PALS

​

Human generated climate change poses a deep question for education: how do we teach students in such a way that empowers them to reverse the global shifts they have inherited? Further, how do we train creatives to make more while using less, so future generations have the resources to thrive? PALS was born to address these thorny issues.

 

The Partnership for Academic Leadership on Sustainability (PALS) is a collaboration between colleges and universities focused on solving the challenges of global climate change through the power of creativity and an art and design education. PALS operates as an interdisciplinary thinktank of faculty, staff, and administrators who share expertise, create collective action, and empower change agents. As a collaboration between competing schools PALS helps each member school accelerate its own initiatives to create a sustainable future for the planet and a viable future for art and design education. PALS fellows share strategic planning, metrics, curriculum, case studies, and public presentations multiplying the efforts of each individual school to find a just equitable future. In a world dominated by competition and separation PALS seeks to meet our common opponent, ourselves, with free information exchange, adaptive mindsets, and collective proactive action.

 

As founding PALS academic fellow for Memphis College of Art I have contributed to each annual summit (2010-2017). From 2015-2017 I served as PALS international co-coordinator leading the organization, planning and running annual summits with author designer and educator Wendy Jedlicka.