Lizzie Elliott
Senior Thesis | 2026
LizzieElliott
SeniorThesis
March4,2026
Ihavelongbeeninterestedinclimatechangeandrelated issues,sowhenitcametimetobeginplanningmyseniorthesis,I knewitwouldbeattheforefrontofmymind.Additionally,Iam passionateaboutart,specificallyarchitecture.Thus,Iwrotemy seniorthesis:fiveartpiecesexploringsustainabilityinhomesand livingspaces.
Thissemester,Itookanenvironmentalsciencecourse.In thisclass,thereweremultipleinterestingconcepts,butonegave myseniorthesispurpose.ThisideawastheAnthropocene.The Anthropocenewasinitiallyusedasaconceptofanewepoch, whichisessentiallyaunitoftimemeasuredinmillionsofyears. TheAnthropoceneliterallytranslatesto“theHumanage,”andis definedasaperiodduringwhichhumanshaveseverelyimpacted thenaturalclimate. OurcurrentEpoch,theHolocene,hasbeen aroundforonlyabout11,700years,whichmakestheideaofthe Anthropocenesointeresting.Havinganewepochthisearlywould goatremendouswaytowardsconvincingpeoplewhodonot believeinclimatechangethatitisreal.However,whenthe InternationalCommissiononStratigraphymettodiscussthe Anthropoceneandofficiallydesignateitasanepoch,thevote endedwithouttheAnthropocenebeingdesignatedasanepoch. Thereasoningwasthattherehadnotbeensufficienttimesincethe proposedstarttimetoobserveanyconcretegeologicalevidence. ThoughtheAnthropoceneisnotanofficialEpochitisstillaterm usedoftenincolloquialEnglishtosymboliseourlastingimpacton theplanet.(Malhi,Y)
TheconceptoftheAnthropoceneguidedmyprojects becauseitindicatedthatchangeisnecessary,notonlyintheway weliveourlivesbutinthewaywethinkaboutclimatechange. Thus,whileresearchingclimatechangeandsolutions,focusingon livingsustainablybecauseIenjoylookingatarchitecture,Ifounda coupleofkeyareasofmisconceptionthatIsoughttorectify
throughmyart.ThefirstissueIobservedwasthatmanyofthe roomsIlookedatresembledhotelsorwereallofthesamestyle. Specifically,mostfocusongreeneryandplantsaswellasmuted colorsandultimatelyminimalistdesign.Iobservedtheserooms mostlythroughonlineresearch,andIdecidedtochallengethis perceptioninmypieces.Imadeeachlooklived-inandused differentstyles.Thesecondmisconceptionwasthatitwasa privilegedactivity.Thisisbecausewhenpeoplethinkofliving sustainably,theyoftenenvisionsignificantchanges,suchas installingsolarpanelsorupgradingtoenergy-efficientappliances. Whilethiscanandfrequentlyisalargepartofsustainabledesign, itisnotnecessarytomakeadifference.Toshowthisinmy projects,IevolvedtheamountItookcostintoaccountforeach projectspecifically;itwasamainpointofmyfinalproject.The thirdissuewasmisinformationcausedbylimitedresearch.Thisis thebiggestissueIfound,sotoshowcaseitthroughoutmyprojects, Iresearchedeachpiecemoredeeplyandusedarangeofmaterials, sizes,andperspectivestoshowitscomplexity.Essentially,theones thatlookmorecomplicatedhadmoreresearchputintothemto showhowmuchofadifferencebeingwell-informedaboutclimate changecanmake.
Quickly,IwillgetmorespecificonhowIvariedthesize, medium,andperspectiveofmypieces.Sizeisrelativelyeasyto seeanddoesnotrequireanartist'seye;mysmallestwas6½x8in., whilemylargestwas12x15in.ThesecondthingIusedto showcasemyevolvingknowledgewasmaterial.Inallmy paintings,Ialmostalwaysusednewmaterials,rangingfromthose IwasmostconfidentintothoseIwasnot.Specifically,Iusedink (pen),markers,acrylicpaint,andgouache.Thereisnouniversally acceptedorderfromeasiesttohardestofthesematerials,butitis generallythoughtthatdrawingislesscomplexthanpainting.This isespeciallytrueforme;therefore,thisorderofmaterialsisbased
onwhatistypicallyacceptedandonmyownexperience.I technicallyusedacrylicpainttwicebecauseofthemediumsIhad accesstoformythirdandfourthprojecthowever,Iutilized perspective,mylastvariable,todifferentiatethetwoaswellas theirsizes.
