where climate action meets the future of design

Tag: community

Birgit Lohmann

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Bridging design, research, and curatorial innovation, Birgit continues to shape contemporary design discourse.

Foreseeing the impact of digital media, in 1999 she co-founded designboom, the world’s first online magazine, illustrating information on art, architecture, and technology.

Beyond her editorial work, Birgit has contributed as a design historian for international auction houses and justice departments, while continuously engaging with the design community through lectures and exhibitions, leveraging her extensive experience in design and product development.

As of now, Lohmann is involved with various initiatives, including her new project called “NOT COMPROMISED,” which debuted at Milan Design Week 2024. The exhibition challenged perspectives on sustainability, featuring works like Boonserm Premthada’s outdoor collection made from elephant dung. Advocating for non-anthropocentric coexistence, for a world where human presence protects rather than harms, while fostering education and public dialogue in contemporary art.

Amanda Pinatih

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Amanda is an art historian, PhD candidate and Curator of Design and Contemporay Art at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. She revisits the museum’s collection from new perspectives, exploring the intersections between design, art, social, political, decolonial, environmental and economic issues.

Recently, she has co-curated the exhibitions Unravel: the Power and Politics of Textiles in Art, When Things are Beings and Formafantasma – Oltre Terra.

Meanwhile, as part of her PhD at VU Amsterdam, Pinatih is studying Indonesian objects related to issues of memory and belonging in diasporas, analysing their activation by contemporary artists to commemorate or reinterpret their hybrid identity. She is also co-founder of the Design Museum Dharavi in Mumbai (IN), the first museum of its kind, that was based in the homegrown neighbourhood of Dharavi.

DON’T FEED ME PLASTIC

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Don’t Feed Me Plastic represents the series of educational toys aiming to develop an emotional connection between the children and their environment.

Made out of reused fabric its infill contains an element of surprise. Inside each kiwi bird are several plastic caps which serve as a conversation starter. Through a tactile game and this element of surprise, we can teach the child about the negative influence we have on our environment and try, through playing, to suggest what are possible solutions.

Learn more about Maja Repotocnik


Maja Lalic

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Maja Lalic is an architect, expert in gender equality, and regenerative urban development. Recognized by The New York Times as one of “Belgrade’s most progressive architects,” Maja is the founder of the Mikser organization, as well as the creative director of the Mikser Festival, dedicated to sustainable development and design.

As an architect and urban planner educated at Columbia University in New York, Maja advocates for participatory urban practices involving citizens and the application of nature-based solutions in urban environments. For her urban revitalization projects and efforts to engage citizens in the planning process, she has received awards from the Belgrade Salon of Architecture and distinctions such as the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize and the Kinne Fellows Memorial Prize from Columbia University.

Maja also co-founded the Women’s Architectural Society, founded Young Balkan Designers, and initiated the Balkan Design Network to promote regional young talents in the field of sustainable design.

Fabio Palma

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With a solid background in Business and Institutional Communication, complemented by a Master’s in Scientific and Environmental Communication from UPF in Barcelona and an MBA in Sustainability and Environmental Management from FGV in Rio de Janeiro, Fabio Palma has built a career shaped by unwavering personal values and a strong commitment to positive social impact, with a particular focus on sustainability, creativity, and social innovation.

He has primarily worked within institutions, NGOs, and the higher education sector at a global level, taking on increasing responsibilities and challenges. Much of his career unfolded within the IED – Istituto Europeo di Design network, where he began in 2007 in Barcelona as a Teacher and Course Coordinator. Later, he moved to Brazil as General Director of IED Rio and CEO of IED Brazil. Currently, he serves as Strategic Partnerships Director at the global foundation Plant for the Planet, advancing ecosystem restoration and empowering young environmental leaders.

Velo Light Glow in the Dark

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These innovative stickers, made from special glow-in-the-dark materials, harness phosphorescent technology to absorb light during the day and emit a soft glow at night.

The glow effect lasts for several hours after exposure to light, drastically improving the visibility of cyclists in low-light conditions.

“Our goal was to create a simple yet effective solution that can be used daily,” stated the team behind the project. The stickers are easy to apply and can be placed on bike frames, wheels, or helmets. With
customizable designs and colors, they add aesthetic charm while enhancing road safety. The project has already sparked interest among local bike shops and traffic safety organizations.


Valentina Auer

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Valentina has navigated through many design disciplines, from interior design and furniture design to communication design. However, the fascination and passion for all three areas are connected by one important factor: the focus on sustainability and conscious design.

This not only concerns material and production but also entire systems and processes—where the topics of feminism and equality also play a significant role. Since 2021, she has been working at the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, where she aims to instil her passion in young aspiring furniture designers.

In her keynote speech at »Next Gen Design: Women Creating the Future of Design« on 20th September 2024 at designfourm Wien, she discussed her experiences as a young woman in the design and working world in Austria and Europe. Thought-provoking ideas, observations, and insights on teaching in the design field, along with visions for a female-led design world, were significant topics.

