Mitchell Joachim was featured in our May 2012 issue. Read the full story here.

Mitchell Joachim, photo by Dorothy Hong

Joachim's propensity for sharing statistics in a stream often verging on the grim is not without a touch of self-deprecation. After noting that "the amount of waste and trash generated in NYC in one hour could fill the Statue of Liberty," he added, "Unfortunately, I'm loaded with these."

In response to another audience member's question about fuel efficiency, Mitchell responded, "Zero efficiency is stupid…it's like No Impact Man. Or Switzerland. What's the point of being neutral? We need positive efficiency - giving back to the environment, not just zero or neutral, but adding something good."

On the Gulf Oil Spill: "…Satan was vomiting crude oil into the ocean," yet even that wasn't a big enough crisis to get the public's attention to inspire change. Answering one attendee, Joachim considered the notion that ultimately, it may take financial crisis to motivate change. "We'll need one that hits our pocketbooks." In response, Dameron asked: "Does technological innovation happen only under duress?" Joachim: "Not at all. One example is cell phones replacing land lines. Innovation happens when there's a need for a better product, one that works better, looks better and feels better."

On what it will take for cities to become sustainable and self-sufficient: "The Green Revolution happened. It's done. We won. We have the answers. Now we need to implement the technology that's been created," says Joachim. "Which brings us to the next, more important question: What will it take for society to take notice that we can't keep growing at the current rate without serious repercussions?"

Waste as Source: Mitchell's Rapid Re(f)use takes one week's worth of e-waste and creates sculptural creatures—in the vein of Pixar's Wall-E—and displays them in a public square in Germany. "It's the best way to get people talking and asking questions," says Joachim. "Is it art, or trash?"

Mitchell's Fab Tree Hab homes challenge the status quo of instant gratification. Although such organic structures may require years in creation, Joachim says: "Seriously, a good scotch takes 12 years. So we have to wait a while…what's the big deal?"

Taking place at Dwell on Design New York, the fifth installment of Design Like You Give a Damn: LIVE! will highlight how design can make a lasting impact on society—improving the health, environment, economy, and overall well-being of communities now and into the future. The event will include three full days of programming with lectures, panels, and a Design Open Mic. Pictured, Design Like You Give a Damn: LIVE! in 2011.

@colorhousepaint: Stickers and buttons with a heart. Our fave swag at Dwell on Design NY from @archforhumanity #DODNY

Mitchell Joachim sits in the Brooklyn studio of Terreform ONE.

"Urbaneering Brooklyn," one of the nonprofit's conceptual projects, imagines the New York borough 100 years in the future.

In 2003, Resolution: 4 Architecture was one of 16 firms who participated in the Dwell Home Design Invitational—a competition to design a modern prefab home for $200,000. Their winning design, constructed in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is a groundbreaking case study that combines prefabricated construction with contemporary, modern design.

"Architecture scene in #DTLA. #dod2014"

NArchitekTURA chose a monochromatic white interior for its "Apartment of the Future—R&D Laboratory" in Dobrodzień, Poland, taking a cue from the design of contemporary cellphones and other mobile devices.

A view of one of the bedrooms from a courtyard.

An overview of the Dwell Outdoor section, which encompasses over 25,000 square feet and more than 50 exhibitors.

Shades of Green Landscape Architecture designed this striking walkway using climbing vines and metal arches by Terra Trellis.

This fun, modular piece furniture by Drift Studio offers a playful storage solution for kids' rooms.

A highlight of the Outdoor section—always with a line out the door—are the three fully furnished prefab houses, by Livinghomes and Ecofabulous; Sustain Mini-Homes; and Connect Homes, pictured here.

"@dwell cupcakes from LA Tourism #dod2014"

Quench Design, an exhibition showcasing designers from Queensland, Australia, won Best in Show.

Hard Goods's modern Muskoka chair won first place in the very competitive Furniture category.

Best Outdoor Product went to the G Pod.

Via their American headquarters, Lyon-based Fermob will bring their modern take on bistro furniture to the Dwell on Design show floor. Photos by Stephane Rambaud.

For the Architecture Novice: Plow through these 18 tomes for the equivalent of a semester of architectural history and a really heavy coffee table.

The black facade of the Yatabes’ house may turn a darkly futuristic face to its suburban block, but behind it the house is full of light. In Saitama, a tightly packed neighborhood near Tokyo, the black metal screen affords the family privacy without sacrificing outdoor space.

The winners of the 2011 Swiss Design Prize were shown in the U.S. for the first time at Dwell on Design. A pair of knitted vessels by Senior Design Factory caught the eye of these passersby.

With 25 years in business this year, North Carolina–based designers Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams know how to maximize limited spaces, from teensy urban apartments to compact prefab homes. The duo, whose designs include the Frida dining chair (pictured), will stop by Dwell on Design to give a presentation on furnishing small spaces, hosted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

To most eyes, Ezequiel Farca’s 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City looked like a teardown. Even the lot itself—shallow and crammed against a steep hillside—wasn’t particularly alluring. But Farca saw through all the restraints to create a spa-like refuge in one of the world’s most energetic cities. "It’s is such a hectic place. You’re bombarded by so much information the moment you step into the streets," says Farca, who first gained prominence as a furniture and interior designer. "So we envisioned this house as a retreat, a kind of a temple." The rooftop courtyard is lined with a verdant mix of indigenous plants, including banana trees, palm trees, lion’s claw, Mexican breadfruit, and native vines. The chaise longues were designed for Farca’s EF Collection.

Gold and Williams, designers of the Savoy chandelier (pictured), have spent the last 25 years building their business out of an ability to see what needs to be changed—to bring comfort home, and to ensure that our planet continues to be a comfortable home.

On a 40-by-120-foot lot, architect Don Dimster designed and built a duplex for himself and his wife, Lisa, the design director at Aether Apparel, along with his filmmaker brother, Dennis, and his wife, Noreen Perez. The group often convenes on the shared rooftop deck, which features a fire pit, mobile shades, and assorted drought-tolerant grasses, and is accessed via a glass-enclosed suspended stair. Photo by Eric Staudenmaier.

In the outdoor dining room, wire chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll surround a mango wood table made by a local carpenter, Diego Madrazo.