We’re happy you’re here :)
We’re here to help demystify the Circular Economy, which is a big topic with even bigger implications. Come along with us as we dive in and tackle this concept!
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A little more about us:
Who are we?
We’re Cas & Grace, friends and collaborators who met during grad school at Parsons. We share a fascination with all things systems, sustainability, and climate through a critical design lens. In the past we’ve worked together on a series of participatory workshops exploring what a post-growth future might entail, investigated the landscape of economic alternatives to capitalism, and created methodologies for prototyping speculative objects. Now we’re using this newsletter as a medium for exploring a topic we’re excited to learn more about!
Cas Esteve is a participatory design researcher and educator who has experience in sociological ethnography, sustainable supply chain management, art education, and social impact design. She is curious about how to facilitate a just transition to a resilient, equitable future using futures thinking and climate justice methodologies.
Grace Mervin is a design strategist and artist who has experience in branding, qualitative research, strategic foresight, speculative design, and design strategy. She is curious about the ways we can collectively utilize design and futures thinking as a tool to create systemic transformation.
Why do we want to understand the Circular Economy?
We’re critical of our current economic system that treats our planet’s finite resources as if they are an infinite commodity and encourages the production of unnecessary waste. The Circular Economy presents an alternative way forward that reduces our need for virgin materials, minimizes our impact on the planet, and in some cases eliminates unnecessary waste altogether. As designers and researchers, understanding the nuances of the Circular Economy is of utmost importance to us, so we can bring these values into our respective practices. should we add something abt policy and business practices?
Why are we making a blog about our research process?
Through our work together, we've found that the way we learn best is by diving deep into a topic, processing what we learn through different mediums, and (most importantly) sharing that with others. So, we decided to do just that! We don't claim to be experts on these topics - what we are is curious researchers driven to understand this dense topic and put it into digestible terms, both for ourselves and hopefully you.
Where do you (the reader) fit in?
If this sounds interesting to you, then grab a snack and join us as we journey through the landscape of the Circular Economy! We want our readers to feel like they're riding alongside us, and encourage you to leave comments or send us a message. We hope to send bi-monthly updates that will range from deep dives on a wide range of topics, interviews, future speculations, and much more.
