What are designers doing to address critical issues facing
  today’s world? How are engineers developing new technologies to
  improve life on earth? Where are entrepreneurs finding
  surprising opportunities in this mess? A Better World by Design
  will attempt to address these questions by demonstrating what
  professionals and academics are doing to promote sustainable
  development and change the world for the better.

  Over three days, you will hear from 25 industry leaders about
  novel approaches and solutions to extreme poverty, access to
  basic resources, and environmental degradation. Workshops will
  put theory to practice in the spirit of engineering and
  galleries will display the innovations and messages of talented
  designers.

  More information at http://www.abetterworldbydesign.com

This Wednesday, October 1st come to the first meeting of RISD’s new bike club. Commuters, racers, tinkerers, fun riders, enthusiasts, mechanics, novices, and anyone else who loves or even just likes bikes will come together to talk about how RISD can be a more bike-friendly place. Want new racks and shelters? Looking for buddies for the ride to and from RISD? Interested in weekend rides or even out-of-town events? Let’s get together and make it happen!

5:00pm  at the Chace Center Patio - BRING YOUR BIKE so we can take photos and document the bike love here at RISD! Join risd-cycling@googlegroups.com for updates.

You can probably tell, but R|D has a brand new site now.

July 14 - August 8, 2008

iddsummit.org/idds2008

The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) is a collaboration between students, mechanics, social workers, doctors, carpenters, farmers, and professors from over 18 countries. During IDDS, they join forces to build technologies to improve the quality of life in the developing world. The summit is headed by MIT Senior Lecturer and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Amy Smith, and is organized by MIT, Olin, and Caltech.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday criticized “some South American presidents” for supporting the use of biofuels, which he said are responsible for high food prices and global hunger.

full article

Second Life Center’s Year-End Recycling Initiative

2nd Life now has additional surrogate containers, beyond our old location, which will expand the capacity of our collection systems. We have partnered with the local non-profit Rhode Island Donation Exchange Program (RIDEP), to pick-up and re-distribute the excess generated on campus during the move out period and donate them to Rhode Islanders in need.

The new trailers will be open Thursday 5/22, Friday 5/23 and Saturday 5/24 from 11am - 1pm; during off-hours, the container will be securely locked.

RIDEP is also offering to establish a possible yard sale, on our campus, in early September exclusively for RISD. This event will promote sustainability and conscious consumer culture to new and returning RISD students.

Student Volunteers are needed
to maintain the storage containers, to sort the discarded items, and collect from the major dormitories and studios.

Proposed Student compensations/incentives:
-First pick of all discarded items collected at all Second Life locations
-Free exclusive Second Life T-shirt and other small memorabilia
-Limited free food and beverages (perhaps food at trailer sites)
-Possibility of extended housing for non-graduating volunteers from May 24th to June 1st

Trailer locations on campus
-15 Westminster Fulton Street Exit
-191 Benefit St - next to Dwight Apartments and the Garage
-55 Angell St - exit of the Freshmen Quad
-231 South Main St - BEB parking lot
-The ISB parking lot - location of Second Life

Contact info
Second Life Center

2ndlife[at]risd.edu
http://intranet.risd.edu/students/default.asp?club=Second_Life
ISB Parking Lot

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Graphic design update: publication to be released in Sept., as with website

Engineers without Borders (3-day symposium November 7-9 2008; Brown/RISD event; we are looking for speakers for this event. If interested, please visit website for more info @ http://www.abetterworldbydesign.com

So you may have noticed a new design at the top of the page - it’s one of the first steps in the Respond Design communications team’s semester-long collaboration to develop the blog into a larger website, which will be debuting this fall. This new logo is really a template that can be filled in with any number of designs, photographs, art - you name it! We invite any and all respond designers to submit their own versions, you can pick up a blank one to color in at the next meeting. When the new website goes up, you’ll see your design rotating with others throughout the site, along with all of our thoughts about what Respond Design is and does.

meeting notes 4/29/08

-end-of-the-year publication discussion – last year’s book was 7” x  9”; we’ll use this size but have it as a fold-out (like a newspaper; grid format; will open up into a poster).  Book to include all 2007-2008 r/d projects, subgroups, peter hocking’s wintersession class, respond/ design ‘make it better’ symposium, lunch lectures, nerd nights, museum installation, ‘yearbook’ section with info on people involved in r/d this year.  Publication will come out September 2008 with website.  DVD housed in a tote bag covered in ‘how to’s’ (how to compost, recycle, etc). ongoing conversation with brendan and others.

-respond/design website presentation & discussion – presentation made by Sarah Sandman and Melissa Small (graphic design)

-tentative respond design BBQ May 8 @ 5:30 BEB parking lot; free food, etc.