AsshowninFigures1and2,drawingscanpresentmultiple perspectives.Iutilisetwodistinctperspectivesinmydrawings,as wellasonedrawingbasedentirelyonareference.Aswiththe materials,Irepeatperspectives;however,Iuseadditionalelements tohighlighttheirdifferences.One-pointperspectiveis self-explanatory.Thereisonepointinthebackgroundtowhichall linesthatimply3Dnessgo,forexample,figure1.Iused1pointfor projectstwoandthree;however,Imadeprojectthreefromaaerial view,soitstilllookedmorecomplexthanprojecttwo.Thenthere isthefive-pointperspective,whichconsistsoffourpointsarranged aroundacentralpoint.Thisismuchmorecomplicatedthanaone ortwo-pointperspective.Thesimplestwaytoenvisionwhatitis meanttolooklikeistoimagineapoint-and-a-halfphotoinwhich everythingappearshighlystretchedoutaroundthemiddle.An exampleofafive-pointperspective,orfish-eyeperspective,is figure2.Iusedthisperspectiveforprojectsfourandfive;however, becauseprojectfiveislarger,theperspectiveismorepronounced.
Frommyvariousscienceclassesovertheyears,Ihave learnedtheimportanceofacontrolvariable.Tocreatemyown controlvariable,Isearchedforatypicalfamilyroom,founda free-sourcedimage,anddrewitpreciselyasitappearedinthe image.ThisideaturnedintoFigure3.Thisroomservestocontrast therestoftherooms,specificallytheamountofthoughtandcare thatgoesintoeverypiece.Additionally,Ihopedthatmyviewers wouldseetheirownhomesthroughthisfirstprojectandcontinue tothinkoftheirownhomesandhowmylaterprojectscouldreally applytothem.
Formysecondproject,I createdacozykitchen,see Figure4.Tobeginmy research,Iexaminedsome eco-friendlymaterials.Ifound aninterestingreclaimed-wood optionanduseditforthe countertops.(Cemex) Reclaimedwoodisessentially scrapsofwoodthatwere discarded,sobyusingthem, youcanhaveallthebenefitsof woodwithoutthe environmentalcost.Then,for theactualcupboards,Iused bamboo.Bambooisahighlysustainablematerialwhenused correctly,asitgrowssoquicklythatitcanbeharvestedand regrownwithin2to3months.Thisiscomparedtofulltrees,which usuallytakeyearstoreachareasonableheight.(ForeverBamboo.)
ThesecondthingIresearchedwasappliances. Energy-efficientappliancesarenotonlygoodforpeople'swallets butalsofortheenvironment.Immediatelyinmyresearch,I
encountered“EnergyStarCertifications”.Thisisagovernment programthattestsvarioustoolsandappliancestodetermine whethertheymeetitsenergy-efficiencycriteria.Iftheydo,the applianceismarked withabluestarto indicatetheproduct's characteristics.The oven,refrigerator,and microwaveshownin Figure4areallEnergy Star-certified. Interestingly,this departmenthascome undercriticismfrom thecurrent administrationand facedpotential termination;however,it wasrecentlydecided thatitwillnotbeterminatedandwillcontinuetooperate.This makesalotofsense,asofficialfiguresshowthat,althoughthe programcosts39milliondollars,itsavespeoplebillionsofdollars annuallyinenergybillsandtaxbenefits.(Pappas,S.)Thisis particularlyinterestinginthecontextofmyprojects,asakeyidea isthelackofresearch,whichputsimportantenvironmental departmentsatunnecessaryrisk.
Somethingthatbecameabundantlyclearwhileworkingon mysecondprojectaftermyfirstprojectwasintentionality.Ina spaceIdesign,everysinglethingisthereforapurpose,soifI wanttomakeaspacelooknon-hotel-likeandlived-in,asisoneof mythreemisconceptionsIaimtoright,Ihadtodoitpurposefully. Thus,Iaddedalotofhomeythingstothisimage,suchasthe
picturesonthefridgeandthingsonthecounters.Additionally,I createdastoryforthepeoplelivinginthisplacethattheywere havingamovienight,soIputinpopcornandothermoviesnacks inordertogivetheimpressionthatthiswasjustasnapshotofa realhome.Withthisintentionalityinmind,Ibeganworkingonmy thirdproject.
