A Better World by Design Conference

Business Planning for Social Enterprise
Presented by the Pratt Design Incubator

The Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation supports the entrepreneurial talents of designers who share a common goal: linking the social entrepreneur with the business of design. This workshop will centered around how to develop a business plan. By working in teams we will focus on how to create a mission statement, vision, goal and action plan based around a social design.

City Farm Tour
Presented by Southside Community Land Trust

Since 1981 this hyper-local urban farm has been a fusion of a backyard market garden and a small scale family farm. Integrating sustainable growing practices with resource conservation, this farm has set the stanrdard for urban agricultural projects. Tour participants will learn bio-intensive growing techniques, resource conservation practices, permaculture uses, community outreach and see firsthand the importance of local urban agriculture.

Design & Fabrication of Urban Electric Vehicles
Presented by Brown Engineering

This workshop will give participants the opportunity to observe some of the engineering rationale that goes into the design of electric vehicles. Participants will discuss the trade-offs related to battery technology, motor type, drive configuration and performance. Participants will also examine the "guts" of an urban electric vehicle and will be encouraged to offer input on the next iteration of a vehicle currently in development.

Emotion & More Human Design
Presented by Energy Inside Labs

Human beings are complicated; we have range. In any one given day, is our emotional complexity simply feeling one of seven things, or are we capable of sadness, elation, focus, curiosity, contentment, courage and nervousness all at the same time? How do we understand and design interactive media to encourage and enable emotional well-being? In this workshop we’ll collaborate to create a collection of emotional signatures. Then, in small groups we’ll dive into designing “peps,” interactive media micro-interventions (games, animations, exercises), targeted to help people develop affective and cognitive skills that can help them flourish in life. It’s design from the inside out.

Fresh Flavors & Sustainability with RISD Dining
Presented by RISD Dining

Chef Tim McFate from the Portfolio cafe at RISD Dining will be leading a discussion to help explain RISD’s path to local farmers and the development of program that puts sustainability as a major priority. Cooking demonstrations will take place and samples of the Portfolio Cafe’s signature dishes will be available to sample.

Going from Idea to Startup
Presented by Betaspring

Do you have an idea that will change the world, but you aren’t sure where to start? The managing partners of Betaspring, a local startup accelerator, will lead a discussion about the steps you can take to transform your idea into a viable startup company.

Government and the (Re)Design of Better Cities
Presented by Caroline Karp, professor in Environmental Studies at Brown,
Richard Godfrey, Executive Director, RI Housing, Lynne McCormack, Director, Providence Dept. of Art, Culture & Tourism, Edward Sanderson, Executive Director, Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, Samuel Shamoon, AICP, President, Shamoon Planning LLC, Mark van Noppen, Managing Director, The Armory Revival Company

Federal, state and local governments play a central role in enabling and complicating the diffusion of design, and many designers experience “government” as a barrier to new design ideas. However, Rhode Island and Providence have been leaders in developing innovative programs to creatively adapt to the legacy effects of being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. This workshop will explore some of the different ways that governments interact with the design community to produce a better built environment.

Innovation Studio
Presented by RISD Industrial Design

The Innovation Studio, at the Rhode Island School of Design, examines large-scale environmental and infrastructure problems. It employs interdisciplinary collaboration, design thinking, social entrepreneurship and research to confront some of the most pressing issues of our day. In this workshop, students of this year’s Innovation Studio will share the tools they are using to understand and redesign Rhode Island’s energy policies and practices. Tools useful for designers, activists and entrepreneurs who want a hand in shaping the complex opportunities of the twenty first century.

Greener Manufacturing Techniques
Presented by RISD Industrial Design

Explore and discuss concrete methods for improving the environmental impact of everyday goods. Understand the motivations of the manufacturer, retailer, and other influential parties in the supply chain to better address the overall lifecycle of the goods we design. This workshop addresses straight forward design practices and theories that can be applied to a wide array of products.

Model-Making Culture
Presented by Keeseh Studio

Asher Dunn, founder of Keeseh Studio, a community woodshop with prototyping and fabrication capabilities, will discuss the model making and protyping culture and how it is changing. Asher will share his experiences and demonstrate simple model making tricks and discuss tools and small machinery efficiency. He will share how these experiences influenced him to start Keeseh and teh unique projects and solutions it has generated.

Pedal to the People
Presented by Recycle-a-Bike

Recycle-a-Bike, a unique bike community and a recycling program in Providence, will facilitate a conversation about exploding bike culture in the USA, how bikes can change the world, benefits of appropriate technology, bike advocacy, community engagement, communities that have successful integrated biking systems, and basic bicycle anatomy. Please join us for the revolution!

Plant Environmental Center Tour
Presented by Brown University Plant Environmental Center

The Brown Plant Environmental Center is the University's conservatory greenhouse. The center houses a wide variety of species of economical, botanical, and medicinal importance. The tour will cover all aspects of these plants: uses, habitats, growth habits, and the sustainability of all these important plants.

RISD Museum Tour
Presented by the RISD Museum of Art

A free guided tour with a focus on design through the collections of the RISD Museum of Art and the newly completed Chace Center. The RISD Museum is the preeminent university art museum in the United States and houses a broad collection of art from spanning generations and disciplines. The collection totals over 80,000 pieces.

Sustainability that Matters
Presented by Ecolect

Can designers, architects, scientists, and engineers work together to truly create a truly sustainable future? Can we conceive and develop products and buildings with minimal harm to the environment and even create a positive impact? Attendees will work with Ecolect, the world's largest online database of eco-friendly materials, to gain the core tools to design with the environment in mind. We will cover eco-design, manufacturing practices, life-cycle analysis, and case studies of successful implementation.

THE.BRIEF.DVD. and Live Sketch Session
Presented by Jon Winebrenner

THE.BRIEF.DVD is a new film that exhibits the early visualization process that occurs during most industrial design Processes. The film follows four industrial designers who were given a design brief as they translated the ideas from their head to a finished concept presentation. During this session we will be premiering the film followed by a sketch demo by Michael DiTullo and William Vespa – two of the film's featured designers.

The "Culture Factor" or, Why the Best Laid Plans Go Awry
Presented by Brown University

In our increasingly global society, “cultural sensitivity” is the obligatory catchphrase behind projects that strive toward responsible social change. But what does it really mean to be culturally sensitive, and how can we actually achieve this aim? This workshop will explore the Culture Factor through group discussion of several case studies (including an innovative orphan care program in Botswana that claimed to be culturally appropriate as well as self-sustaining, but that nonetheless failed spectacularly). Participants will learn how anthropologists approach culture, and how they can put those techniques to use in their own designs for a better world.

"Think Wrong"
Presented by Project M Lab

The world is on the verge of many tipping points. Are you pessimistic about this uncertain future or optimistic? If you choose to be optimistic, design is one of the key ways to address these critical issues. Unfortunately, the human brain tends to think along pre-determined linear thought pathways that can inhibit true innovation that designing a better world requires. We will encourage, and provide techniques for, "thinking wrong" to generate new ideas and directions to create a more positive future.