Alex Steffen

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Alex Steffen
Alex Steffen in 2008.jpg
Born 1968
Oakland, California
Occupation Writer, blogger, editor, public speaker, sustainability advocate

Alex Steffen (* 1968) is an American writer, editor, public speaker and futurist.[1]

Contents

Biography [edit]

Alex Steffen attended Oberlin College before earning his B.A. from Allegheny College in 1990 and pursued graduate studies at University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies.

In the 1990s, he was president of Allied Arts, started Steelhead magazine, and founded the Fuse Foundation.[2][3][4]

Steffen guest-edited the final, unreleased issue of the Whole Earth Review.[citation needed]

In 2012, he released Carbon Zero: Imagining Cities That Can Save the Planet.[5]


Worldchanging [edit]

Main article: Worldchanging

Worldchanging.com was a non-profit sustainability and social innovation website.

The site won or was nominated for a number of awards and prizes, including:

  • 2005, won the Utne Independent Press Award.
  • 2006, finalist for a Webby for Best Blog.
  • 2007, finalist for a Webby for Best Magazine, as well as for Bloggie awards for Best Group Weblog and Best Writing for a Weblog; won the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature for its book; won Organic Design Award. Prix Ars Electronica nominee.
  • 2008, named a Webby Official Honoree.

On November 29, 2010, Worldchanging announced on its blog that it would be closing its doors due to a lack of funding.[6]

Book [edit]

Main article: Worldchanging (book)

In November 2006, Steffen published a survey of global innovation, Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st century (ISBN 978-0810930957) with a foreword by Al Gore, design by Stefan Sagmeister and an introduction by Bruce Sterling.

Public speaking [edit]

Steffen has spoken at TED,[7] Poptech, Design Indaba, Amsterdam's PicNic, The Royal Geographical Society[8] and New Delhi's Doors of Perception.[9] As well as keynote addresses at industry events like the AIGA[10] and IDSA[11] national conferences, O'Reilly's Emerging Technologies (eTech),[12] FOO Camp and the Business Expo Bright Green held during the Copenhagen Climate Summit.[13] Steffen has keynoted three different South by Southwest conferences (SxSW).[14][15] Steffen has also spoken at universities including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Stanford and the London School of Economics.[16][17]

He is represented by the Lavin Agency.[18]

Media Coverage [edit]

In a cover story, WIE Magazine called Steffen "a pioneering thinker on global sustainability."[19] Rotman magazine (the alumni magazine of Rotman School of Management) described him as "an award-winning writer... engaged in innovative, future-forward sustainability work",[20] while local newspaper Seattle Weekly called him one "of the world's leading green futurists".[citation needed]

He was chosen by The New York Times Magazine as one of six leading innovators in its "Ecotecture" issue.[21]

In 2009, he was named one of the GOOD 100.[22]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Rachlin, Natalia (2009-12-08). "Trade Fair Offers Ideas to Combat Climate Change". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  2. ^ "Seattle Reboots Its Future". Fast Company. April 30, 2001. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  3. ^ "In Arts News – Seattle Visual Art". The Stranger. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Fuse causes fusion". The Seattle Times. October 5, 2000. 
  5. ^ http://grist.org/cities/how-cities-can-lead-the-climate-fight-introducing-alex-steffens-climate-zero/
  6. ^ "Bright Green: Thank You for Seven Years of". Worldchanging. February 22, 1999. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future | Video on". Ted.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  8. ^ Purt, Jenny (October 13, 2011). "MIC: Guardian Sustainable Business". The Guardian (London). 
  9. ^ "Bright Green: Notes from the Road: Design Indaba and Doors of Perception". Worldchanging. March 19, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  10. ^ "AIGA Design Conference 2007". Designconference2007.aiga.org. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  11. ^ "designBytes: 10.30.06 | Industrial Designers Society of America". IDSA. Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
  12. ^ "ETech 2009: Sustaining the American Family â€" O'Reilly Conferences". En.oreilly.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Technologies for Sustainable Growth – Bright GreenProduktside – DI – Organisation for erhvervslivet". Brightgreen.dk. April 28, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  14. ^ "Alex Steffen and Bruce Sterling | South by Southwest Interactive 2005". Itc.conversationsnetwork.org. March 15, 2005. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  15. ^ "Alex Steffen". Sxsw Eco. Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
  16. ^ "OOS News | Sustainability Leaders Blog". Yalesustainabilityleaders.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  17. ^ "The Hidden Future of Cities - Video and audio - News and media - Home". .lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
  18. ^ Concrete / Visia. "Alex Steffen Speaker Profile at The Lavin Agency". Thelavinagency.com. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  19. ^ "A Brighter Shade of Green: Rebooting Environmentalism for the 21st century, by Ross Robertson". Wie.org. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  20. ^ Rotman magazine, Spring, 2008 issue, page 79
  21. ^ http://www.thelavinagency.com/articles_covers/Steffen/steffen-nytimes.pdf
  22. ^ October 20, 2009 • 9:00 am PDT (October 20, 2009). "The GOOD 100: Alex Steffen and Worldchanging – Environment – GOOD". Good.is. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 

External links [edit]

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