Amplifying Voices for Change
On Tuesday May 20th, we gathered in Galway for Amplify Voices for Change, hosted by Design Declares Ireland and CREW.
It was a day full of honest conversations, shared values, and creative energy, asking one big question:
How might designers shape a sense of place that seeks to tackle the climate crisis?
Charlotte Barker introduced Design Declares and our agenda for the day. Lara Hanlon from Portion Collaborative kicked us off as the first speaker of the morning, asking us to reflect on our primary motivations for climate-focused work and brought us through the 8 Acts of Emergency.
We then heard from Martina Uí Dholáin about designing for ecotourism through the Glow 2.0 project with support from CREW, and from Jo Anne Butler of Superfolk, who reminded us how important it is to listen to nature in our work.
Brett O'Mahony, Adam Barry and Ray Ó Foghlú shared the story of Studio Saol and Hometree, a partnership grounded in care and long-term thinking. And to wrap us up, Duncan Stewart challenged us to move from passive optimism to active, practical hope.
We also celebrated the launch of the new Design Declares Playbook, a brilliant tool designed by Chart Studio to help designers embed climate action into practice. We will have more of these available at future events to share with our community.
Huge thanks to everyone who showed up, brought their energy to the room and made the day happen. We are continually grateful to be part of a community that’s showing up for change.
Thanks too to our brilliant hosts Ainslie Peters and the team at CREW, an incredible venue and bustling creative hub.
