Break Some Dishes

Armed with a home-made suction device, David Rivers clears about 250 garbage bags worth of trash from the bayou and its tributaries each week. If you think one person can't make a difference, think again—you'll be as smitten with David as we are! Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte. Break Some Dishes is presented by

Cara Buckley and her team at the New York Times have decided to focus on the optimistic side of climate change. They’ve found people acting out on their own to create individual, yet replicable acts that have saved their own unique communities and ecosystems. Verda and Jon have been inspired by this message, and in this episode get the opportunity to talk with Cara about this wor

Karry King and Martin Schneider found themselves compelled to help their town of La Salle, Illinois after a toxic disaster and chemical fire at the Carus Chemical Plant. Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte. Break Some Dishes is presented by Davies Office.

In this new episode, co-host Verda Alexander sits down with special guest Lisa Tucker, Head of the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management at Virginia Tech. Lisa shares her journey from a background in historic preservation to integrating sustainability into interior design education. She discusses her research on the impact of biophilic design in educational spaces

In this episode of Break Some Dishes, Jon Strassner sits down for a one-on-one conversation with Linda Sorrento from mindful MATERIALS. They share their history of collaboration and how Linda inspired Jon to pursue a career in sustainability. Linda talks about her family's legacy of purpose and her journey into the design field with a focus on research and sustainability. The episo

In this episode of Break Some Dishes, co-host Verda Alexander sits down for a conversation with Jenn Chen, Principal Interior Designer at LMN Architects. They first discuss Jenn's groundbreaking research that has revealed the cyclical nature of interior renovations as it significantly contributes to carbon emissions, rivaling the impact of building structures themselves. Their conv

Join host Jon Strassner as he engages in a conversation with Ken Wilson, Design Principal at Perkins&Will in Washington D.C. With over two decades of friendship, Jon and Ken delve into Ken's career journey, the evolution of sustainable design, and the critical role of sustainability in shaping the future of the industry. Ken discusses founding his own design firm that embraced sust

Earth Day: Activate Accordingly Join Jon and Verda during this special episode for Earth Day 2023 discussing activism! They look at the history of activism and its importance in creating social change, emphasizing design and activating locally. They also examine influencing large corporations and the government, encouraging people to take action by joining a passionate group, downl

We are breaking some dishes a little differently with this new roundtable episode discussing climate, health, and equity! Our panel of roundtable guests talks with Jon Strassner and Verda Alexander about the importance of creating equitable and sustainable designs that are healthy and accessible to everyone. The group emphasizes the need for further education and understanding of g

According to Natalie Nixon, more organizations need to have improvisational ways of working. Natalie says, “The future of work is Jazz.” Jazz is a model for new ways to work and optimize creativity. Described as a one-of-a-kind creativity expert, Natalie is the Creative Strategist and CEO at strategy firm, Figure 8 Thinking. In this episode, Natalie talks with Jon and Verda abo