The Future of Waste: Speculative Approaches to Technotrash

Can we adapt to a zero-waste future? The technology industry relies on a business model of constant innovation and planned obsolescence, a model that depends upon both a global supply chain of parts and scarce materials and a global infrastructure of waste management, which moves toxic high tech trash to areas where it can be isolated, treated, and downcycled. Both of these systems are ecologically devastating and unsustainable. Additionally, these systems are _precarious_, dependent on geopolitics, legal frameworks, and a variety of complicated logistics infrastructures. In this workshop, we will look at several contemporary technologies and work collaboratively to reimagine their design for a future in which these global systems can no longer be relied upon. Participants will work in small teams to develop their speculative designs, with each team given the opportunity to showcase their new products to the group.