Sustainable Fun!
Our Team.
Fostering sustainability by supporting young people in the United Kingdom (UK) in activities and engagement with sustainable practices has significant long-term benefits. In order to promote sustainability in schools we designed the programme: “Sustainability: turning knowledge into action” which supports participation and disseminates the merits of sustainability to school children.
The book is offered free of charge (open source) to facilitate an introduction to the concepts of sustainability and its consequences. We used a participatory approach where students take ownership of activities as they form an understanding of how sustainable practices affect their lives and wider community.
Preliminary results indicated that early training and support of young people increased involvement and provided a framework from which active participation developed into greater understanding of sustainability and the burgeoning necessity of living in a sustainable environment.
Natalia Moreira
Ph.D. researcher in the School of Materials, Faculty of Physics and Engineering. Natalia is developing her research in the involvement of consumers in the development of new sustainable fashion products in the UK market.
With a background in fashion and eco-design, she has lived in several countries and uses her cultural and technical expertise to improve the interaction between sustainable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country with current and future consumers, combining different assets throughout the textile value and supply chain.
Natalia decided to start this project as her research began to show the importance of involving the younger generations on the concepts, implications and advantages of learning and implementing sustainable behaviour.
Francesca Arato
Sustainability enthusiast and MSc in Ecodesign, Francesca joined the team for her passion with working with children and her personal interest on sustainability education.
With a MSc in Ecodesign, Francesca has worked in New York (at the National Park Service) and London (at the Richmond Borough) on educational programmes, creating interesting and interactive designs to motivate children’s interest in learning.
Kathryn Downey
Ph.D. researcher in the School of Materials, Faculty of Physics and Engineering. Kathryn is developing research looking at digital interventions for healthcare services within the UK. The research explores participatory design methods with patients, their families and healthcare practitioners.
Plymouth University graduate, Kathryn studied Fashion and textile design, which culminated in two Masters degrees in design and enterprises at the Manchester Metropolitan University and at the University of Manchester. She has spent, prior to the PhD, 6 years working for a corpora
te company.
Kathryn’s involvement in the project was oriented by her interest in working with education and love for sustainability, trying to perpetuate her ideals in the area.