PinnedGraduation, Young People, & Overwhelming EnnuiThis post is a bit of a departure from my usual content centered around environmental and social justice issues. For new readers, I returned to school in my 40’s to work toward an MFA in Design for Sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I’m finishing up in…Depression In Teenagers11 min readDepression In Teenagers11 min read
PinnedBirkenstocks and the (other) AmazonDespite an overwhelming amount of national popularity which only rose as a result of covid-19, Amazon has undeniable faults. They’re part of a wicked problem involving consumer culture and disposability. Why would people invest in handmade objects that inspire attachment and care (Ezio Manzini, 2006) if they can purchase similar-looking…Amazon5 min readAmazon5 min read
PinnedBirthday Earth DayIn honor of Earth Day, here’s a break from the economic foundation of our current consumption crisis. I’m going to tell you a bit of my own story. I just had a birthday. I’ve had a lot of them now, but I’m not someone who believes in ceasing to celebrate…Earth Day8 min readEarth Day8 min read
PinnedEconomic Roots of the Consumption DilemmaI’m finishing up my M.F.A. in Design for Sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design, and this is my first blog post. Don’t let the academic format scare you. I’ve worked to make what I think is really interesting information accessible to a broad audience. …Design Thinking4 min readDesign Thinking4 min read
Oct 24, 2022Oklahoma WeatherSurviving the Wild In the summer I’m miserable in Oklahoma weather. It’s brutally hot. The birds sit on the ground and pant. The oaks look shrunken and shriveled like arthritic witches around a campfire. …Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Oct 13, 2022Sustaining Health in the Sooner StateI recently moved to Oklahoma after receiving a phone call in the week following graduation from my M.F.A. program. Dad had gone into the hospital with pneumonia. It was serious. Despite my many protestations, Dad had insisted on remaining my mother’s caregiver even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She’s been…Healthcare15 min readHealthcare15 min read
Sep 25, 2022An Ode to My TeachersIt has happened. I attended my final class at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I’m not enrolled this fall. Whether or not I’ve yet found a job is a topic for another post, but regardless, I’ve begun a new chapter in life. I took longer than most to…Personal Growth13 min readPersonal Growth13 min read
Apr 23, 2022Murder in the AmazonA “wicked problem” is “A class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with confusing values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing. — Horst Rittel, 1973 The diversity of wildlife in the…Wicked Problem5 min readWicked Problem5 min read
Apr 17, 2022I Consume, Therefore I AmVictor Lebow wrote an autobiography titled Free Enterprise: The Opium of the American People, published in 1972, but information about his life is fairly scarce on the web. This is rare for someone whose name is so well known in certain circles. In Free Enterprise he reports being an executive…Consumerism2 min readConsumerism2 min read
Apr 17, 2022The Regrets of Simon KuznetsSimon Kuznets wasn’t a bad guy. Kuznets was a brilliant guy who overlooked the potential ramifications of his grand economic tool if it were in the hands of those who’d mishandle it. When his invention was used without the supplemental measures he recommended and began to cause public suffering, I…Gdp3 min readGdp3 min read