New Wave is a research project developing the next stage of understanding, modification, and development of a stronger Climate Design curriculum
New Wave uncovers:
How design students perceive sustainability in their design field
What design educators are currently experiencing in the classroom
Ways to build a strong Climate Design curriculum in every design classroom
But first we need to address the barriers to Climate Design* curriculum:
“The belief that Climate is
too niche.”
“The inability to change curriculum due to higher-ed bureaucracy.”
“Lack of funding to support Climate Design in the classroom.”
“A fear of failure to truly make a difference.”
*Based on our previous research described in our New Wave reports
Get our latest New Wave report & Newsletter delivered to your inbox
Over the past few years we have conducted research with design students and educators to gain insights into their education experiences, compiling this into an easy-to-digest report. To get access to the latest report and our monthly newsletter full of updates and events, fill out the contact form below and we will deliver it straight to your inbox.
New Wave FAQ
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If we can teach students how to design for a sustainable world, we will be one step closer to enacting real and powerful climate action. To do that, though, we need to develop a toolkit of sorts, to make climate design a part of all design education. This research will help do that.
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Answers will be recorded and analyzed for common themes and studied to find relationships between different themes. This data will then be used to create systems, toolkits, and other assets to assist in climate design curriculum building. The answers participants give will be stored for as long as the research project continues.
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This research will inform the New Wave initiative on what tools will be best to help bring climate design into every design classroom. It will develop effective climate design education resources that educators can easily transfer to their curriculums.
More ways to engage with all things New Wave
Find events on Luma
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Say hi to us at the 2026 AIGA Design Educators Conference
Listen to New Wave on Climify
Learn more about New Wave on Climify. Their episode “Reimagining Design Education: Stevie Bales and Zoë Edington on Climate Action” is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Check out Climify Assignments, simple project briefs that you can modify and use for your class.
Share & Celebrate your work in climate design education
If you have updates to share–maybe it’s innovative teaching approaches, climate design pedagogy, successful student or personal projects, or institutional climate initiatives–we’d love to feature them.
With your permission, selected contributions will be highlighted in our monthly newsletter, as well as in upcoming meetings or workshops.
The Climify Team
Zoë Edington
New Wave Researcher
MSc Student in Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University College London
Anna Schum-Houck
New Wave Research Strategist
Lecturer in Graphic Design at University of North Carolina Charlotte
Cindy Raspiller
New Wave Research Strategist
Lecturer in Graphic Design at San Jose State University
The New Wave Research Project is independent of Climate Designers. The views expressed and sources listed in the New Wave Research Project are solely the authors’ own, and do not represent the views of Climate Designers.