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How can you find your role in climate?
Summary
The second in a series of discussions centered around Climate UX. Let’s move the conversation from “why” to “how.” How can you start moving your career towards a Climate UX role today? What aspects of your current role can be applied to have a climate focus? And then when that’s not enough, how can you find a role within a more direct climate company? Where should you look, and what should you be careful of? Panelists: Jamie Beck Alexander, Nina Gregg, Shawn Petersen Moderator: Bill DeRouchey More info and how to submit your own topic for a future discussion here.
Key Insights
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Every job can become a climate job by integrating climate considerations into existing roles rather than switching to renewable-specific jobs.
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Designers’ unique skills in envisioning multiple futures and facilitating stakeholder conversations are critical for climate solutions.
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Coalition building within companies can catalyze significant climate commitments, as evidenced by Amazon employees' internal advocacy.
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The normalization of climate awareness across product categories like gaming, food, and transportation is an emerging UX priority.
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Embedding sustainability into all company OKRs and roles, rather than siloed sustainability teams, leads to more resilient organizations.
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Quantitative climate data often fails to resonate personally; blending qualitative storytelling with measurable impact improves engagement.
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Behavioral change in consumers requires rethinking how design promotes ownership and longevity rather than simple consumption.
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Emerging regenerative design emphasizes creating circular, replenishing systems, moving beyond just sustaining current models.
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AI tools will simplify technical design tasks, increasing focus on climate-centric strategy and ecosystem understanding.
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Making sustainability as pervasive in design as accessibility is seen as a necessary future milestone for the industry.
Notable Quotes
"The climate doesn’t need everyone to go work in climate NGOs; we need everyone to find a climate angle from wherever they sit."
"The future isn’t a destination; it’s multiple locations, and climate futures aren’t just utopian or dystopian but can be mundane."
"Design and climate is the most important collaboration that needs to happen to bring climate solutions into the world at scale."
"Two UX designers at Amazon built a movement of 8,700 employees that led to Amazon announcing their climate pledge."
"Making sustainability embedded in every job function, with OKRs aligned, is the future we need to head toward."
"Quantities can be measured, but qualities need to be mapped — that shift feels core to the designer's role."
"We are talking about climate solutions to displace things that are incompatible with thriving life, not just add more options."
"Google Maps’ Leaf visualization helps people normalize efficient driving, demonstrating the power of design in behavior change."
"Sustainability needs to be the new accessibility in design – a normalization built into every process."
"Anything that you can do is needed because our institutions were inherited from the past and need us to lead them toward the future."
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