This seminar course links global carbon cycles and local fiber systems to creative making. The class provides quantifiable intersections between climate change, regional economic development and localized fashion systems. The content is explored through assigned readings, lectures and weekly discussions, augmented by visiting lecturers - including bio-geo-chemists, rangeland ecologists, and microbiologists - and field trips to local ranches and farms. Students will explore the history and current conditions of the Bay Area Fibershed, work in teams to conduct action-based research to understand the efficacy and hurdles of localizing production, develop awareness of the scientific, economic, and ecological implications of a regionally based 'soil-to-soil' framework for textile and dye creation and by the end of the class will understand the potential for developing their own carbon-negative practices.

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