It’s a known fact that the world we live in is and throughout human history has been held in the hands of the designer. Designers, whether conscious or not, have made decisions that have determined the ecological impact of the products, services and objects we use today. Unfortunately, while designers should be able to reverse products’ damage to the environment, most of them shift the responsibility to consumers. But ultimately, designers are the ones who have the power to effect change in,environmental outcomes both upstream and downstream, all in one go--and it is a power they should harness.

In his visit to UCCA, frog creative Director Mario Van der Meulen will be discussing the secrets of sustainable design. In his presentation, "Bananas," Mario will demonstrate how an overwhelming majority of the world has been wrongly designed. Next, he will introduce a new systems thinking approach to Beijing's creative community. As a designer and chemist, Mario's talks have been praised as eye-openers for everyone involved in the creation, distribution and development of products and services.

At eight, Mario could list all 64 Crayola colors by heart, and today he knows all of them by Pantone swatch number and can tell you the the eco-impact of each of their inks. He is also the co-founder of & director of research at China's GIGAbase Foundation, a non-profit research foundation that sets green design solutions standards for use by brands, manufacturers and designers. Mario was also recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Innovation Pioneers of China by CBNweekly, one of China's leading business publications.

Project Manager: Nie Xiaojin