| The second in our series of animations co-produced by Eco Innovators, "This is Your Life Cycle" is a humorous nod to popular reality TV makeover shows. It puts an entertaining spin on the scientific process of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), with the contestants all competing for a sorely needed eco-design makeover. |
 | This is the final video from DATTA Vic and Eco Innovators, Eric is a little mobile phone seeing a therapist because he is suffering from an existential crises after his owner abandons him for a newer model. In this cute animation we discover the secret life of a mobile phone as the therapist takes Eric through a past life regression... |
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Sustainability Fact Sheets for Students Students can download this set of fact sheets which were created to complement our Sustainability animations. They explore key sustainability education issues, including Life-cycle Assessment, Eco-design Strategies, and Design for Disassembly. |
| Designing the Circular Economy with Sustainability Victoria Our members can log in to www.datta.vic.edu.au and watch this fantastic presentation on Designing the Circular Economy in Victoria by SV’s Senior Advisor on Circular Economy, Florian van der Corput. |
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Replas - Recycled Plastics & Circular Solutions Members can log in to www.datta.vic.edu.au and watch this 2024 presentation by Chris Smith on how Replas is tackling the global issue of plastic waste by delivering sustainable recycled plastic products for built environments and public domain spaces. This is a fantastic case study of a local organisation led by the circular economy. |
| Introduction to Sustainability Teachers can use this PowerPoint presentation by Jill Livett to introduce the main sustainability concepts to students, and prompt them to think of the practical action they can take while designing and making. |
 | Explore the Ethical Clothing Australia website, and learn what it means to be an accredited ethical fashion business. You'll discover sustainable makers, advice on researching brands and resources. |
| This slide pack explores a wide range of sustainable product designs as well as suggested student activities for the classroom. |
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7 Ways Schools Can Support Student Action on Climate Change This great resource from Monash University offers a practical framework on sustainable living that can be used in classrooms and as the foundation of a whole-school approach. |
| EWB aims to harness the potential of engineering to create an equitable reality for the planet and its people. Their website features the inspiring range of community engineering projects they run all over the world, and includes some great resources, including Stories of Indigenous Engineering. |
| This initiative from Sustainability Victoria has a range of resources for schools, encouraging our students to 'reduce, re-use and recycle'. This is a great way to get students actively involved in transitioning their school to a more sustainable way of operating. |
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The World's Largest Lesson - Global Goals The United Nations have set 17 sustainable development goals to transform our world by 2030. The World's Largest Lesson website introduces these goals to children and young people, and includes a wealth of lesson plans, project ideas and printable posters for the classroom - many of them suitable for Design & Technologies. A Fantastic resource! DATTA Vic has developed a STEM by Design set of resources based on the UN Sustainability Goals. Members can access them at datta.vic.edu.au. |
| Eco Design Guide - Product Design Design Victoria published this useful guide to ensuring product designers practice sustainability. |
| Eco Design Guide - Fashion and Textiles Design This helpful document unpacks what sustainable fashion design should be. |
| ABC Education features this fantastic series by Craig Reucassel. It explores how the energy we consume, our eating habits and the way we travel all have an impact on the environment, looks at some potential solutions to climate change and discusses how each of us can get involved to make a difference. |
| Explore the work of The Social Outfit - a social enterprise charity and fashion producer which provides employment and training to people from refugee communities via their studio and store. This is a great example of an organisation following a triple bottom line sustainability strategy - key knowledge for the 2024-2028 VCE Product Design & Technologies study. |
| Design for Change is the largest global movement of children driving change in their communities using design. The site features some great inspirational stories and fresh ideas for classroom projects! |
| Every year, Baptist World Aid produce an Ethical Fashion Guide, which shines a spotlight on which brands are proactively protecting workers and the environment and those who are not. This is a great way for students to see at a glance which retailers prioritise sustainability in their practices. |
| War on Waste Education Resources Have you watched the 3 seasons of War on Waste with your students? The great news is that the ABC have produced a series of education resources to accompany the show, which covers food, plastic, electronics and fashion waste. Students can watch excerpts and then carry out the activities suggested in the Things to Think About prompts. |
 | This website (registration required but free to sign up) has a great range of resources on Sustainability and Technologies, including topics such as Alternative vehicle Technologies for year 9, Planned Obsolescence for years 7 & 8, Creative Sustainability - Designing Places for years 5 & 6 and Creative Sustainability - The Colours of Waste for years F-2. |
| Sustainable Design Stories from Dezeen Dezeen Magazine has a library of articles focusing on the latest innovations in sustainable design and architecture. A great source to help your students carry out research. |
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The Sustainable Engineering Society is part of Engineering Australia, and their website has a range of useful resources focusing on engineering solutions for a sustainable future.
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| The Story of Stuff was an award-winning documentary which explored the impact of excessive consumption on our planet. Since its launch, the project has produced a range of new resources, including the Story of Electronics, The Story of Microfibres and the Story of Change. |
| The Ellen McArthur Foundation is a charity committed to creating a circular economy, which is designed to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. They have a great range of resources on their site, including lesson plans, design guides and a podcast. |
| Ganbatte is a movement adopted by people around the world to make the circular economy work, to create new meaningful jobs and anticipate climate change. They have a circular started kit for organisations and lots of great case studies from around the world. |
| The Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre CEBIC facilitates collaboration among businesses, governments, research organisations, and industry bodies in order to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. They have grants, events and some great case studies. |
| A wide range of excellent teaching and learning resources can be found at Practical Action, a UK-based international development group which aims to build sustainable lives for everyone. These resources include Sustainability starter activities, 6Rs and Sustainability terms and Design briefs and activities for Design and Technology areas. |
| Why We Need Engineers Who Study Ethics as well as Maths This excellent article from the Conversation tackles key issues, including ethics in the construction industry, engineering on Country and climate change. |
| Notable Sustainable Projects in Victoria This OzGeos article lists a range of innovative, sustainable engineering and design projects happening in Victoria, with a particular focus on ecofriendly materials. |
Disclaimer: These resources are the work of practising teachers or education providers. They have been sources and shared in good faith and for general information only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DATTA Vic, nor do DATTA Vic endorse the accuracy or suitability of the information for any particular purpose. Note that this material has not been verified by VCAA. Responsibility in response to the material must be accepted by users. For VCE, teachers must refer to the mandatory documents in relation to the VCE Product Design and Technologies/Systems Engineering study designs from VCAA, which are available online and updated every year. For safety information, teachers must consult the relevant OHS Hazard Management section of the department's website. |
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