We are past the point where there is any serious debate about whether there is climate catastrophe. Workers in design and construction have a critical role to play in trying to mitigate the long-term effects and steer building, one of the main sources of the carbon footprint, to a more environmentally friendly and socially productive direction. But we also work within a capitalist structure. Design and construction for the most part are driven by profits, not social concerns, something seldom questioned by the design community and elected officials, even those on board with mitigating climate change.
What is the role of labor in this dire situation? What agency do we have as designers and builders, individually and collectively? How can we shift not only how we design and build, but what we design and build? And how do we bridge the divisions within the building industry, between design and construction, and also bridge the long-standing “blue/green divide” between environmental activists, and design and construction workers trying to make a living?
We need an open discussion on these questions. Please join us, for presenters from labor, construction, labor organizing, and design.
Open forum and discussion:
The Built Environment, Sustainability & Labor
Thursday, September 21, 2023,
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Live at The People’s Forum,
320 West 37th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues), New York City (A or C to 42nd St. or 34th St.)
