We send monthly newsletters and occasional additional announcements about new events, design opportunities, and other great resources for climate designers.
Upcoming Climate Week Events and a New Podcast!
|
With both Los Angeles and San Francisco Climate Weeks happening, we couldn't miss this opportunity to produce a few events for both. Los Angeles Climate Week Event April 6th: Marc O'Brien, co-founder of Climate Designers, and Rachel Cellinese, LA Chapter Leader, will be facilitating a Thinknado session during LA Climate Week. During an interactive creative brainstorming workshop, attendees will focus on using regenerative practices as inspiration for building more resilient communities. Come and learn the Thinknado creative process while collaborating with others.
San Francisco Climate Week Event April 25th: After that, Marc will host a live Doom & Bloom podcast event during San Francisco Climate Week. Part of a day full of live podcasts recordings coordinated by Doom & Bloom's producer, Holden Hardcastle, Marc will invite guests on stage to brainstorm ideas on how to build climate resiliency in the Bay Area. Other podcast guests include Climate Shifted (see next section), Rising Tide: the Ocean Podcast, and Climate Swings.
Eva Frye is a strategist, storyteller, ocean conservationist and ecoactivism organizer who has helped Climate Designers as an advisor and is part of the Bay Area community. She just launched her latest project, Climate Shifted, a podcast on climate communication. Through in-depth conversations with psychologists, behavior designers, and creative movement builders called artivists, Climate Shifted uncovers what actually works to shift perception for climate action. Season one guests include Dr. Renee Lertzman, Melinda Briana Epler, Benjamin Von Wong, and Xavier Cortada. Climate Shifted is now live! Hear their first episodes at climateshifted.com and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Want behind-the-scenes insights and updates? Join their newsletter or follow on Instagram while you're there. Join our launch party—live for SF Climate Week! If you’re in San Francisco for Climate Week, Eva and the Climate Shifted team will also be part of the live podcast day with Marc O’Brien and Holden Hardcastle on Friday April 25th at KALW Radio Station. Register for Climate: Shifted’s listening experience to join.
Why are we still gatekeeping designs? Why do we prioritize competition over collaboration? Why do we assume we have all the answers before asking others? On the latest episode of Doom & Bloom, Marc O’Brien and Rachel Cellinese use the Thinknado process to question reality and dismantle outdated mindsets that keep design isolated and exclusive. The conversation embraces open-source design and rejects the idea that ownership matters more than impact. When design moves beyond individual pursuits and into collective creation, new possibilities emerge. It’s time we build networks that connect designers, farmers, biologists, and organizers to co-create meaningful solutions. You’ll hear Marc and Rachel challenge designers to step outside their silos, forge unexpected alliances, and develop impact-driven innovations that uplift entire communities. Remember, collaboration over competition.
|
| Let us know on Mighty |
Opportunities
Current Design and Climate Jobs, Courses, and other Opportunities
Jobs
Contract Product Designer at Aire Labs, Hybrid/Remote, Toronto
Lead Brand Designer at Lucid Motors, Remote, California
User Experience Designer at Hydrosat, In-person, Luxembourg
Junior Designer at Pula, Hybrid/Remote, Switzerland
Graphic Designer at Enviri, In-person, Hyderabad, India
Events
Upcoming Climate and Design Happenings
Climate Designers Chapter & Hub Events
Milan Chapter: Urban Regeneration: Living Cities, Thriving Communities on March 26
NYC Chapter: Gowanus Art Walk & Climate Talk with Gotham SideWalks on April 5
Los Angeles Chapter: Food + Soil Justice Day in Echo Park on April 6
Boston Chapter: Designathon on April 12-13
Bay Area Chapter: Pre-Climate Week Meetup on April 17th
Conferences, Climate Weeks, and Workshops (In-Person & Online)
Introduction to Liberatory Design with Nation Equity Project on April 3rd
LA Climate Week on April 6th - 13th
Green IO Singapore on April 15th - 16th
SF Climate Week on April 19th - 27th
Project Threadways Symposium on April 25th - 26th
Circularity Conference on April 29th - May 1st
Online Events
SUX Monthly Meetup: AI & Design with Sustainable UX on March 27th
In These Times: Dialogues on Queer Design with Queer Design Club on March 27th
How to Talk About Climate Change So People Will Listen with Citizen’s Climate Lobby on April 7th
Choose Your Own Adventure: Climate Action with Kimberly Nicholas on April 8th
Inspiration
What we’re Reading/Watching/Listening to in Design and Climate
🎨 Paris Climate Plan exhibition
What a cool example of climate storytelling! "The city of Paris partnered with artist Mary-Lou Mauricio, creator of the Born in PPM project, to embody the various pillars and actions of the city's plan in a free outdoor exhibition located along the Seine river, between the city hall and Notre Dame. The exhibition features dozens of portraits of Parisians with the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere on their year of birth. Their photos and testimonials bring to life the various actions of the City's Climate strategy." - Leslie F.