Therese Balslev

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Therese is a strategic circular designer at the Danish Design Center working with strategic design-driven approaches to circular economy and the green transition. She has been part of developing DDC’s circular toolkit – Designing Your Circular Transition targeting mainly businesses to get started (or continue) their work on circular initiatives with a holistic and design-driven approach.

She has also co-developed the  Circular Behavior Toolkit, an introductory tool to the intersecting field of circular economy and behavioral design. With the Circular Behavior Toolkit, businesses, organizations, and design studios are provided with a tangible method for working with behavioral design in the context of a circular economy. Its purpose is to get you started actively working with the human factor in a circular context. Therese is part of the international cluster by designaustria of the next generation of designers who are meeting frequently in Vienna, Austria for peer events.

Refugio Bees

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Building on Refugio Bees’ work done over the last few years, Apidae proposes a system of objects for raising Meliponini bees. This system consists of breeding boxes, which function as ‘houses’ for the hives, as well as a kit to fabricate potes and piqueras.

Apidae is a project that seeks to improve our relationship with nature, specifically with a group of bees known as Meliponini. This species is known for producing phenomenal honey and being the main pollinators of many native foods in Mexico, as well as being essential for the conservation of the biodiversity of the ecosystems they inhabit.

The potes and piqueras are part of the natural structures that bees build using wax. The potes’ function is to store honey and pollen, while the piqueras help to manage the access that other species have to the hive. The wooden breeding boxes are designed to have a life-cycle of at least twenty years. The potes and piqueras are designed so that the bee-keepers can create potes and piqueras directly from wax produced by mature hives, aiding young hive development.

MOWO, move with wood

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MOWO, move with wood, uses wood in a completely new way, using it as an elastic, flexible material that allows movement when sitting. All products are made from molded plywood and do not require any metal or plastic – the wooden elements are connected solely by cords, which combine stability and flexibility.

MOWO is an Austrian brand owned by architect and designer Lisa Stolz. All products are manufactured by a Greek family business that has specialized in the production of molded plywood parts since 1991.

MOWO uses the FSC-certified veneers. The certificate that ensures that the wood products come from forests that are managed according to the strict standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These standards ensure that the wood is sourced from forests managed sustainably, respecting ecosystems, biodiversity, workers’ rights, communities, and economic sustainability. Follow MOWO, move with wood!

Clive Russell

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Russell was one of the earliest members and collaborators of Extinction Rebellion, a global movement to persuade governments to act on the climate emergency.

Russell is a UK graphic designer who creates groundbreaking identities for cultural movements and causes. He is a co-founder of This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, a London-based studio whose client list includes the Tate, The National Gallery, Right to Repair etc. His work has won multiple awards (he turned down the nomination for Design of the Year in 2019 for his Extinction Rebellion work) and is in permanent collections at V&A, British Museum, MOMA and the Smithsonian.

He was a central part of the team that created the movement’s distinctive visual identity. The design work was released with a Do-It-Together message inspiring artists, activists and designers to use, interpret and add to the original design. Russell also co-founded the artist collective Ocean Rebellion and helped start the Museum of Care and the David Graeber Institute where he remains a collaborator.

Bobby Kolade

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Kolade’s brand first collection is titled Return to Sender, and is made entirely out of waste textiles sourced from second-hand markets across Uganda. Each piece is redesigned and redistributed to the Global North, where the raw materials were originally bought and discarded.

Bobby Kolade is a fashion designer from Uganda who started his career in Berlin and Paris, cutting his teeth at major companies like Maison Margiela and Balenciaga. In 2018, he returned to his hometown of Kampala and was struck by the severe decline of the country’s textile industry. Today, he is the creative powerhouse behind BUZIGAHILL, an independent label that brings attention to this issue through art, clothing and activism.

As co-host of the podcast Vintage or Violence, Kolade further examines the true cost of the global fashion industry and the impact that waste colonialism has on local communities and ecosystems.

Orhan Niksic

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Through Zanat, Orhan fosters community growth by training young artisans and embraces sustainability and cultural preservation, ensuring each handcrafted piece enriches both living spaces and society.

Orhan is a former World Bank manager, who left Washington to revive his family’s legacy in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with his brother Adem, Orhan co-founded Zanat, a company that merges centuries-old woodcarving techniques with contemporary design. Their mission is not only to create beautiful, high-quality furniture but also to breathe new life into the UNESCO-listed “Konjic woodcarving” technique.

The foundation of Zanat goes back to their grandfather, Gano Nikšić, who mastered this ancient method of hand-carving. Today, Orhan’s leadership continues the tradition, expanding the business into a global luxury furniture brand that collaborates with internationally acclaimed designers such as Monica Förster, Harri Koskinen etc., blending modern aesthetics with traditional craftsmanship.