By Stephanie Casimiro
If you’ve ever felt guilty tossing out a chair that just couldn’t be salvaged or watching yet another dumpster fill up during a renovation, Kathryn Soter is here to tell you it doesn’t have to be this way. After decades of high-power work at media giants like Gannett and Condé Nast, Kathryn traded the glamour of glossy pages for something far messier, and far more urgent: reducing the design and construction industry’s environmental impact through her nonprofit, the Good Future Design Alliance (GFDA).
From moderating panels to developing pilot programs for sustainable interior design, Kathryn is building a movement that’s quietly revolutionizing how we design, build and think about waste. In this conversation, she reflects on the media industry’s collapse, the myths holding sustainability back, and why she believes design can be a tool for hope.
For me, it’s really two sides of the same coin. You can’t push for meaningful, lasting advocacy unless you can prove that the concepts work on the ground. And you can’t scale practical solutions unless you’re also shifting the culture and the policy landscape that supports them. At the GFDA, we let real-world challenges drive our priorities. We stay grounded by listening to our members and using what we learn to shape both our educational resources and our advocacy efforts.
Stephanie: You spent years working with major media institutions. What was the moment that pushed you to leave that world and dive headfirst into the environmental and design-build space?
Kathryn: Honestly? The media world left me. I started in advertising and eventually spent 23 years at Condé Nast during what I like to call the “glory days.” But traditional media took a nosedive when digital came along. I saw that change up close, as Google and Facebook were eating up 85% of the ad budgets. The work became transactional, and I missed the relationships. So, I pivoted toward something that had always been a passion, interior design. I went back to school when my kids were little, and eventually I realized I could combine my skills in storytelling and coalition-building with sustainability. That’s how I found my way to the GFDA.
Stephanie: So now you’re back to relationship-building, just in a different arena.
Kathryn: Exactly, but the relationships look very different now. At the GFDA, it’s all about coalition-building. Bringing together designers, builders, manufacturers, waste management professionals, and even clients, around one shared, urgent goal. Creating a healthier planet. These partnerships are rooted in purpose. We may come from different corners of the industry, but we’re all motivated by the same thing, wanting to leave behind something better.
What’s surprising to many is how much of the environmental conversation leaves out residential and small-scale hospitality design. Most of the sustainability focus, especially when it comes to policy and advocacy, has centered on large commercial and institutional projects. Think airports, universities and high-rises. But the numbers tell a different story. In the U.S., over a million homes are built every year. Residential buildings account for 67% of all building square footage. And boutique hospitality? It’s on track to triple in the next three years, with 50,000 new restaurants opening annually.
This smaller-scale side of the industry might not get as much attention, but it represents over half the design billings each year, and a huge share of the environmental impact. It’s also highly fragmented and harder to reach, which makes it a challenge, but one I’m completely drawn to. This is where we can make an enormous difference, by educating, equipping and inspiring professionals who often don’t see themselves in the mainstream sustainability movement. We’re showing them that they’re not just part of the problem, they can actually be the heart of the solution.
Stephanie: I write about sustainability, but I’ll admit this wasn’t even on my radar until this interview. What made you realize the scale of the problem?
Kathryn: It was the data, and how unrelatable it felt. Then I found one stat that stopped people in their tracks. 12.2 million tons of furniture are tossed out in the U.S. every year, most of it less than 15 years old. When we translated that into real terms, enough to furnish one-bedroom apartments for 8.8 million people fully, it suddenly clicked for people. That’s the power of storytelling. You have to hit them in the gut before you can offer hope.
Stephanie: And you’re careful about that balance, between doom and hope.
Kathryn: Absolutely. We aim for 20% doom and gloom, and 80% solutions in our communications. People are overwhelmed. But when they hear about chemicals in their water, the furniture off-gassing toxins, they start to care. From there, we show them a better path forward.
Stephanie: You mentioned that communication, or the lack of it, is a huge barrier.
Kathryn: It’s maddening. There’s still a belief that sustainable equals more expensive, harder and less beautiful. Many designers who try leading with the green message find that it turns some clients off. So, others practice sustainability quietly without making a big deal about it. But that’s really the end goal, make it so embedded in how we work that it’s just normal.
Stephanie: I’ve started to notice more furniture companies advertising recycled materials in their products. Is that a meaningful part of the solution?
Kathryn: It’s definitely a step in the right direction, and we need more of it. But we can’t recycle our way out of this problem because it doesn’t get to the root of the issue. We have to shift the entire model. Right now, the industry still largely operates on a “take-make-waste” linear system. What we need is a circular model, one that keeps materials in use as long as possible, at their highest possible value.
That starts with designing for disassembly from day one. That means creating buildings so that its components can be taken apart, recovered and reused later. That can mean more standardized dimensions in products or using mechanical fasteners and less glue and composites that can’t be recycled. And it’s working with deconstruction crews instead of demolition teams to return usable materials to the supply chain. Every stage of a project can support circularity.
On the manufacturing side, I always point to one of our members, Fyrn, a San Francisco-based furniture company that’s embraced this philosophy from the ground up. They use lean manufacturing, so they build to order instead of stockpiling. Their patented, glue-free joinery means their products can be disassembled and easily repaired or refurbished for reuse, unlike most glued-together furniture. They ship flat pack, six chairs in the space most companies ship one, and they use compostable packaging. Even better, they offer an in-home trial, a 10-year warranty that includes labor, and a buyback/resale program. If you’re done with the furniture, they’ll either resell it, refurbish it, or reuse the parts.
