Leading designers to converse on a world without oil

An inaugural symposium scheduled for Jan. 21 in Toronto will convene leading designers from around the world to imagine and discuss a world without oil.

As a company with a plan to get off oil by 2020, InterfaceFLOR, the world’s largest producer of carpet tile, is co-presenting the symposium.

“Presenting the World Without Oil symposium is an opportunity to support the design community, stir thought leadership and action around systems change toward a more just, closed loop economy,” says Nadine Gudz, manager, sustainable strategy, for InterfaceFLOR Canada Inc.

An interdisciplinary and international panel of speakers will share their practical experiences in sustainable design as well as their dreams of a society that is no longer dependent on oil.

Director for the symposium Rachel Gotlieb says she anticipates a “dynamic and controversial conversation.”

Some of the invited presenters work in oil, so the dialogue will likely include a focus on whether the world is “really experiencing peak oil” and “is oil something that we really need to address in our practice?” says Gotlieb.

Visionary and designer Bruce Mau will discuss developments in urban planning, social philanthropy, material science, radical economics, architecture and social networking to demonstrate that “change in energy is within reach,” according to symposium literature.

Dayna Baumeister, co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild, the world’s only biomimicry consultancy, will present on what’s new in the field, and engage the audience in a discussion of what’s possible “when we invite nature to the design table.”

Other speakers include Mirko Zardini, director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, who will open the symposium by looking at the lessons learned from the 1973 oil crisis, and Thomas Auer, managing director of Transsolar, a climate engineering firm, who will discuss how the company designs buildings with low-energy use.

Gudz says she hopes to see new ideas and collaborations emerge from the symposium that lead to ongoing dialogue and action around the oil issue.

“I am excited about the event's living legacy through the future actions (it) inspire(s),” she says.

The symposium is a component of the Interior Design Show/IDS 10, Canada’s largest contemporary design event, which draws more than 500,000 design professionals, consumers and media. Scheduled for Jan.21-24, the show takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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InterfaceFLOR plans to eliminate its dependency on oil and other virgin raw materials by redesigning its products, processes and purpose.

The focus on reducing oil use makes operations more efficient, inspires innovation and helps the company become less vulnerable to the volatile price of oil, Gudz tells Axiom News.

To learn more about the company’s plan to get off oil read the InterfaceFLOR blog.

Check back in January for stories from the World Without Oil symposium.

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