Risky Business: Climate Change, Design, and Avoiding Unforeseen Consequences
Throughout human history, new tools and technologies have simultaneously moved us forward as a society and set us back with unforeseen consequences. Here in the Bay Area, there is a common desire to disrupt, move fast, and break things, but that approach is not valid for the climate crisis.
We as designers must learn to recognize the possible unintended consequences of our work. Join us as we consider the near-term and long-term effects of our work as designers, innovators, and problem solvers at our next Climate Designers Bay Area event — Risky Business: Climate Change, Design, and Avoiding Unforeseen Consequences.
The evening’s conversations will highlight helpful perspectives and practices for considering the potential impact of the work we do as designers as we collectively address the climate emergency.
After the speakers, attendees are invited to participate in a mock “premotem” exercise where they will learn techniques for assessing project risk. This activity is optional, and we’ll also have an opportunity for socialization.
Speakers:
Mike Monteiro
Mike is cofounder and design director of Mule Design, an interactive design studio whose work has been called “delightfully hostile” by The New Yorker. He’s written four books: Design Is a Job, You’re My Favorite Client, Ruined by Design, and The Collected Angers. He’s not as smart as his wife, or as charming as his dog. He’s pretty much given up on tech and is considering a future as a lighthouse keeper or record store owner, or maybe opening a record store in a lighthouse.
Kelly Neuner
Kelly (they/them) is a transdisciplinary designer who is passionate about exploring the intersections of people, systems, and technology. Their background includes work with companies ranging from nonprofits and startups to Fortune 500 companies in healthcare, technology, education, fintech, and retail, both in consulting and in-house at Fast Company. They center their design and futures practice around responsible design and participatory practices. They have completed dedicated training in equity-centered design and research and responsible tech development with organizations including Creative Reaction Lab, HmntyCntrd, and Gray Area. Kelly is currently the Global Chapter & Community Lead for the Design Futures Initiative and is a City Lead for SheFi. Kelly graduated from The New School & Parsons with a focus in Design Management, which combined design, business, marketing, and psychology.
Julia Solano
Julia is a designer, artist, and bamboo architect. She’s Community Architect for The Tech We Want, an initiative focused on supporting a new wave of leaders, companies, and technologies built on inclusivity, mutualism, sustainability, and responsible innovation. She’s spent much of the past decade co-founding and designing in AI companies, building bamboo and earth structures for communing, and exploring the complexity of community by living in experimental cities, artist cooperatives, and cults in efforts to better understand and build social, digital, and physical infrastructure to bridge to more hopeful futures.
Agenda:
6:00: Doors Open & Networking
6:15: Speakers & Q&A
7:30: Social Time & Pre-mortem Exercise
8:00: Event Ends