Toxic air and toxic discourse, toxic masculinity, toxic chemicals, and toxic politics. We live in a time when the term "toxicity" travels from the register of the molecular to the moral.

But the toxicities that infiltrate our lands, our bodies, our minds, and our relationships are not inevitable; they are the consequence of extractive systems which poison, materially and ideologically, by prioritizing profit.

Building on the momentum of last year's call to Re-imagine Land, The Ecological Design Collective (EDC) seeks to leverage our collective imagination as we look for ways to counter toxic policies, narratives, and pollutants. Antidotes come in many forms, from healing herbs, words, and movements to design-based solutions and collective action.

We ask you to join us as we explore: What might it mean to search, recognize, celebrate, and create antidotes to toxicity?

Read more about our 2025-2026 theme: Antidotes to Toxicity and learn how you can contribute to this exploration.

Meet our newest EDC Curator: Alyssa Dennis

A Moment of Gratitude...

We would like to take a moment to thank the contributions of our out-going fellows: Jessie Croteau and Noah Kulick. Their tireless work over the past year has helped grow and shape the Ecological Design Collective into what it is today, and their contributions will leave a lasting mark on how we carry this work forward. We are excited that Jessie will remain on our team as our new Communications Coordinator!

Noah, Jessie - we wish you the best in your new adventures and look forward to continued connection!

Meet our new coordinators: Lindi & Siyu

Lindi Shepard is a graduate researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Education where she studies how people learn in and about the natural world. In the context of K-12 education, she explores how direct experiences with local ecosystems set the stage for transformative learning, providing opportunities for students and educators to develop and apply skills to address problems that impact their communities, such as climate change and issues of environmental justice.

Siyu Xie is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Comparative Thought and Literature at Johns Hopkins University. Her dissertation explores how plants grow from the pages of literature in 16th-18th century China and how the literary stories their relationship with the nonhuman world. Through poems, prose essays, and multiple emerging mediums in the early modern times, she explores how authors are drawn to, learn from, and become resonant with botanical forms of beings, more particularly, the plum blossom trees. Beyond academia, she is drawn to creative practices that help us sense and design ecologically.

Find new events and opportunities on the EDC platform:

• Why Is No One Else Panicking About The Climate? A Writing Workshop To Make You Feel Sane In A World That Feels Like It’s Gaslighting You: Do you ever feel like no one around you is as worried about the climate crisis as you are?​ Like everything is fine?​ Come explore these feelings and channel them into words at this creative writing workshop, with prompts that dive into different aspects of what living in a climate future means, especially when surrounded by people who aren’t quite ready to face this yet. ​The workshop will be led by Annalena La Porte, Ph.D., of the NYC Climate Writers Collective. 
• The 11th Annual Environmental Justice and Health Disparities Symposium is a landmark event that brings together community leaders, experts, and activists dedicated to advancing environmental justice and addressing health disparities. This year’s theme, "The People's Agenda: Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration," captures a commitment to inspiring collective action and fostering community strength. There are options to join the symposium virtually and in person from Baltimore.
• Post-doctoral research associate: Urban contributions to global climate. The Data-Driven EnviroLab (DDL), housed within the University of North Carolina’s Institute for the Environment, is currently recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join their interdisciplinary research team. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a major initiative focused on evaluating the role of cities in global climate mitigation efforts.
• CfP: LSE Climate Change, Inequality, and Policy Contestation Workshop: The workshop will open on Monday, the 10th of November, with a public keynote lecture from Helen Milner (Princeton) on her new book with Alexander F. Gazmararian (Michigan) entitled “Fault Lines: The New Political Economy of a Warming World”. This will be followed by a full day of paper presentations on Tuesday, the 11th of November, with a closing dinner. There is an open call for research papers to be presented at the workshop. Deadline: 24th August 2025.
• Applications Open: Black Cooperative Academy in Baltimore: The Black Coopnomics Academy explores topics including the legacy of the Black Cooperative Movement, money management strategies to fund the present and future of co-ops, applying wellness and health to co-ops, and moving past crisis to improve the resilience of co-ops.