In this episode, Jon and Verda speak with veteran NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who has completed two spaceflights and spent extended time aboard the International Space Station. Nicole shares her insights on how space exploration can help us improve life here on Earth. From working alongside an international team to understanding the challenges we …

Isaias Hernandez, AKA the Queer Brown Vegan joins Jon and Verda to examine tackling climate change education thru social media and engaging with fringe communities who often get left behind. Isaias is taking on all the complex issues around climate change and social equity through the eyes of a young activist and a child of immigrants. We often don…

Learn the amazing story of a biologist turned bird aviator! Austrian biologist, Johannes Fritz speaks with Jon and Verda about the Northern Bald Ibis, which was completely extinct in the wild 50 years ago. Through careful re-introduction Fritz began to bring them back. Then, when climate change made their winter migration route unpassable, Fritz be…

Jon and Verda discover John Derkach, an architect turned techie, who just might help our industry finally impact climate change. Listen to John’s story of building a tech company with an architects eye. Baya is a workflow tool that will help designers specify green solutions throughout their interiors project, and measure their impact while doing i…

Domingo Morales grew up in public housing in Harlem and sold candy in subways to help his mother pay rent. By 19 he had two kids and no steady income, but then Domingo stumbled upon a chance to work with Green City Force, an non-profit that teaches young people in the projects careers in horticulture, solar installation and other environmental jobs…

Davies Office was founded in 1948 as a small, family-owned business. Since then, Davies Office has grown to become a nationally recognized leader in green remanufacturing and sustainable office solutions. Host Jon and Verda chat with Bill Davies and Doug Pilgrim about sustainability, and the possibilities that come with upcycling!Discover more show…

Armed with a home-made suction device, David Rivers clears about 250 garbage bags worth of trash from the bayou and its tributaries each week. If you think one person can't make a difference, think again—you'll be as smitten with David as we are!Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.Break…

Cara Buckley and her team at the New York Times have decided to focus on the optimistic side of climate change. They’ve found people acting out on their own to create individual, yet replicable acts that have saved their own unique communities and ecosystems. Verda and Jon have been inspired by this message, and in this episode get the opportunity …

Karry King and Martin Schneider found themselves compelled to help their town of La Salle, Illinois after a toxic disaster and chemical fire at the Carus Chemical Plant.Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.Break Some Dishes is presented by Davies Office.See Privacy Policy at https://art1…

In this new episode, co-host Verda Alexander sits down with special guest Lisa Tucker, Head of the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management at Virginia Tech. Lisa shares her journey from a background in historic preservation to integrating sustainability into interior design education. She discusses her research on the impact of biop…

In this episode of Break Some Dishes, Jon Strassner sits down for a one-on-one conversation with Linda Sorrento from mindful MATERIALS.They share their history of collaboration and how Linda inspired Jon to pursue a career in sustainability. Linda talks about her family's legacy of purpose and her journey into the design field with a focus on resea…

In this episode of Break Some Dishes, co-host Verda Alexander sits down for a conversation with Jenn Chen, Principal Interior Designer at LMN Architects.They first discuss Jenn's groundbreaking research that has revealed the cyclical nature of interior renovations as it significantly contributes to carbon emissions, rivaling the impact of building …

Join host Jon Strassner as he engages in a conversation with Ken Wilson, Design Principal at Perkins&Will in Washington D.C. With over two decades of friendship, Jon and Ken delve into Ken's career journey, the evolution of sustainable design, and the critical role of sustainability in shaping the future of the industry.Ken discusses founding his o…

Earth Day: Activate AccordinglyJoin Jon and Verda during this special episode for Earth Day 2023 discussing activism!They look at the history of activism and its importance in creating social change, emphasizing design and activating locally. They also examine influencing large corporations and the government, encouraging people to take action by j…

We are breaking some dishes a little differently with this new roundtable episode discussing climate, health, and equity! Our panel of roundtable guests talks with Jon Strassner and Verda Alexander about the importance of creating equitable and sustainable designs that are healthy and accessible to everyone. The group emphasizes the need for furthe…

According to Natalie Nixon, more organizations need to have improvisational ways of working. Natalie says, “The future of work is Jazz.” Jazz is a model for new ways to work and optimize creativity. Described as a one-of-a-kind creativity expert, Natalie is the Creative Strategist and CEO at strategy firm, Figure 8 Thinking.In this episode, Natalie…

Let's break some dishes with game changers in sustainability LIVE from Greenbuild 2022!Our guests today talk with Jon and Verda about how they lead and make sustainable change in different ways through biomaterials and carbon capture, water and energy conservation, design accountability, carbon offsets, or resource reuse.Guest lineup includes:> Eli…

