Sarah Jane Maki

Sustainable Design Can Save the Planet

I am a huge advocate of the idea that designers are the key to a sustainable future for people and the planet. Everything created on the Earth passes through the hands of a designer, be that a business card, a product package, a hospital bed, an office building, a light rail system or a city park – all are created by a designer. As such, we have – all of us (engineers, graphic designers, architects, industrial designers, interior designers, etc.) – a huge responsibility to learn as much as we can about the principals of sustainability and apply them to our projects. Just one product made in a sustainable way can save the ecosystem untold stress.
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Diatoms!

As obsessions go, I have my share. Like most women, I can lose all common sense when presented with a great pair of boots (past: Naya Quail) or the perfect fragrance (currently: Tokyo Milk 02 Le Petit), but I also have some unlikely and unique interests that may raise an eyebrow to the uninitiated. The most recent of which is a tiny little obsession with diatoms.

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Tags | biology, biomimicry, design in nature, nature, science

Ideas and fun

I have long wanted to create a space that combined my inspirations, work, rantings and wanderings into one place. This site is that space. Finally I have found (I believe) a nice space to collect the combination of my interests and talents, my adventures and my aspirations. The goal when creating was to make it fun, carefree, light-hearted but informative. It may seem a little busy and scattered, but that is how I roll these days.  I have an enthusiasm for all things designed and created and those interests constantly buzz around and bump into each other.

I am an environmentalist and care deeply about not only HOW things are made, but where they go when their useful life is over.
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Tags | design, design thinking, environmentalism, humanitarianism, strategy