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Hey Climate Designers,

Before getting into this month's issue, this is your friendly reminder that we are 100% volunteer-led and operate on a shoestring. We are running a fundraiser right now to cover our modest costs for the year and are almost 50% of the way there. Help us get to 100% so we can continue doing what we do.

As our thanks, one-time donors of $50+ and monthly donors of $5+ will receive a copy of the Field Guide to Climate Design ebook (more on it below), access to members-only content, and our deepest gratitude.

Design Beyond Consumption

Consume, buy, eat, indulge. ‘Tis the season.

As climate-minded people, this time of year tends to bring up complicated feelings around our role in consumption both personally and through our work as designers.

Avoiding consumerism during the holidays has been discussed ad nauseam, but bears repeating now more than ever.

• Experiences are always more meaningful than stuff.
• Billionaires don’t need our money. Support local businesses and artists. Or don’t buy at all.
• Donate to mutual aid groups or causes that matter to you (like us!).

Putting the onus of change on us as “consumers” when we never chose that societal role is a misdirection of responsibility, yet how we spend our dollars does matter. It is a powerful form of collective action. Boycotts work. Have a party to cancel your Amazon accounts together, or host a re-gift exchange (and join us for one if you’re in the Bay Area!). We promise you’ll feel better for it 🙂

But as designers, the discomfort around consumption runs deeper. Our job is generally to design more consumer goods with short lives, more media capturing attention, more thirsty AI powered apps burning energy and water, more sprawling concrete development. While there are certainly worthwhile things being designed, the vast majority of what is created becomes waste within a few years.

In light of this and the planetary challenges ahead, what must the role of a designer become? We can design lighter, cleaner, with less embodied carbon. This is a step in the right direction, but incremental changes aren't enough if we continue to overuse our resources each year.

What are the transformative shifts that will allow us to design out more stuff entirely?

From stuff → systems
​Replacing existing products with things that are more “sustainable” isn’t sustainable in our current growth model. We need systemic changes to infrastructure and business models that will allow us to stop extracting virgin materials at a rate that can’t be replenished. Circular transitions are a start, but regenerative systems that restore more than they extract are the north star.

From creator → facilitator
​The biggest barrier to climate action is often the human element. The power of design becomes less about creation, and more about guiding the work that is uniquely human. Deep listening. Facilitating collaboration. Building community. Crafting meaningful experiences. Enabling intentional, thoughtful cooperation avoids wasted effort and resources across our companies and communities.

From manipulation → imagination
​Media shifts culture and behavior. This is usually used in service of consumption. But particularly in an age where most people get their news from social, media may be the most powerful educational and inspirational tool we have. With effective behavioral design, media can inspire the collective imagination, shift the narrative, and with it build collective action.

While most of the design industry may still be operating under business as usual, these shifts are happening. The seeds of regenerative futures are scattered all around us, sometimes at a big systemic level, and sometimes through small projects in local communities.

Let the holidays be a time for us to re-imagine what we want our role in the future of design to be.

– Natalie Walsh
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Latest from Climate Designers
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Sustainability Struggles Online Meetup on December 3rd

A space where designers working in the sustainability/climate space share what's actually working and what's not.

Real wins, real failures, real breakthroughs that move the design industry forward.

This is for anyone doing climate work in design: mid-career pivot, veteran practitioner, currently in the trenches. Your experience is the foundation someone else needs.

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Community Highlights​
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​A Field Guide to Climate Design eBook
​Written by Matt McGillvray

​Matt McGillvray is a long-time volunteer and lead writer for the Field Guide blog on Climate Designers. Last year he released a collection of his essays accompanied by beautiful artwork from nine artists as an ebook.

“A Field Guide to Climate Design was created to show all of us that, despite the uncertainties of the creative field, designers aren’t just passive actors in the creation of art and culture. We possess levers that we push and pull every day that affect the world around us. The book was written to shine a light on those levers so that designers can see them for what they are; not merely tools that help us do our jobs, but platforms from which we can speak and fulcrums from which we can move the world.” - Matt McGillvray

In support of our fundraising efforts this season, Matt has generously offered to donate all sales proceeds to Climate Designers until the end of the year.

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​Employee Engagement: Making Sustainability Part of Everybody’s Job
​A new LinkedIn Learning course with Drew Wilkinson

Our friend Drew just released a new course on how everyone can make their job a climate job through workplace organizing. If you don’t have a LinkedIn premium account and would like to watch the course, he’s offering promo codes via his LinkedIn post here.

