Originally published on my website at alexacsmith.com “Some will open your heart, others will open your eyes.” ~C. C. Aurel “During the sweltering month of July, I treated myself to a dreamlike trip to the mystical destination of Molokai, Hawaii. Unlike any other Hawaiian island notoriously populated by tourists, Molokai…

Originally posted on my website alexacsmith.com “Success is not only in the hand. It’s in the heart.” ~Brian McGill Cook. Paint. Puzzle. Movie. Repeat. This was my quarantine mantra for the months of March through July. Any bit of spare time not spent hunched over my desk illuminated by my…

Originally posted on my website at alexacsmith.com Sustainability, as we have established many times over, is a prime example of a wicked problem. Wicked problems as defined by Jonathan Pryshlakivsky and Cory Searcy, 2 professors at Ryerson University in Toronto, are “ ill-defined, with an undetermined number of possible approaches…

This article was originally post on my website at alexacsmith.com “Think globally, act locally” ~Paul McCartney It was 5:50 p.m. when I was walking down Michigan Avenue on New Year’s Eve 2020. The coronavirus pandemic was in full swing, leaving the streets bare as bone. Rotting and splintering sheets of…

Originally posted on my website at alexacsmith.com “The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything” ~George Lois One of the main reasons that I originally got into the zero waste movement and this whole circularity saga, even as an environmentalist, was because of my deep-seeded love for…

with Insights from Himkaar Singh — Originally posted on my website at alexacsmith.com The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2021 report marked a tail spin for people of Earth as we try to cope with our own futures on this planet — let alone the future of our children. …

Originally published on my website at alexacsmith.com “Once designed it’s hard to reverse: ‘We can’t unscramble an omelette.’” ~Ellen MacArthur Foundation When it comes to planning for a circular economy, intentional design plays a critical role. If we try to go at this issue by only cleaning up after existing…

Originally posted on my website at alexacsmith.com “What is one question you wish interviewers would ask you about your book or yourself?” Recently, I was asked this question in preparation for an interview, and it really struck a chord in me. …