We are breaking into the New Year with a twist. Our January episode kicks us off into 2023 where Jon and Verda have an insightful one-on-one conversation with each other. Guided by research, articles, and books the pair have read lately, they discuss different topics to lead us into 2023 including:- Green technology- What it means to be in "Goblin …

The Cruise Ship Interiors Expo is the world’s only exhibition and conference exclusively dedicated to connecting the cruise design industry - and Break Some Dishes had the unique opportunity to podcast LIVE from the event! In today's episode, you'll hear from:Jon Ingleton | Executive Editor of Cruise & Ferry InteriorsMy Nguyen | Director of Interio…

Our guest today, Akshat Rathi, comes to us with a background in engineering and is a Senior Climate Reporter at Bloomberg, focused on shaping the energy and climate change conversation around the world. In this episode, Akshat discusses with Jon and Verda the different levers to be pulled to create climate action including policy, business, technol…

How can we truly create radical change? Well, according to Jennifer Allyn, it's time to harness the power of the private sector to solve the climate crisis - and it starts with empowering YOU to motivate your company to support climate policy. Described as a true climate champion, Jennifer Allyn is the Director of Programs and Campaigns at ClimateV…

For this Break Some Dishes episode, our guest is the Founding Principal and Chief Design Officer of MASS Design Group, Alan Ricks!MASS stands for Model of Architecture Serving Society and Alan does just that, leading the strategy and design of projects around the globe and advancing the role of design to create a more equitable and just world.In th…

LIVE from NeoCon part 2 is here! In the last installment of our Live from NeoCon series, we chat with six incredible guests, all with unique backgrounds and experiences, to help us discover new ways of thinking and exploring fresh ideas in the world of design and sustainability. In today's episode, you'll hear from:Paul Shahriari | Founder & Chief …

And we're LIVE! Ok, we decided to do something a little different...during NeoCon we managed to do a series of podcasts LIVE from the OFS showroom in Chicago. These conversations were incredible and we are so excited to finally share them with you! In today's episode, you'll hear from:Lauren Perich | Senior Designer | Studio O+ATodd Bracher | Found…

John Cary, currently the President & CEO of Eames Institute, is typicallybusy working his magic to bring design to the people. John has been a keyplayer in the Pro Bono Design movement for a long time, and that doesn’t appearto be changing anytime soon. Everyone deserves good design. Verda tells us thatinterior designers care a lot about people, th…

The recycling system is broken. Did you know that only 9% of what we put in blue bin programs is actually recycled? Our guest today is on a mission to address this issue. In today's episode, hear how Ashley Gorrie and her company, Unwasted, are taking a stand to clean up recycling by harnessing the power of design and discarded plastics to create f…

Did you know that each year, 17 billion pounds of office furniture ends up in a landfill? This statistic didn't sit well with today's guest, so she decided to do something about it. Today, we welcome Brandi Susewitz - she's the CEO and Founder of Reseat, the first online marketplace for second-life office furniture, and the first step toward a more…

Are you familiar with sustainable finance? ESG investing? Impact accounting? No? That's ok, neither were we - that is until we met Ken Pucker. Ken is the Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners and a Senior Lecturer at the Fletcher School at Tufts University - he is also the former COO of Timberland. In today's episode, Ken helps pull back the curt…

Ginger Krieg Dosier is the co-founder and CEO of Biomason - and they have a goal to help save our Earth, one brick at a time. Taking inspiration from marine ecosystems, Biomason aims to eliminate the need to emit carbon to produce building materials - developing a way to grow cement bricks and tiles with bacteria in order to replace traditional cem…

Our guest today is Jeff Frost - he's a material specialist with Brightworks Sustainability and co-founder of mindful MATERIALS collaborative; an industry-led initiative to make it easier for building professionals to select products with health and environmental attributes.Jeff is recognized as a national subject matter expert on how building mater…

Today, we welcome the Founder & CEO of Humanscale, Bob King. During our discussion, Bob reveals how combining sustainable principles with business acumen has led to industry-leading success. We also explore the problems, complexity, and difficult decisions required to create true progress in sustainability as a manufacturer - including the urgent n…

Porter Fox, author of "The Last Winter,” trekked the world to tell the story of what he’s seen firsthand — a winter that’s shrinking.Fox is a lifelong skier, so he has a personal interest in cold, snowy weather. But less winter and less snow doesn’t only mean less skiing; it could also spell the end of the natural world as we know it. In today's ep…

Season 3 of Break Some Dishes is here and we are so excited to be back! In today's episode, we take look into our crystal ball to see what 2022 has in store in the world of sustainability. We also preview our lineup of incredible guests, as we go deep with people who are trying to upend the status quo and find solutions for our planet. But that's n…

Verda and Jon gather up some of their favorite people for a fun presentation at NeoCon, a big furniture/interior design show. These guests represent some of our favorite episodes over the past year, and we had a blast putting them all together in the same room - like a fun, amazing person stew! Listen to this group talk about design through a lens …

