These powerful words from Antoine de Saint Exupery were shared by Dr. David Swann at the inaugural Design Council Manchester Collective event hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Along with design colleagues Bronwen Rees, Kyle Soo, and Darren Evans, we've been developing plans to establish a Design Council, Design Experts in the North Collective. Our vision is straightforward yet impactful – to disseminate the skills and knowledge from the Design for Planet initiative to the broader creative community. This effort aligns with the ambitious mission to upskill 1 million designers for the green transition by 2030.
Event Highlights
The well-attended gathering featured three insightful lightning talks presented by Eloise Smith-Foster, Paul Scholefield, and Dr. David Swann. Following an open-floor soapbox session where attendees shared community messages, each speaker presented their unique perspective on addressing Net Zero through various lenses: systems, product, behaviour, and vision.
Key Themes Explored
Design for Planet X Climate Change Justice: The discussion addressed barriers to sustainability transitions, including concepts of Separation, Modernity, Extraction, and Exploitation.
Project SUPERB: This initiative focuses on upscaling forest restoration with the aim of restoring forest landscapes across Europe. The project works to create an enabling environment for implementing forward-looking forest restoration at different scales.
Project Infuse: Aimed at inspiring futures for net zero carbon mobility (https://in-fuze.org.uk), this project emphasises openness to change, willingness to act, knowledge for decision-making, ability to imagine meaningful futures, and capacity to make change.
Collaborative Workshop Sessions
The event format included break-out workshops that allowed all delegates to explore each theme in greater depth. These sessions provided valuable opportunities for participants to share insights and experiences while engaging in further debate about sustainable design approaches.
The evening concluded with remarkable energy, with conversations continuing well after the official close of the event – a testament to the enthusiasm and commitment of all who attended.
We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in what proved to be a fantastic inaugural gathering of the Design Council Manchester Collective. This event marks just the beginning of our collaborative journey toward enabling a more sustainable design future.