That’s what circularity looks like in practice. It’s not just about using “green” materials, it’s about rethinking the entire life cycle of a product. And it proves that this isn’t some far off ideal. It’s already happening. We just need more of the industry, and more consumers, to support these companies so this becomes the norm, not the niche.
Stephanie: If you had to pick one myth to kill first, that sustainability is more expensive, or that it limits creativity, what would it be?
Kathryn: The creativity one. I think we’re finally closing the gap on cost perception. But the belief that sustainability stifles creativity? That one is flat wrong. Designing with constraints forces innovation. Some of the most stunning work I’ve seen uses natural, reclaimed materials, and you’d never know it was “green.”
Stephanie: You’re running a mission-based nonprofit that also has to deliver tangible, practical results. How do you balance big-picture advocacy with the day-to-day technical support that GFDA provides?
Kathryn: For me, it’s really two sides of the same coin. You can’t push for meaningful, lasting advocacy unless you can prove that the concepts work on the ground. And you can’t scale practical solutions unless you’re also shifting the culture and the policy landscape that supports them. At the GFDA, we let real-world challenges drive our priorities. We stay grounded by listening to our members and using what we learn to shape both our educational resources and our advocacy efforts.
Every initiative we launch has to come with a “how-to” component. I hear it constantly, people love the mission, but they want to know where to start. What should I buy? Who should I work with? How do I do this on my next project? We build feedback loops between our technical support sessions and the content we produce, so the guidance we offer stays relevant and actionable. It’s not always easy to get feedback, but when we do, we hold on tight to it because it’s invaluable.
Structurally, we’ve built a team that reflects that dual focus. Some of us are deep in the weeds, doing material specs, waste audits, the technical nuts and bolts. Others are translating that work into frameworks, curriculum and partnerships. What makes the GFDA unique, aside from our focus on the often-overlooked residential and boutique hospitality sector, is the way we foster cross-pollination between those roles. We regularly bring builders, designers, manufacturers and waste professionals into the same room, or onto the same panel, and the conversations that happen there are magic. Hearing from every side of a project team exposes gaps, sparks ideas, and drives solutions forward.
One of the biggest things we stress is getting your full team on the same page from the very beginning. Too often, it’s the same old story. The architect draws the plans, hands them to the engineers who change things, then the contractor changes another 20%, and finally the interior designer steps in only to find the budget’s been blown. Also, thirty percent of all construction is rework, and 35% of the industry’s waste is tied to decisions and errors made before construction even begins. That’s not just a sustainability problem; it’s a communication one.
Upfront collaboration doesn’t just cut waste; it saves money and unlocks creativity. I’ve seen incredible solutions come out of a contractor-designer brainstorm or a landscaper pointing something out an architect hadn’t considered. That’s why, when I put panels together, I’m intentional about mixing disciplines, even when it’s a challenge. Because those are the conversations that move the industry forward.
Stephanie: What gives you hope about the future of this movement?
Kathryn: The next generation. When I lecture at design schools, I see students light up. They care, they ask smart questions, they want to do things differently. Our job is to give them the tools and support, and to keep pushing their future employers and vendors to evolve. That’s where the GFDA comes in.
Stephanie: What’s next for the GFDA?
Kathryn: We’re working on a few exciting initiatives that aim to make sustainable design more approachable, especially for busy professionals who are already juggling a thousand things. Right now, we’re developing a flexible “good-better-best” framework designed to meet designers and builders where they are, rather than overwhelming them with rigid, zero-sum certifications. This isn’t about passing or failing. It’s about progress. We’re currently in a peer review phase with about 25 industry pros who are helping us shape it, and we’re aiming to pilot the framework next year. The goal is to reward real-world application, celebrate completed projects and share success stories, not pile on more pressure.
We’re also pilot testing something a bit more playful, the “30-Day, 30K Design Challenge.” It’s a contest for interior designers built around three core principles: low waste, low toxin, and low carbon. We teamed up with sustainable furniture designer Meno Home to create a detailed guidebook, complete with checklists, step-by-step instructions, and pro tips. The idea is simple. Create a thoughtful, sustainable space in 30 days of work time, with a $30,000 or less budget. The early participants, the interior designers, are loving the challenge so far. They’re giving us great feedback, and honestly, it’s been energizing.
What excites me most is that many of the practices we’re encouraging are things people are already doing, it’s just about shifting the focus earlier in the process. If we can roll this out nationally next year, and maybe even catch the attention of a TV network, it could spark a real cultural shift. And longer-term? I’d love to make a documentary on building a zero-waste home from scratch. It’s the kind of project that could bring this whole movement to life in a way people can see, feel and be inspired by.
Stephanie: Last question, why “Good Future”?
Kathryn: Because that’s what we’re working toward. It’s not about shame or sacrifice. It’s about building something better, together. And we do it not for ourselves, but because we’re borrowing this planet from our children. That’s what keeps me going.
Stephanie Casimiro is a Senior Editor and the Social Media Manager for Technology Designer Magazine. She is the Founder of Designer Marketing Solutions, a full-service social media and marketing agency.
