Learning happens Everywhere
TOOLS, METHODS, THINKING, BOOKS, PODCASTS ........
There is not one method or one way to “do” sustainability (or even if that’s the right word). It’s a continual practice of remaining curious, questioning, connecting and learning
I’m inspired by and draw from multiple approaches, thinking and experiences over the years, blending, considering, continually digging deeper, connecting the dots between and beyond
Exploring the intersects between Technology, Nature and Wellbeing
Lose and Find Yourself in a Book
Much of my curiosity and learning around sustainabilty, circular economy, regenerative design, economics, climate justice and more, has been from reading far and wide for the last 20 years.
You can check out some of the ones I’ve been inspired by or looking to read, curated on Bookshop ( if you buy any through them you also support a small sustainable business, me)
Alternatively you might be able to borrow from friends and family, your local library (or even myself if I have it and nearby), try second-hand or charity shops (like Oxfam Bookshop Reading) or support your local independent bookstore directly. If you’re in Reading then try RISC’s World Shop Book area or Fourbears Bookshop in Caversham.
There are alternative online platforms such as Hive where you can choose a local bookshop to donate a % of the sale to (because, hey Jeff B doesn’t really need any money….).
Let’s spread the book love!
Design Notes
Links, tools & Templates
A collection of mainly free sustainability, circular economy and business model tools, templates, workshops and resources to support environmental, social, ethical and circular design.
If you’d like advice or support with any then just get in touch.
Check out my different offers pages for workshops and packages around the ones I use or have developed
- Design with Intent – Requisite Variety – Dan Lockton
- EAST Framework – Behavioural Insights Team
- Business Model Canvas (Strategzer) – BMC
- Social Business Model Canvas
- Value Proposition Canvas (Strategzer) – VPC
- Team Canvas – For aligning teams
- Purposely – Tool for developing and embedding purpose in your company articles
- 16 Personalities – A free personality test to help you reflect on your strengths and potential weaknesses
- DFSS – Design For Six Sigma & DMAIC
- A3 thinking
- Circular Design Guide – EMF and IDEO
- Circular Design Toolkit – Ecodesign Interreg Fraunhofer
- OSCEdays – Open Source Circular Economy – community platform
- Circular Design Guide – Nike
- Circular Design Tool – Danish Design Centre
- Circular Behavior Toolkit– Danish Design Centre
- Circular Economy Playbook – Toolkit – Nordic Innovation
- Circular Economy Workbooks – CIRCit Norden
- Circular Design – Unschools online training programmes
- Circle Economy – The Circular Product Design Framework
- Circulab – toolbox and training
- C2C – Cradle to Cradle Framework – MBDC
- C2C Certification and standards
- Circular Transitions Indicators – Framework to quantify circularity
- Circulytics – EMF circularity measurement performance tool
- Circular Office Guide – Business in the Community
- Upstream Innovation (Packaging ) – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
- B Corp
- Social Enterprise UK
- 1% percent for the planet
- Living Wage
- Fairtrade
- Soil association
- Vegan
- Organic
- Eco Label
- C2C Certified – Cradle 2 Cradle, Safer and more sustainable products
- FSC – Forest Stewardship Council
- Green Web Foundation
- Quiet Mark
- Well Mark (for healthy buildings)
- Endometriosis Friendly Employers scheme
- Climate Perks – paid travel days for employees taking the sustainable option
- DIY – Development Impact and You – Social Impact toolkit (Nesta)
- Experience flow – PHILIPS
- Human-Centred Design Toolkit – IDEO
- Empathy Mapping
- Horizons Tool – Innovate UK and Forum for the Future
- AEIOU Framework – User research framework by Doblin
- Double Diamond, Design Methods – Design Council
- Design Justice – Network and Principles
- Ethical Explorer – Ethical Tech design
- Centre for Humane Technology – Humane Technology requires that we understand our most vulnerable human instincts so we can design compassionately to protect them from abuse
- Omidyar Network
- Climate Action Tech – Developing skills and action on sustainability for those in tech
- Sustainable Website Design, Digital Declutter– Guidance from Wholegrain Digital
- Open Sustainability tech – Wiki
- Open LCA – open-source Life Cycle Analysis tool
- Website Carbon Calculator – free website page carbon calculator
- Ecologi Zero – Net Zero footprinting accounting plugin
- Normative – Net Zero footprinting accounting plugin (free through SME Climate Hub)
- Carbon Trust – Energy usage, SME foot printing tools and more
- EcoChain
- Green Element – Compare Your Footprint
- WWF Environmental Footprint Calculator – Your footprint is a way of showing your carbon emissions, compared to other people and other countries. It’s your impression on the planet.
