Bob Adams
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.
Videos
Sustainability at IDEO: A First Look Through the Lens
CCA for the Design Green Now series lecture, 2009
Meyer May Symposium at Steelcase in Grand Rapids, 2009
Topics Bob speaks on:
- Design for Environmental Impact
Speaking engagements:
2009, CCA for the Design Green Now series lecture. Watch the video here.
2009, Meyer May Symposium at Steelcase with Susan Szenasy, Grand Rapids, panelist. Watch the video here.
August 2006, “Sustainability: A Lens for Design,” Palo Alto Art Center
May 2006, Keynote, Bay Area Economic Summit
March 2006, AIGA NY, Grow: Design for Sustainability
September 2005, Green by Design 2
October 2004, Keynote, Sustainable World National Conference
January 2004, Compostmodern Conference
Published works:
“Sustainability: A Lens for Design,” IDEO (2004)