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Building a Sustainable Future with Technology

Explore climate equity, technology, and the relationship between organisations and individuals in building a sustainable future with this online course from UAL Creative Computing Institute.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

4 hours

100% online

How it works

Unlimited subscription

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Understand the impacts of technology on the environment

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues we face, with technologies playing a huge part in the destruction of our natural environment. We need to take action and move towards more sustainable models for technology.

On this three-week course, you’ll discover critical approaches to technology and sustainability, understanding the role that technologies play within our lives and how it affects our natural environment.

By the end, you’ll learn to view technologies as part of a broader ecosystem of organic life – as tools with life cycles of their own that have a direct impact on our environment.

Explore feminist and decolonial practices

You’ll start by defining sustainability as you explore how community, government, and corporations take different approaches to sustainability.

Next, you’ll unpack exploitation and climate equity as you look to feminist and decolonial practices. Hearing from a variety of experts, you’ll gain a critical lens to explore the problems we face.

Investigate which sustainable practices meet your needs

To help implement sustainability in your everyday life, you’ll delve into different sustainability practices to explore which ones meet your needs.

Next, you’ll consider how you live with technology and experiment with a creative repurposing project of your own.

Explore sustainable investing

Finally, you’ll explore how the tech industry can manage production processes to work towards circular economies. You’ll also explore sustainable investing including within indigenous communities and using alternative materials.

Guided by the experts at UAL’s Creative Computing Institute and across industry, you’ll finish the course with the knowledge of the impacts of technology on the environment and how we can work together for a sustainable future.

Week 1
Approaching technology and sustainability
- Welcome to the course
  In this introductory activity you’ll be introduced to the experts who will be guiding you through the course as well as having the opportunity to meet other learners and share your thoughts and perspectives.
- Defining technologies
  During this activity you’ll be looking at definitions of technology as well as some of the broader impacts technologies have on our environment.
- Defining sustainability
  During this activity you’ll be looking at defining sustainability within the context of the course as well as looking at a variety of approaches.
- Technologies and ecosystems
  In this activity discover the ways in which technologies intersect with the planets ecosystems.
- Looking at the impacts
  In the final activity of week 1 we will be looking at the impacts of technologies on both the planet and people.
- Wrapping up Week 1
  You’ve reached the end of the first week of the course! In this activity, we’ll sum up what you’ve learned, and look ahead to Week 2.
Week 2
Being critical and taking action
- Current Initiatives
  In the first activity of week 2 we will be looking at current initiatives in place to tackle climate change.
- Responsibility, accountability, action
  In this activity explore the relationship between responsibility and accountability and how we can take action.
- Critical Approaches
  In this activity explore a range of different critical approaches to technology that build towards more sustainable futures.
- Alternative Practices
  In this activity explore a variety of alternative practices for approaching technology and sustainability.
- Wrapping up week 2
  In this activity read about what you have learnt during week 2 and what you will focus on in the final week of the course.
Week 3
Living differently with technologies
- Redefining expectations
  In the first activity of week 3 we will be considering how we can redefine our expectations of technologies.
- Rethinking materials
  In this activity will be re-thinking our relationship to materials, considering waste as a solution and discussing how we can build cultures of repair.
- The role of economies
  In this activity learn about the role changing our economic systems could play in building towards more sustainable futures.
- Living with technologies
  in this activity you will take part in your independent learning task, thinking about how you want to live with technologies now and in the future.
- Final reflections
  In this activity reflect back on the learning of the course and discuss how you will take it forwards.