Biggest takeaways from the Climate Designers meetup - 6/8/23

You might not consider yourself to be a "climate designer" - but that could change!

Whether you already work as a designer, or want to get into design, the Climate Designers community is here to provide support.

Remember - you have a choice when it comes to climate work:

1. Get a job at an organization that is doing something for the climate
2. Convince the organization you already work for to do something for the climate

There are people everywhere doing both.

My biggest takeaway from last night's Seattle meetup:

One way to have teeth:

Remind your company that money is on the line.

Investors and paying clients want to see you are fulfilling your ESG promise.

Additional Takeaways:

• Start a "green team" at your current job, or join the existing one.
• Find allies to support you on multiple fronts
• For example - one designer performed a sustainability audit in her company. She made the drawings in Figma, while someone else did the research for her
• You can do it for any job - for example, a realtor is now adding sustainability features to every listed property. She is also convincing real estate investors to include sustainability as a core requirement
• Don't forget mindset - it's not just about tactics. Expert climate designer Linsey Nancarrow recommends being: dauntless, proactive, challenge barriers, own your choices, and prioritize relationships

Cool Things to Check Out:

• Climatedesigners.org - they have a global community, resource library, and there's a Seattle Chapter
• Indigo Slate - they hosted the event and are home to the amazing Linsey Nancarrow
• Linsey Nancarrow - for bringing climate solutions to your existing job
• The Climate Tech Handbook - my project for tracking and understanding the climate tech movement
• Living Building Challenge - a place to be inspired for sustainable architecture
• Seattle Climate Tech Coffee Crawl - join us on June 24, 2023!

What are you climate design stories and ideas?

Let us know in the comments below ??