4 things a week: Trump

A distinct feeling of deja vu this morning as we re-enter the Trump era.

1. World

I woke up this morning with sadness in my heart for the women and LGBTQ in America. As someone who is both female and gay I recognise more than ever how incredibly fortunate I am to live in society where none of those labels have restricted my life. Many people in the same position as me across the pond will no longer feel that the same applies to them.?

“I’m going to do it, whether the women like it or not,”?Trump said ?at a rally on Wednesday. “I’m going to protect them.”?

This pretty much sums up the stance his presidency will take on women. Slowly eroding their freedoms. Freedom of choice about their bodies, relationships, work opportunities. Now I’m not saying the UK is perfect, there are gender gaps across the board, in pay, C-suite representation, policy makers and parental responsibility, but I personally feel that we have been moving in the right direction. I guess seeing the U-turn the U.S. has made on women and LGBTQ rights in just a matter of years shows that we can never take anything for granted.?

In New York this weekend there was one little thing that really stood out to me; the cost of tampons. Over $10 for a pack of basic tampons at a major pharmacy is a stark contrast to the ￡1.30 you’ll be paying here. The fact that period poverty is on the rise in the world's largest economy just about sums it up.?

2. Innovation?

Living in a country where you turn on the tap and drinking water comes out, it’s hard to imagine that water not being safe to drink, or worse - drying up completely. However when we had a Thames Water rep knock on our door asking to check our water quality, the reality that this isn’t a guarantee hit home. Only 0.5 per cent of water on Earth is useable and available freshwater. Over the past twenty years, terrestrial water storage – including soil moisture, snow and ice – has dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year. Rising sea levels is causing increasing salinisation of freshwater sources in coastal areas, and increased flooding pollutes water sources with sediment, pathogens and pesticides.?

Innovations in filtering or creating fresh water may well become household staples in the future. Innovations such as this water harvester created by researchers at Ohio State University that pulls water from the air. Using temperature-sensitive materials, the nickel titanium-based dehumidifier is so compact that it can be carried in a backpack and works by extracting water directly from the air. The key here is how little power it requires.?

I guess if we crack water harvesting, the next challenge is water storage. On a day like today in London where you can basically just open your mouth and drink the air it’s so wet, you’d get a pretty good haul, but where would you keep it all??

3. Morrama?

New product launch this week, or rather not a piece of product design, but graphic design for Wagamama’s retail packs. If you are a Waga fan, you may have noticed the update to the sauces, sachets and meal kits in your local supermarket. Beautiful work by Léa Berger and Ben Polhill to strip back the stereotypical ‘Asian’ black and bring a fresh food and flavour-forward look to the shelves.

You can read more about the project here: https://www.morrama.com/projects/wagamama-retail-packaging

4. Inspiration

It was a pleasure to speak with Rob Alderson from Design Week on Monday about Design Declares, our mission and the next event we are hosting later this month. We discussed how there is so often a lot of talk and not enough action when it comes to taking responsibility on climate impact, and much of it comes down to a lack of understanding how or where to even start. That’s why bringing people together to learn and build community is so important and our afternoon of talks and workshops on the 22nd of November at Sustainable Ventures. There is still a few tickets left, so grab yours here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/design-climate-changing-perspectives-tickets-1028407944847?aff=oddtdtcreator

Full article can be read over on Design Week here

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P.s. Just incase you got to the end of this and aren't sure who I am, I'm:

• an industrial designer (I design and engineer physical objects)
• founder of Morrama | Certified B Corp
• former tutor of Design Futures at the Royal College of Art
• co-instigator of Design Declares