By Abigail Gan | Staff Writer
Interior design lecturer Hillary Burgess is bringing her knowledge and research in sustainability to Baylor’s interior design department.
Burgess said sustainability is a requirement in her classes, and it’s important her students don’t select products that have negative impacts on the environment.
“Saying something is recycled or recyclable does not necessarily mean that the entire supply chain was responsibly executed,” Burgess said.
Burgess, who graduated from Baylor in 2009, said college students tend to choose furniture for their apartments and dorm rooms that is disposable. While she understands the concern of sticking to a budget, she said there is a way of breaking the cycle.
“If you can buy a piece that is a little bit more quality or find one secondhand … even if it’s someone’s last year’s couch that you can put in your apartment this year, that stops that effect of the supply chain on the environment that couch has already made,” Burgess said.
Burgess said this concept is important to keep in mind after graduation as well.
“As students graduate, as they move into their own homes, instead of stocking your house with cheap furniture that you know you’ll ultimately replace, maybe take the time to save up and invest in pieces that can last a lot longer,” Burgess said. “I think that would be something I want everybody — students and all humans — to adopt as a mindset. Quick furniture, like quick fashion, just doesn’t last. If we can invest in those pieces, take the time and be patient to have furniture that lasts a long time — that would be a huge step toward sustainable living.”
Interior design division lead Michelle Brown had Burgess as a student while she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Brown said Burgess strengthens the department.
“She’s very engaging with the students that she teaches,” Brown said. “[She] always has a smile on and is willing to help out in any kind of situation.”
Burgess said she went into her master’s degree knowing she wanted to focus on sustainability in interior design.
“Something I noticed that rating systems … don’t do is focus heavily on furniture,” Burgess said. “As interior designers, we do heavily focus on furniture and the interior environment, so I wanted to fill that void — or at least attempt to — with my research.”
Burgess conducted a research survey in which participants tried to identify elements or materials they associate with sustainability, either positively or negatively. Then Burgess guided them through a framework on sustainability and evaluated the accuracy of their selections.
“It became clear that they did tend to select more greenwashing tactics than not, which is concerning,” Burgess said. “That’s what the companies kind of hoped for. Not that they’re being nefarious, but they want their products to be selected. They want you to feel good about what you’re picking. But when it’s so hard to control that supply chain, the manufacturers may not know just how much they’re affecting the environment.”
Burgess said the majority of participants said they would probably change their selections in the future based on what they had learned. She said she hopes to one day create a tool to expand on her research and make it more accessible.