“Creating this course was a labor of love: frankly, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done professionally. But I'm proud of how it turned out and excited to see how all of you use it! When I look back on what’s worked over the years, I see one simple truth: to change everything, we need everyone.” - Drew Wilkinson

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​Season 1 of Climate Shifted is a Wrap!
​A podcast on climate communications with Eva Frye

Our friends at Climate Shifted just wrapped up their first season. It’s full of insights from psychologists, behavior designers, artists and creative movement builders, on what's working to get people to act on climate.

Question of the Month

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Resources

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Want to host more meaningful gatherings?
​Check out resources for building connections from Priya Parker, and ideas from the meaning matrix which reminds us that creating things together is the most meaningful of all.

Interested in learning more about circularity?​
Check out the circular design toolkit and case studies and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Learn more in the circular design section of our resource library.

Ready to spark action with behavior design?
​Check out the How to Save the World podcast from Katie Patrick, and resources from Irrational Labs and Rare. Learn more in the communication design section of our resource library.

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Opportunities

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​Jobs
​Marketing and Design Lead, Corinex, Remote, Canada
​Motion Designer, Joby Aviation, Remote, USA
​Graphic Designer (Brand & Packaging​), Daiya Foods, Remote, Canada
​Sr. UX/UI Designer, Re:Build Manufacturing, In-person, USA

Volunteer with Climate Designers
​We are seeking additional Chapter Leaders for our Toronto and Singapore Chapters. Interested? Get in touch with us at hello@climatedesigners.org.​
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Events

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Climate Designers Events
​Online: Successes & Struggles on December 3rd
Bay Area: Re-gift Exchange and Holiday Gathering on December 8th

Online Events
​Fashions Final Destination with Amy Williams, Ed.D. on November 28th - December 2nd​
​Climate Conscious Convos - Monthly Meetup for Product People with Climate Conscious Leaders on December 3rd
​2025 Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication with Climate One and Jonathan Foley on December 3rd
​From Business Value to Strategic Vision: Making the Case for Sustainable Design with Alexander Crease on December 9th

Inspiration

Thoughts from the team on the topic of consumerism

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“The holiday season is here! Consumption—whether of the eating/drinking variety or the buying/selling kind—is a pretty core part of the general end-of-year holiday experience. As climate-minded people, we often have mixed feelings about the various relationships our cultures have with consumption and consumerism during this time of year. The Field Guide to Climate Design has a great deal to say on this topic. So, while you’re waiting for guests to arrive at your holiday party or you need something to read while traveling to see family, I’ve selected a few festively-appropriate entries below for your reading pleasure. Happy holidays to all of you and happy new year!” - Matt McGillvray​ ​The problem of waste ​​Ctrl+Alt+Delete ​​On Sustainability and Community​ ​On Traditions​

“For a primer on the consumption cycle and our current linear model of production, The Story of Stuff holds up and they have produced a bunch more videos over the years that are worth checking out. As far as what keeps me inspired on the topic, I am continuously excited by the spread of second-hand and buy-nothing culture. Repair cafes, second hand retail, and buy nothing groups are becoming more and more common. I dream of there being a second hand mall like this one in Sweden everywhere in the world, or better yet that becomes the norm over buying new.” - Natalie Walsh​

“Visible mending is trending. Caring about the things we own and fixing them when they’re broken has grown in popularity, and its sad to see some fast fashion companies trying to replicate the look without the ethos, using new materials to look like worn wear. This has happened with LA-based Suay, and SF shop The Future Past as seen in this article. Collective pressure resulted in Banana Republic taking down the stolen designs, but I’d love for this to spark a deeper conversation where caring about quality belongings isn't just a trend, but a standard for holding companies accountable to repair their goods rather than constantly creating new styles to consume.” - Rachel Cellinese​

“I hate the word 'consumer'. I hate how it's been ingrained in our culture and used as a label for people. Design has supercharged consumerism so much that every year we overshoot our ecological resources in that given year. All because we want to be perceived as ‘better than’ those around us. Here is a great video by Prof. Jiang Xueqin on how ‘consumerism is the perfection of slavery’.” - Marc O’Brien​

Keep this Work Going

Your support allows us to keep the lights on and continue to offer what we do for free. Your generosity benefits the entire design and climate community. Help us continue to do this important work with your one-time or recurring donation.

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Quick Links

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