Formythirdproject,Ifocusedontheexteriorofahome, specificallythebackyard.Todothis,Ifirstexaminednativeversus non-nativeplants.Thereisacommonagendainmost environmentalcirclestoreplacenonnativeplantswithnative plants.Thisisbecause Nativeplantscanoften formstronger relationshipswithinthe ecosystemstheyinhabitby interactingwithnative insectsandothernative inhabitants.However, thereismorenuancethan that,andnonnativeplants arenotasbadasmany say.Whiletheymaynot interactwiththeir environmentaswellas nativeplants,theyarenot inherentlyevil,andusing acoupleofnon-native plantsisnottheendoftheworld.Thekeydifferenceisthe presenceofinvasiveplantspecies.Often,peoplemixupinvasive specieswithnon-nativeplants;however,theyareverydifferent: invasiveplantscausedirectharmtotheenvironmentbyspreading uncontrollablyorharmingnativeinsects.Forthisreason,Ifocused
onavoidinginvasivespeciesratherthanemphasizingnative species.(Gabriela)
Additionally,Iwantedtofocusonwaterforthisproject. Forthatreason,Iusedarainbarrelcollectionsystem,seetheupper middleofFigure5.Whatthesystemdoesisrelativelysimple,but itcanmakeabigdifference.Itcollectswaterfromthegutter, filtersoutimpurities,andallowsittobeusedtoirrigate surroundingvegetation.Ialsoinstalledafencearoundthe backyardtokeepanimalsandinsectsout.Sincetherearefewer insects,pesticidesarenotneedednearlyasmuchasinanopen backyard.Finally,Iwantedtobringinmypastproject,soIusedan EnergyStar-certifiedgrill.Tocontinuethethemeofmakingitlook livedin,Iaddedacatandasoccerball,aswellaspillowsandan outdoorrugthatfeltlesshotel-likethanmanyenvironmental buildings.
Formyfourthproject,Idesignedtheexteriorofahome, seeFigure6.Onethingthat wasreallyimportanttome wasbuildingahomethat blendsintoitssurroundings anddoesn’tinterferewiththe surroundingwildlife.Itooka lotofmyinspirationforthis projectfromafamoushouse designedbyFrankLloyd WrightcalledFallingwater. Thishouseisnotableforits extremeintegrationwithits surroundings.Hedidthisfor acoupleofreasons;onewas tocreateahomethatblurred theboundarybetweenthe
insideandtheoutside,ashebelievednaturetobeextremely calmingandbeneficial.Additionally,herecognisedthattheland looksthewayitdoesforareason.Buildingwiththenatural environmentcanhelpprotectagainstvariousnaturaldisasters, suchasfloods.
AnotherimportantthingIfoundwastheuseoflightand thesun. Mostofthetime,whenpeoplethinkofusingthesun,they thinkofsolarpanels;however,itcandomuchmore.Iplacedmany windowsfacingthesunforheating.Whileinthewinterthiswould saveonheating,onemightthinkthatinthesummerthesunwould bebeatingdownonthewindows,makingthehouseneedalotof airconditioningwhichwould ruinthewholepoint. However,Iusedtwosolutions tofixthatveryproblem.One isthatIincludedoverhangs overallthewindows,which blockthesunatitsstrongest. Additionally,Iuseddeciduous trees.Deciduoustreeshave leavesinthesummer,which canblocksomeofthesun, whereasinthewinter,they losetheirleaves,lettinginthe sunandheat.(Meerow,Alan &Black)
Additionally,forthematerials, Iutilisedreclaimedwood.Reclaimedwoodisessentiallywhatit soundslike:takingwoodfromvariousconstructionsitesand piecingthemtogether.Toportraythisasaccuratelyaspossible,I usedvariousshadesofbrowntorepresentthedifferenttypesof wood.Finally,Idrewonideasfrompastprojects,suchasthe
gutterandrainbarrelsystem.Iusedatireswingtomakethishome feellivedin;however,comparedtoothers,IdefinitelythinkI couldhavedonemoretomakeitlooklivedin.
