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  • Do We Need to Value Nature?

    Do We Need to Value Nature?

    Here’s something that we don’t talk about enough: all humans are biological beings. This fact is one that can never change, no matter how…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    May 30
    Should we ditch sustainability?

    Should we ditch sustainability?

    There is a recurring theme in the world of sustainability — every few years, stakeholders start calling for it to be left behind and for a…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Apr 28
    The Trap of Wishcycling

    The Trap of Wishcycling

    Wishcycling is when people place non-recyclable items in the recycling and hope those items will end up being recycled. The unfortunate…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Sep 8, 2021
    Our Right to Repair

    Our Right to Repair

    It should not come as a surprise to anyone that our current linear economy relies on continuous sales, which requires things to wear out…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jul 13, 2021
    World Environment Day 2021: Reimagine, Recreate and Restore

    World Environment Day 2021: Reimagine, Recreate and Restore

    This year’s theme for the United Nations World Environment Day is Reimagine, Recreate and Restore. Every year on the 5th June, the UN…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jun 3, 2021
    Free Tools for Sustainable and Circular Design

    Free Tools for Sustainable and Circular Design

    Over the years, my team and I have created a range of free, open-access toolkits to support changemakers in adopting the skills needed to…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jul 9, 2020
    Quick Guide to the Disruptive Design Method

    Quick Guide to the Disruptive Design Method

    The Disruptive Design Method (DDM) is a systems-based approach to creative problem solving for tackling complex social and environmental…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jun 30, 2020
    Quick Guide to Circular Economy Business Strategies

    Quick Guide to Circular Economy Business Strategies

    The Circular Economy is all about the transformation of the way we do business, create goods and services, organize society and ultimately…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jun 18, 2020
    Quick Guide to Sustainable Design Strategies

    Quick Guide to Sustainable Design Strategies

    Sustainable design is the approach to creating products and services that have considered the environmental, social, and economic impacts…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    May 27, 2020
    Earth Day 50: Accelerating the Anthropocene

    Earth Day 50: Accelerating the Anthropocene

    This week, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, it was the 50th celebration of Earth Day, a single day marked in the 365/6 days in a…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Apr 24, 2020
    Introducing the Anatomy of Action: A UNEP x UnSchool Collaboration to Activate Sustainable…

    Introducing the Anatomy of Action: A UNEP x UnSchool Collaboration to Activate Sustainable…

    Over the last year, the UnSchool team and I have been working on an exciting project in collaboration with the United Nations Environment…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Sep 16, 2019
    Yes, Recycling is Broken

    Yes, Recycling is Broken

    This pains me to write, but we all have to come to terms with the harsh reality that recycling validates waste and is a placebo to the…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jul 22, 2019
    Unlocking the Power of Systems Thinking

    Unlocking the Power of Systems Thinking

    I have long been a fan of showing how problem solving desperately needs systems thinking. If you are familiar with my work, you may have…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jul 8, 2019
    What is Greenwashing? How to Spot It and Stop it

    What is Greenwashing? How to Spot It and Stop it

    In our hyper-consumption based societies, it’s always smart to raise a skeptical eyebrow when you hear organizations make claims of how…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jul 8, 2019
    The Circular Classroom: a Free Toolkit for Activating the Circular Economy through Experiential…

    The Circular Classroom: a Free Toolkit for Activating the Circular Economy through Experiential…

    Finland is, by many accounts, known as having the world’s best education system, thanks to its no-homework, student-centric…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Oct 28, 2018
    System Failures: The Education System and the Proliferation of Reductive Thinking

    System Failures: The Education System and the Proliferation of Reductive Thinking

    Some of us loved it, some loathed it, and many people around the world still fight for the right to access it — school is a universal…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Oct 22, 2018
    Systems Failures: Gross Domestic Product and the Hyper-Consumption Loop

    Systems Failures: Gross Domestic Product and the Hyper-Consumption Loop

    Think about the last time you purchased something that you don’t buy often, like a washing machine, a cell phone, or even a sheet set. What…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    May 25, 2018
    System Failures: Planned Obsolescence and Enforced Disposability

    System Failures: Planned Obsolescence and Enforced Disposability

    We live in a world made up of complex interconnected systems — natural, industrial, and social. Industrial systems involve all the…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    May 7, 2018
    The Global Post Disposable Design Challenge Briefs

    The Global Post Disposable Design Challenge Briefs

    We have a collective global challenge unprecedented in the history of humans on this Earth. We have designed ourselves into a tightly wound…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Mar 7, 2018
    A Guide to Life Cycle Thinking

    A Guide to Life Cycle Thinking

    Absolutely everything that is created goes through a series of life cycle stages, from material extraction through to end of life. The…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Mar 5, 2018
    A Manifesto for Design-Led Systems Change

    A Manifesto for Design-Led Systems Change

    I’m have been writing a handbook (now out: Circular Systems Design) on the influence of design on our everyday lives and the systems that…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Feb 4, 2018
    Six Steps to Circular Systems Design

    Six Steps to Circular Systems Design

    Design influences all of us in profound and often unnoticeable ways. From the subtle shifts in our society to the overt impacts that…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jan 21, 2018
    Design for Disposability

    Design for Disposability

    Design is one of the most powerful forces humans have created. Why? Because it influences every single part of our lives — no matter who…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Jan 3, 2018
    Champions of Sustainable Design

    Champions of Sustainable Design

    Last year I was bestowed the title of Champions of the Earth from the United Nations Environment Programme, and in honor of the champions…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Dec 15, 2017
    5 Ways to Disrupt Holiday Consumerism

    5 Ways to Disrupt Holiday Consumerism

    For people who are concerned about the impacts of consumption, this time of year is extremely painful for both us and our families and…
    Go to the profile of Leyla Acaroglu
    Leyla Acaroglu
    Dec 14, 2017
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