Advancing Zero Waste
Fueled by their passion for eliminating waste and finding creative solutions to environmental problems, Callie Clayton 17 TX, Annie Keating 17 TX and Juliana Sohn 92 PH formed a new affinity group to connect interested alumni to work together for change.
“Callie, Juliana and I share a mutual interest in living low-waste lifestyles and practicing those values in our careers and creative practices. We are excited to share resources with other alumni and tap into the knowledge of the broader RISD community,” says Keating.
The group believes alumni can make big contributions to environmental sustainability. “Makers can play an important role in inspiring the desire for a sustainable future. Through clear infographics, user experience research, compelling visuals and media campaigns, designers and artists have the skills to influence consumer choice and thus the actions of manufacturers,” notes Clayton.
As with so many things, COVID-19 forced them to adjust their launch plans. “Going online expanded our base from a New York–centric group to one involving alumni from all over the world,” says Sohn. “Alumni are joining our Zoom meetings from as far away as Los Angeles, Guam and Australia. It’s been fascinating to learn about the different laws and systems in place in other areas. We learn from each other about what works or doesn’t work in places that have implemented various solutions.”
“Operating as a virtual group has helped us define the group’s goals, structure and expectations. Communicating virtually as a group has required us—and participating alumni—to be very intentional about what we want to achieve as a group,” adds Clayton.
Looking to the future, the group would like to create subgroups focused on education, designing reusable products, activism and other areas, as well as engage with the broader RISD community. “We would love to connect with students and faculty. We have spoken a lot amongst ourselves about creating teams to compete in waste reduction design challenges. Working with the campus community would be a great way to do that.”
If you would like to learn more, please visit alumni.risd.edu/zero-waste to sign up for emails and join the group, which already has more than 200 alumni involved. You may also join the RISD Network at risdnetwork.risd.edu to access group resources and its member directory.
