Giving Back to My Community!

Atlanta’s Sustainability Ambassador Program – Spring 2025 Session, Atlanta, Georgia

I was thrilled to facilitate one of the workshops in the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience’s Sustainability Ambassador Program: Designing for Social and Climate Justice, held virtually on March 26, 2025. Participants included stakeholders from a variety of sectors.

The session focused on sustainability—particularly the intersection of climate and social justice—with an emphasis on community engagement and design thinking.

After a quick round of introductions, we began with a discussion on social and climate justice. Participants were invited to share one word that comes to mind when they think of “justice,” which is reflected in the image accompanying this article. The agenda included exploring justice principles, participating in a mini workshop on design thinking, and collaborating on practical ideas aimed at addressing sustainability challenges while promoting equity.

An overview of climate justice was provided, tracing its origins to the environmental justice movement and highlighting key elements such as global inequity, the vulnerability of marginalized communities, and the responsibility of the current generation to advocate for future ones.

We explored the critical role of equity in design, emphasizing the need for active participation of affected communities in decision-making processes. The Flint water crisis was used as a case study to illustrate corporate accountability for environmental damages, and to examine the systemic nature of social and climate justice issues. The discussion also included the case of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting its long-term impacts on marginalized communities and the urgent need for systemic solutions to support vulnerable populations during climate-related events.

The session concluded with a focus on design thinking as a human-centered approach to innovation, outlining its five phases: empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. Participants were encouraged to select challenges related to creating green job opportunities for underserved communities. Suggestions included educational campaigns and community workshops to raise awareness about environmental issues, with an emphasis on empathy and inclusivity in both communication and decision-making.

If you’re interested in learning more about Design for Climate Justice, sustainable design, or our fully online MA in Sustainable Design program, please contact me.

Dawn Keene, Director, Master of Arts in Sustainable Design

Image Source: dkeene + WordClouds.com