Reimagining the Ecological Design Collective

Looking Back…

As 2024 comes to a close, the Ecological Design Collective (EDC) looks back on a year rich with connection, creativity, and community. From immersive experiences in Baltimore to thought-provoking conversations and artistic engagements, this year has underscored the importance of reimagining our relationship with the land, each other, and the world around us. Continue reading to remember how together we have explored ecological thinking and design as a mode to inspire more equitable, sustainable, and imaginative futures.

… & Looking Ahead

As we step into 2025, the EDC is excited to continue reimagining land and fostering grounded relationships. We will be expanding our Baltimore-based programming, diving deeper into questions of equity and sustainability, and exploring innovative ways to connect and collaborate. Thank you for being a part of this journey. Here is to another year of reimagining and regenerating!


Mapping a Vision: Reimagining Land in Baltimore

This year, our programming centered on “Reimagining Land,” with Baltimore as both a focus and a lens for exploration. With our Grounding series, we delved into the city’s histories, geographies, and potentials, seeking to understand the many ways land is inhabited and transformed. Highlights of our Groundings included:

  • Sumwalt Run Walking Tour: Artist and designer Bruce Willen led a tour of this forgotten waterway, now hidden beneath Baltimore’s streets. Through this journey, we rediscovered the layers of history embedded in the urban landscape and reflected on the connections between past and present.
  • Urban Farming Initiatives: In partnership with local organizers and The 6th Branch, we explored Baltimore’s flourishing urban farms. These spaces, often community-driven, offer free food and hope, transforming neglected lots into vibrant hubs of growth and generosity.
  • Meditative Nature Walks: Guided by curator Ebram Victoria, we embraced mindfulness practices amidst nature, reinforcing the healing power of stillness and sensory connection.

These moments remind us that land is not just a resource but a living, relational space shaped by care, creativity, and collective action.


Sparking Imagination: The EDC Book Club

The EDC Book Club provided a space for exploring pressing ecological themes through diverse literary works. This year, members engaged in a wide array of thought-provoking discussions, each of which encouraged reflection and dialogue about the challenges and possibilities of our time. Highlights included Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry for the Future, Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life, and Kohei Saito’s Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto. Through these literary journeys, we cultivated a shared understanding of how stories—fictional and real—can inspire ecological action and communal resilience.


Creating Through Connection: Eco-Arts Programming

The Eco-Arts Group brought together artists, curators, and participants to explore the interplay between creativity, ecology, and activism. Each event invited us to envision and embody new relationships with the natural world through innovative artistic practices. Highlights included:

  • Mary Mattingly’s Conversation on Sustainability: Renowned for her work in portable architecture and sculptural ecosystems, Mattingly shared her artistic responses to climate change and displacement, offering a powerful vision of resilience and adaptability.
  • Soledad Salamé’s Multimedia Installations: This Baltimore-based artist’s work explored the connections between technology and ecology, showcasing how art can illuminate hidden environmental relationships.
  • Asad Raza’s Interactive Dialogues: In September, we kicked off a captivating conversation with Asad Raza, exploring his collaborative and ecologically focused artistic practice. This event kicked off an ongoing series of dialogues with Raza, where we continue to follow the development of his work into the new year.

These creative engagements remind us that art is not only a reflection of ecological concerns but also a dynamic tool for fostering awareness and transformation.


Growing Connections: Platform Updates

This year, the EDC took steps to enhance our online community space, making it more engaging, collaborative, and ecologically centered. These updates have provided new ways for members to connect, share ideas, and support each other’s work. Key updates included:

  • Emoji Reactions Inspired by Nature: To create a more vibrant and ecologically rooted experience, we introduced new emoji reactions inspired by elements of the natural world. Whether you are sharing joy, sadness, surprise, or solidarity, there is now a meaningful way to express yourself within the collective.
  • Opportunities Forum: Responding to growing interest from our members, we launched a new forum dedicated to sharing opportunities for collaboration, work, and skill-sharing. This space allows EDC members to post job opportunities, volunteer roles, project requests, and creative calls—bridging imagination with action.

Growing Together: Community and Collaboration

Our work would not be possible without the incredible support of our partners and the contributions of our community. This year, we are particularly grateful to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, the Center for Creative Impact at the Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA), the School of Architecture & Planning (SA+P) at Morgan State University, Cloud68, the Climate Imaginarium, and the Institute for Planetary Health, among others. Their commitment has enabled us to expand our programming and sustain our vision.

As we reflect on the past year, we are also inspired by the contributions of our volunteers and members, whose ideas and energies continue to nourish this collective. Whether by attending events, sharing opportunities, or participating in our new forums and platform features, you have made this a year of meaningful connection and growth. Thank you!


Support Our Community: 

We’re so honored by the friends, conversations, and projects that we’ve been able to share with the collective this year.

We rely on a team of volunteers to keep this collective vibrant and active. As our community continues to grow, we are grateful for your support, for all the ideas, commitments, and relationships you bring to this space. At the same time, your financial support would also help us sustain this platform and ensure its viability. This digital space is tiny, but it takes several thousand dollars each year to maintain the EDC online platform and keep it running. Anyone can join for free, but we welcome any and all contributions.

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