Are we filling our landfills with furniture? We are so accustomed to buying cheap furniture because it's easy and accessible, but why aren't we investing in pieces that will last our lifetime and get passed down to the next generation? Should we treat furniture like art, or family heirlooms meant to be passed on, each piece carrying its own recorde…

Finally, the interior design profession has come together and created an amazing pledge to impact climate change! This is long overdue, as the potential for interior designers in every segment of the industry is huge! Listen in as Jon and Verda talk with Avi Rajagopal, Editor in Chief of Metropolis Magazine and Gary Wheeler, CEO of ASID as they exp…

In this episode, Jon and Verda talk with Annie Bevan, Executive Director of Mindful Materials. We are all affected by the materials in our built environment. Can Mindful Materials finally be the "Easy Button" to understanding what we're putting in our spaces? Annie thinks so! Mindful Materials is industry owned and led and really wants to be a reso…

Jon and Verda join Jane Abernethy and Annie Bevan in talking about material transparency on a panel with our host, Mortarr CEO Abby Murray. Jane Abernethy is Chief Sustainability Officer for Humanscale and Annie Bevan is the Executive Director of Mindful Materials. Who better to talk about material transparency than these two? Are we paying attenti…

This episode of Break Some Dishes finds Verda and Jon talking to an amazing activist by the name of Auden Schendler. Auden has been the Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen Ski Company for over 20 years, and his voice carries an amazing message, actually more than one. We love Auden because he truly offers a unique perspective on tackling clim…

Jon and Verda talk with Joey Roth about more than just coffee. Joey is an industrial designer who is focused on vessels, crafted from materials that get better with age. Joey wants to design product that people want to fix rather than replace. How long will it last? How long will it be valuable to us? These are important questions. Joey designs bet…

Jon and Verda talk to a textile designer!! Finally, we get to break dishes with Lori Weitzner, renowned textile designer and environmental activist. Lori introduces us to the idea of "cultural sustainability". How can we preserve the old way of making things while bringing it to scale to serve our industry? Lori tells us to understand what is in ab…

This episode's special guest is Greg Norris. Currently Chief Scientist for the International Living Future Institute and Director of the Sustainability and Health Initiative for Net Positive Enterprise at MIT, Greg Norris is one of the top LCA experts in the country. Amongst his most impressive projects is the creation of "Hand-Printing", where it'…

In this episode, Verda and Jon talk to Marcus Erikson an ex Marine and scientist on a journey to understand what happens with all of our plastic. He has tracked it down the Mississippi, to the world's oceans and finally, into the desert, where it is killing camels. Our plastic trash is everywhere, literally. Join us as we talk with someone who is p…

In a departure from our usual science lased, data based episodes, where we chat with environmental engineers, scientists and deep subject matter experts, today we get to chat with one of our own kind! Doug Shapiro, Vice President of Research and Insights at OFS will share his own personal insights and those of OFS. Join us in learning how a company…

Jason McLennan started the International Living Future Institute. He created the Living Building Challenge, followed by the Living Product Challenge, the Living Community Challenge, The Red List, and the Declare Label just to name a few. Oh, and he also has written 7 books, but otherwise he's a bit of a couch potato and needs goals. When he's not c…

Todd Bracher and Tina Cheng are industrial designers in Todd Bracher Studio, but they are so much more than that. They are design strategists, game changers and innovators, and they challenge clients to break some damn dishes. With a multi-disciplinary team, they bring science to design. They are philosophic and thoughtful as well, and their scienc…

Brian Kelly wants to preserve the legacy of our trees. He is a photographer and archivist. Maybe even a tree whisperer? These silent sentinels are hundreds and even thousands of years old and are dying faster than ever before due to human activity and climate change. He is trying to capture their essence as quickly as he can before they are gone. T…

Petrice Jones is a successful actor. In fact, we would say he's officially "made it" in Hollywood. So, now he only needs to sit back and watch the money roll in, right? But Petrice is not that kind of actor. He's an activist, so when he saw something, he did something. Petrice noticed the pile of plastic water bottles that accumulated on set while …

Molly Morse is CEO of Mango Materials. She's also an engineer with a PhD. Wanna guess what she's up to? Get a load of Molly- she's making a biodegradable plastic! That's right...a plastic that doesn't last forever in our environment and wind up in our oceans. And as if that isn't amazing enough, she makes it with methane, a greenhouse gas that is e…

Algae can be a good thing. It produces more oxygen and captures more carbon than all the forests in the world combined. A rise in global temperatures, excess nutrient runoff and human activities create harmful effects of algae blooms which pop up everywhere as a visible reminder to the invisible issue of water pollution. Enter this episode's reside…