Do you ever wonder, what if? I love the expression about taking a leap, no, not the “take a flying leap…” but the “leap, and the net will appear” one. Why? Because it is SO incredibly true. Time and time again, I have seen that this is nature’s way. Things work out, they always do →

Casting Seeds Part 3 In these trying economic times, people want to know, “will investing in a sustainable design education make me more competitive in the job market?” Despite the fact that “sustainability” is a buzzword, and although some may think it’s a fad, the impact of the graduates of the Minneapolis College of Art →

Consider it decided. I’m committed. The ball’s rolling. Beginning in September, I will ride 1000+ miles from Montana to Minnesota as an effort to raise need-based scholarship money for the fully online Sustainable Design program that I direct at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) as well as to raise awareness about sustainability →

Casting Seeds Part 2 In Part 2 of the “Casting Seeds” series we’ll meet Rita Penrod, a Designer and Sustainability Consultant for FourFive Sustainable Design based in Minneapolis, MN, who graduated from the program with a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Design. Read an article authored by Rita Penrod earlier this year about her experience in →

Few people would think of a shower as a tool to inspire and empowering the developing world, yet this is exactly the approach my student design team took in the slums of Chile and Argentina. During the summer of 2009, twelve students from varying disciplines (graphics, environmental, product design and graduate film) were selected to →

In Part 1 of the “Casting Seeds” series we’ll meet Rudy Ruggles, President of Collaborative Innovation Services, a consultancy that helps organizations use the tools and principles of sustainability to create innovative solutions to strategic and organizational challenges. Rudy is based in Boston, MA, and graduated from MCAD’s Sustainable Design program with a Professional Certificate →

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design is pleased to announce the launch of a new 18-credit Professional Certificate in Sustainable Design. This fully online program was created to cater to the busy lives of working professionals. It is lean and customized to meet our students’ individual needs. Check out the top 18 reasons to →

If the word sustainable reminds you of brown paper wrappers and clunky design, competitors are leaving you in the dust! They see the advantage of an approach that inspires staff, reduces costs, and increases market share — and are running with it. Where do these advantages come from? Almost any designer will do a better →

Nestled into the southeastern coast of India there is something amazing happening: permaculture with a conservation purpose. Since 2003, an eclectic group of volunteers and permaculture super-stars have been working and living together in a planned, sustainable community called Sadhana Forest on the outskirts of the city of Pondicherry (or Puducherry). Pondicherry was put on →

Over a decade ago, Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson reported in their study of consumer attitudes that approximately a quarter of U.S. adults fit into a segment they tagged “Cultural Creatives” — a vocal group who use sustainability ethics to guide their shopping as well as voting behavior. More recently, a 2004 study by →