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I’m an educator, life-centered designer, author, papermaker, and podcaster whose work aims to tackle climate change and promote climate justice.

Design Research

Renourish

Fresh Press Paper

Climify Podcast

Renewable Electrification Administration

Renewable Electrification Administration

Civilian Climate Corps

Mutant Fish

The Firefly and Serenity Experimental Timeline

Flyspace

About

Eric Benson is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a 2023 GDUSA Person to Watch. His research on life-centered systems thinking is most notably seen at his internationally recognized and award-winning sustainable design website Re-nourish.org, the agri-fiber paper lab Fresh Press, and his climate action podcast, Climify.

Writing

Name	Title	Created	Featured	Excerpt
Should We Rebrand Climate Action?	Should We Rebrand Climate Action?	April 7, 2023	Featured	I have struggled over the years to figure out how to inspire climate action through design. Through this journey, I wondered often if an important way we could encourage more progress was to rethink and rebrand how we communicated climate action to the public.
Redefining Regenerative Design	Redefining Regenerative Design	December 28, 2022	Featured	What the Five Principles of Soil Health Can Teach Designers
Systems Thinking for the Graphic Designer 101	Systems Thinking for the Graphic Designer 101	December 7, 2019	Featured	The planet and humanity needs designers to change the way they make things.
Climate Activism for the Graphic Designer 101	Climate Activism for the Graphic Designer 101	September 23, 2019	Featured	Beyond your professional design life, there is a lot you can do in your public and personal life to improve the world.