Design & Nature Reimagined
I connect people to nature through art, information design, and storytelling. I write a weekly newsletter about nature, design, and hope.
Design & Nature Reimagined: Issue 52
ISSUE #52 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY This week I wanted to highlight nature and design writing from some publications I like and interesting tidbits that I found in my research this week! If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. design Grist, one of my favorite tech and climate newsletters reports that Barcelona has figured out how to harness and distribute the energy generated when a subway train comes to a stop, sending that energy out to EV chargers...
Design & Nature Reimagined: How color works
ISSUE #51 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY Sometimes when I'm finding things to write about, I stumble on something that I didn't know existed. Recently it was structural color. Structural color is created by the reflection and scattering of light. This is different than color created by pigments or dyes, where color is created by the pigment or dye absorbing all of the light except for a specific wavelength of light. The one color that's not absorbed is then the color that you see....
Design & Nature Reimagined: The Science of Autumn
ISSUE #50 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY In just a few more days fall will officially be here. I love fall, especially the transition into it, where we go from long, hot days to cozy, cool days with a golden light. In the fall the leaves here sometimes look like they're actually glowing. It's really magical! So, in anticipation of the Fall Equinox on Sunday the 22nd, I'm going to be talking about the science and wonder of autumn. If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe...
Design & Nature Reimagined: The power of stories
ISSUE #49 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY The journal Nature had an article this week that highlighted that changing people's minds about climate change works best with personal stories. When people hear stories about how climate or nature has impacted them, people listen and take it to heart. Telling stories was the basis for this newsletter. I wanted to find ways to connect people with nature and bring hope through small stories about our natural world. This is what our reality is...
Design & Nature Reimagined: A cheese on the verge of extinction
ISSUE #48 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY This week I spent some time camping in a van, my first time ever! We went to Forks (cue Twilight jokes), and spent some time in the Hoh Rainforest and La Push. I'll be posting some of the photos on my Instagram if you'd like to see what the Pacific Northwest has to offer nature-wise. (Spoiler alert: it's gorgeous) If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. design For years now I've followed the transformation of Paris from a...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Carbon Conscious Airports and Weak Jalapeños
ISSUE #47 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY This week I finally got back out in to the garden and went on my morning walks, getting as much from this summer as I possibly can. I went paddleboarding on Friday and saw a White-tailed Kite with its two babies, a Great Blue Heron, and two Turkey Vultures! Hope you had a lovely week, too. If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. design Very on topic for Portland this week is the redesign of our airport. People in Portland...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Gardens for living
ISSUE #46 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY August always feels like a liminal space. The days are still long but seem lazier. August is a time to lounge in the garden or your favorite park, soaking up the sun and resting. Today's newsletter is about gardens and wildlife; and being able to connect with nature through garden design. If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. design This rooftop garden at Basecamp Lyngby in Denmark is set on top of housing for students,...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Systems
ISSUE #45 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY This week we had two of the hottest days recorded in human history. We're seeing how our weather patterns changing and breaking down in ways that have been predicted for years but ignored until recently. So today, I want to take a look at systems, and how we are starting to better understand them. If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. design One of the things I find most fascinating about nature is its complex system. We...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Relationships
ISSUE #44 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY Last week I gave my first nature education class, where I taught people about native plants, their role in ecology, and human uses for these plants. It was a lovely walk through the park and we even got to see some plants beginning their fruit production!This week's newsletter is about relationships. Mainly relationships with fungi. You can learn more about what fungi is in Parts 1 and 2 of The Universe Beneath Our Feet. If this email was...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Mystery
ISSUE #43 DESIGN & NATURE REIMAGINED MARISA MORBY We're having a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest, so I've spent some time out on the river, happily gliding on my paddle board, excited to see what beautiful thing I'm going to discover around each curve and bend. So what's on my mind this week is mystery and magic. There are so many natural mysteries that we can't answer today and may never be able to answer. And from the right angle, mystery can bend and refract into a little bit of...
I connect people to nature through art, information design, and storytelling. I write a weekly newsletter about nature, design, and hope.