Okala: A College of Design Sustainability Initiative

Industrial Design faculty member Philip White led the development of Okala, an introductory curriculum on ecodesign for students of product design. Okala provides easy-to-use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) factors for a wide range of materials and processes and shows how to develop “design for recycling” guidelines that teach designers how to make the most profitably recyclable products. Okala is a highly relevant tool for the challenges of the global ecological crisis, designing for lifecycle strategies, conducting impact assessment, and enhancing ecologically-responsive design outcomes in professional practice.