Formyfinalproject,Iwantedtodoacoupleofthingsthat aremoredoableandthatreallytakemonetaryconstraintsinto account.SoIdesignedtheinteriorofahome,Figure7.Afterall,it isnotrealistictoexpecteveryonetoreplacetheirapplianceswith energy-star-certifiedones.OnebigthingIwantedtoincludewas LEDlighting.Thisisbecauseolderincandescentbulbsare extremelyinefficientandusemuchmoreenergythanLEDs. Additionally,olderlightbulbsproducesomeheat,whichraises air-conditioningneeds,thoughnotbymuch.Onaverage,LED lightsaremoreexpensive;however,theylastsignificantlylonger, sothereturnoninvestmentishigh.(Winter,M.)
AnotherthingIincludedwasaclothesline.Whiledryers canbeveryefficient,aclotheslineissimpleandcansavealotof energywhenyouarenotinapinchfordryclothes.Ialsoputsome reusablebagsinthispiece,asitissomethingmyfamilyandIuse often,andawaytogetridofplastic.Finally,whileitwasdifficult todraw,Ithinkitisimportanttonotethatyoushouldunplugyour electronicswhentheyarenotinuse,astheyuseenergyandwe oftendonotrealizeit.Tomakethislooklivedin,Iputinman paintingsIfoundinterestingandincludedmyownbedframe, whichIthoughtwouldbeanicepersonaltouch.
Ultimately,mygoalwiththeseprojectswastodeepenmy understandingofhowpeopleviewclimatechangeandsustainable building,andtoshowcasethatthroughmydesigns.Iwas ultimatelysuccessfulbecauseIdesignedallmyspacestolook differentfromwhatIhadseeninmostenvironmentaldesigns.I alsomadethedisparityinhowmuchresearchyoudoclearby pointingoutsomecommonpitfalls,forexample,nativevs.non
nativeplantsortheEnergyStarprogram.Finally,Ifocusedon cheaperwaystomakeadifferenceformyfinalpiece.
Mygoalwithalltheprojectswasnottosay,"Lookathow wastefulweare,"andtohaveeveryonegooutandmakehuge, dramaticchanges.Idohopethatpeoplecanmakesomechanges; however,Iwillconsidermyselfsuccessfulaslongaspeople becomemoreconsciousoftheimpacttheyhavedaytodayand stresstheimportanceofcontinuedsustainabledesign.
WorkCited
Bocsi,T.,Allen,J.M.,Bellemare,J.,Kartesz,J.,Nishino, M.,&Bradley,B.A.(2016).Plants’native distributionsdonotreflectclimatictolerance. Diversity and Distributions, 22(5/6),615–624. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24817495
CemexVentures.(2023,November14). CEMEX VenturesFostering the Construction Revolution.Cemex Ventures
https://www.cemexventures.com/sustainable-buildin g-materials/
Explore Morefallingwater.Fallingwater-IconicHouses. (n.d.).
https://www.iconichouses.org/specials/fallingwater ForeverBamboo. Eco-Friendly Benefits of Building With Bamboo.
https://blog.foreverbamboo.com/eco-friendly-benefi ts-building-with-bamboo/ Malhi,Y.(2017).TheConceptoftheAnthropocene.
Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 42(1),77–104.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102016-06 0854
Meerow,Alan&Black,R..EnviroscapingtoConserve Energy:aGuidetoMicroclimateModification1. Pappas,S.(2025,May8). The EPA Plans to Terminate the Energy Star Program. Here’s What That Means. ScientificAmerican.
Sotelo,Gabriella.2022. What Is the Difference between Native, Non-Native, and Invasive Plants? Audubon. February25,2022.
https://www.audubon.org/news/what-difference-bet ween-native-non-native-and-invasive-plants.
Winter,M.(2007). Sustainable Living: For Home, Neighborhood, and Community: Save Energy, Save Resources, Save Money, Live Better.Westsong Publishing.
Why Use a Rain Barrel? (n.d.).PennStateExtension. https://extension.psu.edu/why-use-a-rain-barrel