Exploring the impact of everyday objects

This two-hour presentation and interactive class activity centers around the concept of cradle-to-cradle, first introduced by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in 2002.

Participants are asked to bring in an object. It could be special, it could be every day. A short intro to the concept of cradle-to-cradle is given and then folks are asked to research their objects for 20 minutes. The goal is to discover where it was made, by whom, in what conditions, with what materials, etc. We then spend the rest of the time unpacking what they discovered. The activity leads to very interesting conversations, realizations and sometimes course corrections.

Presentation given to:

• March 2025 / ARTH 365 Materials and Processes, Art History department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Qc
  • Mix of 60 students from across the Faculty of Fine Arts
• October 2023 / Sustainability Ambassadors Program, Concordia University, Montreal, Qc
  • Mix of 25 students from across the university
• October 2022 / Sustainability Ambassadors Program, Concordia University, Montreal, Qc
  • Mix of 25 students from across the university