Business
This article weighs the pros and cons of recycling from a business standpoint. The authors outline a number of barriers businesses face, particularly as it pertains to the sorting process and waste facilities and how this adds cost to overall production. Yet for a business or organization considering the costs
Science & Tech
Cradle to Cradle is considered a landmark book in the design and civil engineering spaces. Written in 2002 by product designer's William McDonough and Michael Braungart, it addresses fundamental flaws in the way the modern world creates products. Chiefly, most products are made, consumed, and disposed of. This
Special Interest
From the report Circular economy in the Roman period and the early Middle Ages, the authors highlight how past societies practiced circular use of materials, showing that reuse and repurposing were not just practical but cultural. Designers and consumers alike can learn from this mindset by treating plastic not as
Special Interest
The art of Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese method of pottery repair that intentionally highlights surface fractures and broken geometry as design features. In this article from My Modern Met, the author describes the different kinds of Kintsugi techniques that artists have used throughout history. Poetically translated to “golden joinery,
Arts & Lifestyle
In Nancy Pearcy's book Saving Leonardo, she ventures through both art history and parallel developments in religious and philosophical thought. The author uncovers the underlying worldviews of many popular western artists and identifies ways their ideology influences art and culture more broadly. In this particular chapter, she explores
Arts & Lifestyle
This passage, taking from Story of Bau Haus highlights Reinhold Rossig’s thesis and the Bauhaus engagement with social responsibility in city planning, yet it also exposes limitations inherent in highly rationalized, linear urban concepts. While the linear city aimed to solve social issues by organizing functions into clear zones,
Business
In this blog post, Blaess articulates the meaning of the term "brand culture" based on upon her definition of "culture" and how it shapes society. She also outlines how a business might go about developing a strong brand culture, providing key elements and advantages. "In
Business
In this article from Business of Fashion, Bloomberg [2024] dives into REI’s advantages as a co-op and how this consumer-owned business model has proven to be successful, making the company a leading competitor among its retail rivals. "If Recreational Equipment Inc. were a publicly traded company,
Arts & Lifestyle
Mount Katahdin, Maine's tallest mountain and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, is notorious for sudden, unpredictable changes in weather conditions. One minute, its sunny and bright, and the next you find yourself caught in a violent thunderstorm. In this article from Atlas Obscura, Schipani describes the
Business
The concept of sustainability as a whole is becoming more commonplace these days, with people paying more attention to (and ridiculing others for) their support of unsustainable business practices and brands. Jangid [2025] supports this idea, calling for CEOs to take action and prove themselves sustainable. "Sustainability is no
Science & Tech
This article from the Tahoe Daily Tribune features BEBOT, a robot that sifts through the sand, collecting litter from the beaches of Lake Tahoe, and proving to be an impactful technological innovation in environmental conservation and sustainability efforts. "It all started with an ambitious idea from JB Harris, Co-
Science & Tech
Since its discovery in 1985, the Titanic wreck has given scientists insight into the processes of life and decay that take place in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. This article discusses the challenges scientists have faced in being able to study the shipwreck, and how they have