Absolve

Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden

In this episode, Katie talks about the idea of absolving yourself from guilt. The climate crisis is not your fault, but it is your responsibility, and you have an incredible opportunity to bring about change.

Katie talks about:

• The idea of absolving yourself of the guilt that comes with the climate crisis
• How the energy industry has not only contributed the vast majority of the carbon in the atmosphere, but has also worked really hard to curb regulations and undermine public understanding of climate change
• How the climate crisis might well have been resolved before you were even born!
• How we are the last generation that have the opportunity to do something about this
• That there are no magic bullets, tech is not going to save us

Here are some highlights:

It’s Not Your Fault

“…80% of the environmental impact of an object is determined at design stage. And that's true, right? From material choices to end of life considerations by the time an object goes into production from a sustainability point of view, its fate is largely sealed.”

This stuff didn’t all happen in the past!

“There are very big online retailers selling and shipping 1000s of dollars worth of products every second, with business models that are built on what Greenpeace describes as greed and speed… If we're looking to apportion blame, let's look to massive globalised companies, and global leaders who are not doing their bit to make the big changes that they could make.”

Get excited about this responsibility about this opportunity!

“… the soil in which creativity thrives is curiosity, optimism and collaboration, all impulses, I'm guessing that drew you to our industry in the first place. Right? So we need designers to stop feeling guilty so they can reconnect with those feelings of curiosity, optimism and collaboration and tap into their creativity to become part of the solution.”

Reports we mentioned:

• Explore the stats shared in this article written by Katie for Dezeen
• Inside Climate News – Exxon: The Road Not Taken
• New report shows just 100 companies are source of over 70% of emissions - CDP
• Margaret Thatcher - UN General Assembly Climate Change Speech (1989)

Spread the Word:

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And finally, sign up for our my e-newsletter ‘Weekly(ish) Musings for Curious, Imperfect and Stubbornly Optimistic Environmentalists’ landing gently in inboxes most Fridays - just click here. And find me on the Interwebs: @katietreggiden.1 (Instagram), @katietreggiden (Twitter, TikTok), @katietreggiden3908 (YouTube). If you’re a designer-maker, DM me a ♻️ to be added to my close friends group especially for sustainable craftspeople and check out Making Design Circular at www.katietreggiden.com/membership

About Katie:
Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author, podcaster and keynote speaker championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. With 20 years' experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine, Design Milk and Monocle24. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and this podcast.

About our partners:

Inhabit hotels, located in the Bayswater area of London, offer restorative environmentally and socially conscious places to stay in the city. Wellness and well-being also play a major part in the brand's ethos Mindfully designed for the modern traveller, everything at this new hotel has been considered with a genuine commitment to environmental initiatives and meaningful community partnerships. To find out more please check out our Instagram @inhabit_hotels.

Surfers Against Sewage is a grassroots environmental charity that campaigns to protect the ocean and everything that the ocean makes possible. They campaign against everything that threatens the ocean; plastic pollution, the climate emergency, industrial exploitation, and water quality, by taking action on the ground, that triggers change from the top. If like me, you'd like to support surfers against sewage, head over to https://www.sas.org.uk/

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