In this course, you will explore how sustainability can influence the way we think, design, and make decisions in everyday life, professional practice, and project work. The course introduces key concepts that help us understand global sustainability challenges and provides practical tools for integrating sustainability into projects and design processes.

You will learn how to think critically about environmental, social, and economic impacts, including the Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet, and Profit, and the importance of short- and long-term thinking. The course also explores different levels of sustainability awareness, from understanding personal impact to recognising social systems, stakeholders, and global environmental limits.

You will be introduced to systems thinking as a way of understanding connections and interactions within complex systems, as well as sustainable design, circular economy, and the 6R framework: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover. You will also learn how to connect projects and design decisions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and identify meaningful links between projects and global sustainability challenges.

The course is organised into five modules that gradually build your understanding and practical skills.