My name is Amanda George. I am an industrial designer working in the commercial furniture industry, working to bring meaningful solutions to the office. I am originally from a small farming community in southern Minnesota. I was raised with a strong work ethic and a love of the outdoors. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stout in Industrial Design in 2017.
 

     I believe that designers are responsible for understanding their work's effects on the planet, which led me to Minneapolis College of Art and Design for my Master of Arts in Sustainable Design (projected graduation 2023).
 

     I enjoy spending time outdoors on my paddleboard, reading fantasy novels, and trying new recipes with my husband and cat.  

​

sustainability

​

     I have always taken sustainability seriously in my personal life; I buy secondhand clothes, follow a vegetarian diet, and bring my reusable bags to the store. The more I learned about climate change and its causes, I realized that these individual habits may not be enough. I started paying closer attention to the waste I was creating at work and the impacts of manufacturing. We pushed for lower prices on imported Asian products even though we knew they would be made in questionable conditions. In a society driven by exponential growth, there didn't seem to be anyone considering the consequences of our ever-expanding industry. Despite my years of personal research, I did not have the knowledge necessary to create change at a corporate level.  

     With the knowledge gained during my graduate program, I want to enact change at my current employer. We need to develop systemic changes to combat the effects of expanding industry on the environment. I also want to continue working within my community, developing relationships with neighbors and the land we share. The more I learn about sustainability, the more I see the need for human-centered solutions. I hope to continue to find ways to contribute to the betterment and success of us all.