book

The 2nd Edition of the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Design (2024) considers the design, not only of artifacts, but of structures, systems, and interactions in the context of sustaining our shared planet. This revised edition introduces new and updated chapters, as well as a new section on pedagogy for sustainable design. With authors from around the world, design is positioned in context with recent crises such as global pandemics, racial reckoning, political unrest, and natural disasters. Just as design is an interdisciplinary field, the climate crisis is deeply tangled in racial justice, gender justice, global health, economics, trade, and more.

The 1st edition was published in 2017, with a paperback printing in 2019.

The updated 2nd edition was published in April 2024. Order now through Routledge.

Winner of the 2019 Design Educators Award for Scholarly Publication from  Design Incubation 

leadership in the field

moderator & producer of Compostmodern

Design for Crisis in Crisis | with SF Design Week | June 2020

The Problems with Recycling | October 2019

Design and the Green New Deal     |  April 2019 

What’s Next for Sustainable Design  |  with Global Climate Action Summit | September  2018 

organizer

Sustainability in the Visual Arts, Design, and Creative Fields 
AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability)
Pittsburgh, PA  |  October 2018

Being Human in the Anthropocene: Understanding the Human in our Impact   
Global Climate Action Summit  Affiliate Event
San Francisco, CA  |  September  2018

Momentum: Women/ Art/ Technology
Rutgers Institute for Women & Art and Arizona State University  |  February 2014

curation

The Science Fair  |  The Lab  |  San Francisco, CA  |  2011 

New California Masters  |  Works San Jose  |  San Jose, CA  |  2006

articles

Regenerative Conversations
Substack

50 Questions for Designers as Earth Day turns 50
April 2, 2020

International Women’s Day 2020: Half Empty Half Full
March 8, 2020

Titles we give Ourselves
March 8, 2019

Press for Sustainable Progress   
International Women’s Day  |  AIGA SF  |  March 8, 2018 

Recapping Compostmodern 2018
AIGA Design Educators Forum  |  October 4, 2018 

I’m not just another reusable… Sustainable Design beyond the Tote Bag 
Routledge Sustainability Hub   |  2014 

talks & presentations

The Power of Innovation: Transformational Tools for Corporate Climate Impact
Thriving as a Climate Leader: Tools for Sustaining Self & Climate
Nudging Sustainability: What Really Drives Behavior Change?
Pacific Northwest Climate Week  |  July 2024

Burning Ourselves Out is Burning the Planet Out: Changing the conversation on Sustainable Design to Regenerative Design
Design Activists for Regenerative Futures |  October 2022

Sustainable Design: Beyond the Stuff, Towards the System A conversation between Rachel Beth Egenhoefer and Peter Dean
CAA Podcast Series  |  February 2021

Systems Thinking for Sustainability: Beyond Stuff Towards Resiliency
CHIFOO (Computer Human Interaction Forum of Oregon)  | online  |  February 2021

Data Visualization for Behavior Change and Sustainable Culture
World Interaction Design Day   | online  |  September 2020

Teaching the slowness of cultural change in a fast-paced short semester
AIGA National Design Conference   | Pasadena, CA  |  April 2019 

Privilege, Power and Community Design 
AIGA MAKE:  Design Educators Conference | Indianapolis, IN  |  June 2018 
proceedings published in MAKE: Dialog, University of Michigan Press, 2019

 Social Design in Tumultuous Times: Why and How to Publish About it  
AIGA MAKE:  Design Educators Conference  | Indianapolis, IN  |  June 2018  

Design for Behavior Change through Data Visualization
College Art Association | Los Angeles, CA  |  February 2018 
SF Design Week | AIGA CompostModern   |  San Francisco, CA  |  June 2016

Designfulness: Teaching Designers to Mindfully Create a Sustainable Future
Design Incubation Colloquium  | San Jose, CA   |  September  2017 

Leveraging Design for Sustainability
Partnership for Academic Leadership on Sustainability | San Francisco, CA  |  January 2017
AIGA Social Innovation Week   |  San Francisco, CA  |  November 2016

Value and Values Artist Talk
Living Room Light Exchange   |  Oakland, CA  |  January 2017

Interdisciplinary Teaching to Re-Design the World 
AIGA New Ventures | Portland, OR  |  September 2014 

Code: Intellectual Property, Fair Use and Plagiarism (with Joel Swanson)
College Art Association | Los Angeles, CA  |  February 2012 

Pedagogy & Code: Teaching the Fine Line in Borrowing (with Joel Swanson)
ISEA 2011 |  Istanbul, Turkey  |  August 2011

Collaborative Craft: In Light of Sustainability, as Means of Creating Community
Pairings: Conversations, Collaborations, Materials | Manchester School of Art   |  Manchester, UK   |  May 2011

Oranges in Craft, Technology, and Security
New Media Caucus Showcase College Arts Association  |  New York, NY   |  February 2011
Hexagram/ Concordia University |  Montreal, Canada  |  June, 2011 

Algorithmic Approaches to Creative Processes
Gray Area Foundation for the Arts  | San Francisco, CA  |  April 2010

Leonardo Art/Science Rendezvous
Stanford University    |  October 2011
SAP |  Mountain View, CA  |  April 2010

* If you really want the talks from pre-2010 - just ask!