Sustainability Factors Exploration

Technologies – Design and Technologies | Years 4, 5 & 6

Name:

Date:

Year Level:

🎯 We Are Learning To (WALT)

✅ Analyse why sustainability matters in design.
✅ Identify at least two sustainability factors in a product or service.
✅ Discuss sustainability ideas clearly with your group.

💡 Key Words to Know

Sustainability – designing in a way that is good for people, the environment, and the future.
Impact – the effect a product or design has on the world.
Lifecycle – the full journey of a product, from making it to throwing it away.
Resources – materials, energy, and water used to make something.

📋 Part 1: What Makes a Design Sustainable?

Sustainability in design can be split into three areas. Read each one carefully:

🌿 Environmental – Does it protect nature? Does it use less energy or create less waste?
👥 Social – Is it fair? Does it help the community or keep workers safe?
💰 Economic – Is it affordable? Will it last a long time so people don't have to keep buying new ones?

1. Look at the list below. Circle E (Environmental), S (Social), or Ec (Economic) for each sustainability factor:

a) A water bottle made from recycled plastic     E    S    Ec

b) A product made by fairly paid workers     E    S    Ec

c) A solar-powered phone charger     E    S    Ec

d) A long-lasting school bag that doesn't need replacing every year     E    S    Ec

2. Which of the following are examples of sustainable design? (Tick ALL that apply)

Biodegradable packaging made from plants

A plastic bag designed to be used once and thrown away

A laptop that can be repaired instead of replaced

A t-shirt made using less water during production

A toy with parts that cannot be recycled

3. What do you think is the most important sustainability factor? Choose one:

Environmental – protecting nature and reducing waste

Social – being fair and safe for people

Economic – lasting a long time and saving money

Why did you choose that one? Use this sentence starter:

I think _____________ is the most important because ...

👥 Part 2: Group Activity – Evaluate a Product

Work with your group. Choose one product from the list below (or use one suggested by your teacher):

🔋 A rechargeable school tablet | 🎒 A school backpack | 🍱 A reusable lunchbox | 💧 A drink bottle

4. Our group's product is:

_______________________________________________

5. As a group, identify two sustainability factors for your product. Use the bullet points below:

• Sustainability Factor 1: _______________________________________

Why does this matter? ___________________________________________

• Sustainability Factor 2: _______________________________________

Why does this matter? ___________________________________________

6. Does your product have any sustainability problems? List one thing that could be improved:

Sentence starter: One thing that could be more sustainable is ...

✏️ Part 3: My Reflection

On your own, answer the questions below. Use bullet points to keep your ideas clear. You can also record your answer using speech-to-text if that helps you.

7. Why is sustainability important in design? Use the bullet points to write your ideas:

• Sustainability matters because ...

• One way designers can be more sustainable is ...

• If designers don't think about sustainability, then ...

8. Think about your school or local community. Name one product or service that could be designed more sustainably. Explain your idea:

Sentence starter: In our community, I think _____________ could be more sustainable by ...