Design of the Times lecture notes

here's my lecture notes for the talk Liane Rossler gave at ACCA on Monday night. ^^^

Rossler is one of the founding members of the company Dinosaur Designs, one of the best examples of an Australian design or craft business progressing from a small craft hobby, to international fame and fortune, without compromising key principles or product. Initially the business made 'funky' resin jewellery that they sold in markets, their current range incorporates homewares as well as accessories made from a range of materials including ceramics, silver and resin. Their product range is now retailed around the world, with flagship stores in Sydney, Melbourne and New York. 

The talk was billed as  an opportunity "to learn more about what artists, designers and creative visionaries can do to be art of a design solution to the crisis of climate change" That seemed like a big call, so i was very interested in hearing what I could do. 

I was surprised to find the talk was essentially one and a half hours of climate change slides with data from 2005, measurements in Fahrenheit, and generally  well meaning stories about polar bears and penguins. The information provided about Dinosaur Designs environmental policies was less detailed then that available from their website, and the recommended measures we could take to save the planet included eating less meat, rainwater tanks and buying carbon offsets. 

Undeniably true statements, but not ultimately new advice, or specifically relevant to the design profession, and that was the problem with the talk. I was disappointed...