About
Bob Adams consults and lectures internationally on the topics of sustainability, innovation and transformation. From 2003-2008 he developed and led the Design for Sustainability initiative at IDEO, from which have emerged IDEO’s current focus areas in Social Innovation, Energy, and Environmental Impact. Trained in mechanical engineering, product design, and agronomy, Bob has been working on the integration of the design process with principles of sustainable development since 2000 when he joined The Natural Step and authored the formative white paper Sustainability for Designers. Bob has worked in the field of design for 25 years, with corporate experience including Hewlett Packard, Interval Research Corporation, and J.N, Marshall Pvt. Ltd. (Pune, India). As a consultant he has advised such companies as Procter and Gamble, Cargill, Adobe Systems, Nissan, ConAgra, Natureworks, and Verdant Power on questions of the incorporation of sustainability into products, services, and business models. He has worked in the not-for-profit sector with such organizations as The Natural Step, Meridian Institute, Forum for the Future, Business for Social Responsibility, and Rocky Mountain Institute.
Bob holds six patents in human-computer interface design, and has been the recipient of several international design awards. Since 1994, Bob has owned and operated a farm in the Sacramento Valley of California. His long-standing interest in sustainable agricultural practices led him to his current work in the field of sustainability. He is convinced that the potential for “redesigning design” is tremendous, and lies in a new integration of systems thinking, understanding of the life sciences, principles of sustainability, and the design process.
Watch Bob speak at the CCA for the Design Green Now series lecture (2009)
Watch Bob speak at the Meyer May Symposium at Steelcase in Grand Rapids (2009)