@article{article_203305, title={Planting Paper: An Environmentally Responsible Design Project in an Art and Design Institution}, journal={Yaşar Üniversitesi E-Dergisi}, volume={10}, pages={1–12}, year={2015}, DOI={10.19168/jyu.22495}, url={https://izlik.org/JA36WB52DT}, author={Farooq, Amama and Forsı, Ali and Ovacık, Mine}, keywords={Derin ve Sosyal Ekoloji, Kağıt Dönüşümü, Kağıt-Tüketimi, Sağduyulu Tasarım, Ağaç Dikimi}, abstract={This study presents a graduate research project as a case study, conducted (by the third author) under a graduate course titled “Responsible Design 2” (RD2) at Yaşar University (Izmir, Turkey). It is proposed that organizing a tree-planting festival for/with art and design students as a pilot activity at the beginning of their education. The aim is to create awareness on the paper consumption in a local academic society by design act and activism, and to save trees for students’ future paper consumption during their 4-year education as a part of ecological social movement by an institution. The purpose of this paper is to share this empirical practice-based research to contribute to Socially Responsible Education.This experimented design activism project, conducted through a locally interactive research process by graduate students1 (the first and second author), has become a valuable learning experience for the researchers by implementing simple methods and finding out noteworthy numbers in paper consumption in the closest environment. The process of the research contains, literature review, a survey done among design students and faculty members, observations in the school and an exhibition to inform for this festival and to gather, evaluate responses of students, academics who will be involved in this festival. The question here is the starting point for this research: In what way could design thinking change the habits of nonsocially responsible, non-ecological thinking students in the daily life of today? At the end of the survey, it was found out that one student of this faculty consumes 4 trees for his/her 4-year design education. When The 1st Tree Plantation Festival will be held, 153 individuals of this local academic community will plant 612 trees. In conclusion, a simple ‘awareness act’ (staged tree-planting festival) have potential to spark a mass-change in a long turn, in consequences of chain reaction. It is an effort to empower the relationship between human and nature, by responsible thinking other than only economic-based approach of commercial world}, number={39}