Designing for 1.5°C lifestyles

This chapter presents a pioneering approach to sustainability education that leverages personal agency to ignite systemic transformation toward 1.5°C lifestyles. Through a hands-on project at Parsons School of Design, students embark on a journey of personal lifestyle experimentation, critically reflect on structural barriers, and design real-world interventions-or "system hacks"-to experiment with and test systemic sustainable change. Anchored in strategic design principles, the project equips students to creatively explore the complex interplay between individual behavior and systemic forces. A central theme emerging from the project is the importance of mindset shifts, demonstrating how changes in thinking and awareness, fostered through guided experimentation, form the foundation for behavioral change and the recognition of personal agency. Survey results, combined with project outcomes, demonstrate growth in students&s; confidence in their capacity to address climate change, creative engagement, and a deeper understanding of the interconnected roles of individual agency and collective impact in fostering 1.5�C lifestyles. Offering both a conceptual model and practical insights, this chapter serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to foster the power of design to cultivate the mindsets, processes, and strategies needed for transformative climate action.