Project Problem

The Recycling Room is located in the Cohon Center inside Carnegie Mellon University. The Green Practices Committee developed this space as a resource for the entire university community. Though many know about the Recycling Room, very few people actually use it. I determined that this is because there are no visualizations to educate and compel students and staff to take advantage of the resource. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the space is located in an area with little foot traffic. Our task was to make the Recycling Room more educational, recognizable, and approachable for everyone in the campus.

Project Solution

There were three teams assigned to develop and visualize the Recycling Room into a completely different space. Upon each giving their presentations, interviews, mood boards, data visualizations, another other assessment tasks, our team was chosen for the project. The goal was to make the Recycling Room more approachable, educational, delightful, and colorful than its current state. Carnegie Mellon is currently still working to renovate the area. 

Research

We surveyed 133 people in school and conducted additional in-person interviews.

Although a majority (71.9%) of the survey participants knew about the Green Space, more than half (56.3%) have never recycled there. Most (77%) have never deliberately gone there to recycle, suggesting that most of the recycling activity is incidental. Regarding the opinions toward on-campus recycling programs, nearly half (44.4%) were ambivalent, while the next largest groups tended toward considering the programs negatively.

Concept

Micro

Focused on the individual and the individual’s agency to make sustainable decisions.

• Micro Impact Data Visualization

• Recycling Center

• Student Work Exhibition Space

Macro

Focus on wider initiatives (local, global), providing context for Micro.

• Macro Impact Data Visualization

• Screen/Office Hours Space

Global Sustainability Initiatives

The core of our concept is to distill the most important sustainability information on both a personal (micro) and environmental (macro) level. This information is then presented in compelling ways that are both memorable and engaging to the audience.

Outcome

We focused on making Educational, Approachable, Delightful green space.

The goal of the design execution was that for each time individuals pass through the Green Space, they will progressively learn and eventually engage in sustainable behaviors. As such, the Space had to be made educational but easy to digest, unassuming but engaging. This was achieved by integrating the information into the environment in cheerful and interactive ways.