Design organizations and schools all over the world are increasingly pondering the proverbial question: Do designers have the ability to change the world? In the face of the current worldwide economic crisis, it may be hard to be optimistic. Yet given the right engine for change, the answer, according to Project M’s John Bielenberg, is a resounding YES—however, he would argue, it can only be done one community at a time. Through his intensive summer program, Bielenberg’s students use design, writing, photography and other strategic skills to address global issues at the local level. From the rural American South to urban Iceland, Project M applies design thinking to help provide safe drinking water (Buy a Meter, in Hale County, Alabama) or turn abandoned lots into parks (This Is Not Grass, in East Baltimore, Maryland). Recently, Bielenberg went to Reykjavík as the nation’s economy collapsed and led an M Blitz workshop, in which creative collaborators have just 48 hours to make a positive impact. As the recession continues here at home, we spoke to Bielenberg about his experience in Iceland and what Project M will do next to save the world.

One of the 48-hour M Blitz projects in response to the Icelandic financial collapse, Deilum involved posting items in bags for people to take as long as they returned it with something they no longer needed.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/m-stands-for-mobilize-an-interview-with-john-bielenberg