MCAD Sustainable Design Beach Retreat - Part 3

This is Part 3 of a 4-part series.

→ Read Part 1
→ Read Part 2

Author: Angelina Malizia '22 is a consultant, designer, and community builder based in Portland, Oregon. Her work centers on circular systems, material reuse, and the human connections that make sustainability tangible.

Listening to the Land - Part 3

The next day took on a quieter rhythm. We walked through Brian Booth State Park, where the forest invited us to slow down and notice the salamanders beneath the leaves, the mushrooms blooming on decaying logs, the hidden networks beneath our feet.

Back at the house, we ended the day sharing stories, playing games, and indulging in a spread of chanterelles tenderly rendered in butter. We played a collaborative storytelling game called The Deep Forest, about monsters reclaiming their home after colonization. It invited us to weave our own experiences into the story, a reminder that design, too, is a kind of collaborative storytelling. Even unfinished, the game left us thinking about communication beyond words, and how we might create in ways that repair rather than consume.

By Sunday morning, the rain had set in. We swept the floors, washed the dishes, and said our soft goodbyes. The farmhouse felt alive again, humming with new memories layered over old ones.

← Previous: Part 1
← Previous: Part 2