📚 Responsible Tech Community Report
As AI and tech consolidation surges against the backdrop of what's happening in the USA, we are in a moment where responsible tech is all that much more important. This report from All Tech is Human includes a curated list of 100 orgs working on responsible tech for UX and tech workers looking to get involved, and lots of great interviews. - Natalie W.
⚒️ The Climate Reality Check
If you like movies, or are glad Oscar season has ended, Good Energy just posted some updated info on their Climate Reality Check, the equivalent of the Bechdel test but for climate. The Bechdel test asks about female representation in film. The Climate Reality Check asks 2 simple questions evaluating climate representation: Does the story mention climate change, and does the character know it exists. Of the 30 scripted, feature-length films that received Oscar nominations in 2025, 10 fit our inclusion criteria: stories set in the present or near future, on Earth, in this universe. And only 1 of the 10 eligible films passed the Climate Reality Check, reflecting a 10% passing rate. The winner is… The Wild Robot. - Rachel C.
📺 CITIZEN ARCHITECT: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio
I recently had a conversation with a friend about Samual Mockbee, the co-founder of the Rural Studio, an educational design and build program out of Auburn University. I became familiar with the work of Rural Studio back in 2009, spending time in Alabama. Ever since then, I've often wondered what it would be like if all designers lived and befriended the people their designs were going to impact, especially when designing with climate in mind. I believe we would develop more empathy with others and take on more responsibility for our work. Check out the trailer here. You can watch it on Amazon Prime. - Marc O.
Keep this work going
Your support allows us to keep the lights on and continue to offer as much as we do for free. Help us continue to do this important work. Your generosity benefits the entire design and climate community.
| Become a Supporting Member |
Quick Links
Join for free or as a supporter. We are a 100% volunteer led organization and are entirely supported by our paid members. As a supporter you gain access to all our past content, and of course our deepest gratitude.
Follow us on Social: We’re on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Want to meet others in your area? Find a Chapter or Hub near you.
We’re always looking for help. Check out our latest volunteer opportunities.
Want to learn more about Climate Designers? Visit our About page.
Ready to grow your climate design knowledge? Check out our Resource Library.
Pick up your copy of A Field Guide to Climate Design eBook.
Climate Designers
We send monthly newsletters and occasional additional announcements about new events, design opportunities, and other great resources for climate designers.
Latest from Doom & Bloom Program Spotlight In episode two of Doom and Bloom, Marc O’Brien and Brian Stancheski explore why sustainability isn’t at the core of every project—and how to change that. Using the two-word mash up "jolly & sand", they brainstorm ideas around viral campaigns to sustainability beach festivals. They also discuss bold ways to make climate solutions exciting and impossible to ignore. It’s time to rethink sustainability as something desirable, unforgettable, and built...
Supporting our friends and colleagues in Los Angeles Hi all, The devastation from fires in Los Angeles, California is heartbreaking. As you may know, one of our most active and long-standing chapters is Climate Designers LA led by Rachel Cellinese and Margaret To. Last year alone they programmed over a dozen events to bring the community together. They are now working to find ways to support their local creative community, and have compiled the following resources and organizations to support...
Climate Designers community, As we close out the year, we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate all that we’ve done together. We would be nowhere without all of our amazing volunteers and Supporting Members. Thank you to all those who contributed towards furthering this important work. We are a 100% volunteer-led and member-supported organization. While what we offer is largely free, it is not free to run this organization. If you appreciate the work we do and would like to see it...