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Women Advancing

Designing A Good Future: Reimagining Sustainable Design, Waste, And Leadership With Kathryn Soter

April 21, 2026·42 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Are you overlooking the unseen systems that cost us the most? In the U.S., a staggering 12.2 million tons of furniture waste is discarded annually—enough to furnish 8.8 million one-bedroom apartments. This isn’t just a waste problem; it’s a crisis of sustainable design, mindset, and leadership.Today, we welcome Kathryn Soter, Executive Director of the Good Future Design Alliance, who has spent decades at the intersection of media, design, and sustainability. We dive into how to tackle overwhelming problems with “simple baby steps”, why the focus must shift to residential design (which accounts for two-thirds of US building square footage), and how connecting creativity, cost, and impact is the invisible work of modern leadership.Tune in to learn why the future depends on making the unseen impossible to ignore, and how you can embrace progress, not perfection, to build a truly good future.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Visit katherinebyrne.com

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