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Clever podcast's newsletter · Oct 7, 2025

Clever Ep. 228: Lo-TEK’s Julia Watson on Applying Indigenous Knowledge to Climate-Adaptive Design

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Amy Devers · Clever podcast's newsletter

Julia Watson, a landscape architect, author, and educator, developed a passion for global cultures and knowledge as a child in Australia, inspired by her parents’ National Geographic collection. She has since dedicated her career to exploring traditional knowledge systems and their application to contemporary design challenges like extreme weather, waste management, and population growth.

At the heart of Watson’s work is a profound respect for indigenous knowledge systems and a commitment to applying Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to climate-adaptive design. Through her work with Lo-TEK, including the recently launched Lo-TEK Office for Intercultural Urbanism, and her books, Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism and the upcoming Lo-TEK Water (November 30 release), she strives to facilitate the equitable exchange and implementation of indigenous knowledge and technology to the crucial and complex challenges of our evolving world.

Listen now on cleverpodcast.com

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Head to cleverpodcast.com for a transcript (with links!) of this episode, images, resources, and over 200+ more episodes! 

Julia walking Machu Picchu

What’s the best advice that you’ve ever gotten?

All the answers you’re looking for or wondering about are already inside, you just need to find them.

What’s your current favorite tool or material to work with?

Soil

Living Bridge, Photo by Pete Oxford

What book is on your nightstand?

Mannahatta
In the Three Sisters Garden

Hemis/Alamy Stock Photo

Favorite restaurant in your city?

The Department of Culture

Hemis/Alamy Stock Photo

Who do you look up to and why?

Arundjati Roy

Cover of Julia’s newest book, LO-TEK Water, check it out here!

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Another blast from the past last week! We featured the brilliant graphic designer Aaron Draplin.

Graphic designer Aaron Draplin was born in Michigan and raised on LEGO bricks, pizza nights, punk rock & snowboarding. He spent early adulthood rolling with the “crusty undercurrent of f*ckheads” that lives to snowboard before he ventured to Minneapolis to study design amongst the ghosts of his musical heroes. He’s seen some high-falutin’ stuff at the museum, but the steelyard is where it’s at. He’s all about working hard, making a sh*t whack of money, taking care of his people, and having some fun along the way.

If you missed this episode the first time, listen now on your favorite podcast app.

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Read the original on amydevers.substack.com

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