Holistic Approach to the Indian Higher Education System in Design and Sustainability

Abstract

Sustainability is a need of the hour as we have very limited resources that are to be restored or utilized carefully. One way toward sustainability is through higher education, with awareness, possible ways of using it, and a change in thought process which will lead to minimal wastage of resources. Design decisions based on sustainability are more than using natural resources that are biodegradable. One of the main strategies of green design is to follow the ‘waste hierarchy’. Green materials are designed to be reusable and recyclable, and they degrade naturally at the end of their life, reducing the environmental footprint of the product. In point of fact, design has the power to stoke and encourage innovation. It can also contribute to the shaping of the world on a variety of levels, from materials to products, product service systems, social organizations, and socio-technical systems. Eco-design is a comprehensive and holistic approach to planning activities that emphasizes the welfare of people and the environment as the final design. ‘It focuses on resource efficiency and the use of environmentally friendly materials to develop products and processes’ (Manzini, 2020, Design, When Everybody Designs). Sustainability for design is sometimes referred to as a lifetime configuration approach since it gathers data on the full life cycles of products and their effects on the environment and living beings. The aim of the paper is to be unambiguous as to why sustainable systems should be included in higher education. An endeavor, additionally, had been to summarize the government policies in order to raise awareness for the next generation. Further, data is collected from respondents who belong to the education system for understanding the importance of sustainability in education. From the gathered information, it was observed that every person unconsciously considers sustainability in their day-to-day lives. However, with mindfulness and plan training there will be an impact on the general public for a better future.