IDSA’s Sustainable Leadership Deep Dive 2022, held May 18-19, combined the previous IDSA Deep Dives on Sustainability, in 2020 and 2021, and Business of Design, in 2021, for an exploration of how to succeed in sustainability and business as an organizational leader.
Quality professional development
Thanks to a stellar content team including Scott Boylston, IDSA, Chair of IDSA’s Sustainability Section; Lorraine Justice, PhD, FIDSA; Caterina Rizzoni, IDSA; and the event’s co-emcees, Lew Epstein and Cia Mooney, IDSA, the Deep Dive was packed with knowledge and inspiration. Top speakers from global design and sustainability hubs virtually gathered with attendees from countries such as Canada, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States for two thought-provoking days of mainstage presentations, breakout sessions, and panel discussions focused on sustainable design leadership.
This professional development event, through which attendees earned a Credly badge in Sustainable Leadership Deep Knowledge, featured experts in circular hardware design, apparel design, architecture, transportation design, systems design, and social impact. They presented real-world examples, singular insights, and cutting-edge data on regenerative, biophilic, and equitable design in business practices for achieving a triple bottom line, considering people, planet, and profit.
All of the replays are now posted to the Event Hub for those who registered for the live event.
One attendee’s experience
“I just wrapped up a fantastic two days with the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) in their Sustainabile Leadership Deep Dive.
Just learned that Google is working to keep similar hardware designs year to year in order to focus on sustainable innovation. For example, parts shared across products and using fewer but more common parts helps to clean up the supply chain and inventory.
I was blown away by Bill Browning’s look at biophilic design and research that shows the benefits of shadows, bird songs, and natural components in building designs for mental health. I resonated with Beth Ferguson’s call to connect communities to solar through micro-mobility initiatives. And I walked away with new ideas and inspiration from Michael DiTullo’s work that connected the story of materials from recycled sneakers from Nike to Kirei’s acoustic tiles.
Thanks, Cia Mooney and Lew Epstein, for hosting the conference!”
– Eric Sargent
A glimpse into the all-virtual event (the most sustainable option)
Presenters: Katie Morgenroth, Industrial Design Lead at Google Nest, and Adi Narayanan, Head of Materials Science & Engineering at Google; Bill Browning, Managing Partner at Terrapin Bright Green; Beth Ferguson, IDSA, Assistant Professor of Design at University of California, Davis; Dr. Kimberly McGlonn, CEO and founder of Grant Blvd and Build It Boldly; Erin Meezan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface; Drummond Lawson, Strategy Director at Anthesis Group; Radhika Agarwal, Creative Director at Catapult Design; and Malin Orebäck, Senior Design Director at McKinsey Design, with Stephan Clambaneva, IDSA, Director of Partnerships at PARK.
Breakout session leaders: Michael DiTullo, IDSA on his work with Nike and Kirei; Jonas Hauptman, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech; Dominic Ma, Managing Director – Shanghai at INDEED Innovation (sponsored session); and Brooke McEver, Director of Product Innovation at Unspun (session recorded at a later date)
Here’s what a few more of the SLDD 2022 participants had to say…
“Excited to virtually attend this year’s IDSA Sustainability Deep Dive. Highly recommend if you are or want to be a leader in implementing sustainable design.” – Kathy Silva
“I feel like I need to digest today’s knowledge. There was so much passion, commitment, experimentation, dedication, tenacity, and bravery exhibited by today’s panel. Thanks IDSA for pulling this event together and thanks to all participants!” – Rob Watters
“As a designer, I appreciate the opportunity to make choices that advance sustainability on a greater scale. One product change can have effects that go far beyond what I do at home with my own family. Being in industry is a massive opportunity (and a huge responsibility).” – Shelby Barney