Towards Environmental Sustainability in Digital Fabrication Classes

This paper reports the challenges of introducing bio-based materials to designers for generating awareness in environmental sustainable prototyping. We conducted a workshop with 22 novice students to introduce the environmental impact of prototyping materials and creating hands-on experiences with biodegradable materials and digital fabrication techniques. We reported novice designers’ decisions on materials from low to high fidelity prototyping and their perception of using mycelium-composite for Digital Fabrication. We presented a discussion of implications for educators to address environmental sustainability in their lab or when teaching digital fabrication in a classroom.