- Global Footprint Network – Measure your Ecological Footprint
- Water Footprint Calculator – The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use
- Earth Overshoot Day – When we have used more from nature then our planet can renew in the whole year
- Julie’s Bicycle – Event & Festival Sustainability
- Embodied Energy and Carbon – ICE Database – Circular Ecology
- Materiom – Open Source Material Recipes for a CE
- Circular Materials Library
- Material Driven
- Plastic Free – Materials
- Chris Leferti – Sustainable CMF
- Right to Repair
- French Reparability Index – Useful for guidance (even if not in the required product category).
- Restart Project
- iFixit – guidance videos, manuals and tools
- Designing for Repair – Design council blog outlining emerging design principles.
- Design For Repair and Upgrade – Autodesk Sustainability Series
- Repair Cafe’s
- Theory U – Leading from the future as it emerges
- RSA – Regenerative Futures
- Regenerative Leadership / Generative Leadership
- Designing Regenerative Cultures – Daniel Christian Wahl
- Design For Planet – Design Council
- Regenerators – Collective
- Science-based targets – setting and measuring Net Zero targets and tracking commitment
- Green House Gas Protocol – Standards to measure and manage emissions
- EU Circular Economy Policies
- RoHS – Restriction of Hazardous Products
- CE marking on manufactured products required in EU
- REACH – Registration Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
- Producer Responsibility Regulations
- ISO 14000 – Environmental Management
- ISO 14044:2006 – Life Cycle Assessment
- BS8001 – Framework for implementing the principles of the Circular Economy in organisations
- SME Climate Hub – and links to relevant reporting tools
- Waterbear – Streaming platform dedicated to the future of the planet
- The Story of Stuff – Movies to movements
- The Story Canvas
- Earthrise Studio
- Futerra – Solutionists
- Sustainable Products policy and Ecodesign – EU Guidance covering EcoDesign Directive and Energy Labelling
- Sustainability Guide – Tools (and Circular Economy )
- Life-Centered Design – Tools and resources collection
- Design For and From Recycling – PolyCe Project, Guidelines for Electrical and Electronic Equipment Products
- Kickstarter Sustainability – Product Development
- EcoDesign Strategy Wheel – Delft
- 5 steps to Ecodesign – Granta
- The Natural Step toolkit and backcasting thinking
- BSI – Sustainability Standards Navigator
- Global Goals SDGs – World’s Largest Lesson teaching resources
- Julie’s Bicycle – Event & Festival sustainability
- Academy for System Change – Donella Meadows
- Beyond Net-Zero a Systemic Approach – Design council
- Values and Framing – PIRC & WWF
- Dare to Lead Values List – Brene Brown
- Defining Your Values – Mind tools
- Five Ways to Wellbeing – (Connect, Take Notice, Be active, Keep Learning, Give) – New Economics Foundation
- Pathways to Nature Connection – (Contact, Beauty, Meaning, Emotion, Compassion) – Prfo Miles Richardson University of Derby and the free handbook
- Force Of Nature – Helping young people turn climate anxiety into action
- Climate Anxiety Resources – Greenpeace
- Positive News
- Action for Happiness
CONNECTING DOTS
A monthly (ish) email cultivating connections and weaving links between topics and disciplines, Resources, events, organisations and actions. Highlighting the many many ways to support, design and create care and action towards our planet and each other. “Connect the dots”