Ásta Vilhjálmsdóttir

The website gerasjalfur.is is intended to be an introduction/ignition to the projects. It deals with consumption, waste, fast-fashion, sustainable fashion, clothing waste and the textile industry’s environmental impact.

 

The material is intended to improve morality and to encourage critical thinking when it comes to consumption and environmental behaviour which in turn could lead to a more sustainable way of life. The recent youth movement against climate change is discussed as well as young people’s ability to make an impact when it comes to sustainability.

 

Ways and good advice to turn the ship around by changes in values and way of life are also outlined. The projects deal with recycling and repurposing of textile waste as well as other waste materials that would otherwise be thrown away.

 

The projects aim to open students’ eyes to the fact that what we throw away and call waste can be valuable material and can easily be repurposed in creative ways.

 

A few projects focus on nature and intend to strengthen students’ ties to reality, nature and the environment, which is central to sustainable values. Some projects are community focused and aim to encourage sharing and stimulate empathy. All of the projects aim to empower students and encourage them to take action.

 

In the theses the website’s theoretical foundations are outlined and supported by qualitative research. It focuses on sustainability and the importance of the development of our educational systems away from formal education towards transformational education that prepares students for the kind of future that inevitably awaits us.

 

The emphasis is on values, critical and creative thinking and learning by doing. Both the ideas of Stephen Sterling on how sustainability education can be transformative and John Dewey’s ideas on learning by doing are explored in this context. The importance of craft for both learning and living is also discussed.