exhibition opportunity

There is an oportunity listed at the moment on the Axis website that may of interest.
See Deliciously Disposable Earth at http://www.axisweb.org/opOPPO.aspx?ENQID=26742, the deadlin eis 15 November 2007.

[re]design CONTAINS Exhibition...go see!!

Hey, i got this wonderful email through the other day from a fabulous social enterprise called [re]design. I first heard of them about a year back but never got round to contacting them. Then, when i was down in London for the last ACJ meeting a spoke to couple of guys who were representing them at 100% Design in Earls Court. They really are my kind of people. When i got home i emailed them and now regularly recieve there e-letters.

i'm going to check it out tomorrow and i'll update you when i get back tomorrow night. so excited about it.

Details below:

Ever thought about the ‘ingredients’ that go into making the stuff you invite into your home?

CONTAINS explores the stories behind the products we use every day – how they’re made, the materials used,
the energy consumed, the miles travelled – in an innovative, inspiring and accessible exhibition that shows
how design can make a difference.

Finding products that are better for you, for others and for the environment can be tricky.
[re]design’s six ‘er’ words are a handy guide to the ways a product can be better… for everybody.

Cleaner...? Products that avoid polluting our air and water.
Closer...? Products that are made locally or made to be loved.
Greener...? Products that use natural, biodegradable materials from well-managed sources.
Lighter...? Products that are more efficient.
Longer...? Products that are built to last.
Recycler...? Products that use materials that are reclaimed or easy to recycle.

CONTAINS houses 100 thought-provoking, sustainable designs from cutting-edge UK designers.
You can find the exhibition in shipping containers at Newcastle’s Monument – you can’t miss it!

CONTAINS
Monument, Grainger Street, Newcastle NE1 5AF
19-28 October 2007

Visit WWW.REDESIGNDESIGN.ORG for more...

environmental workshops listing

Free Environmental Workshops - Winter 2007/08

Hi, We have just launched our new programme of Free Environmental Workshops for Winter 2007/08, all of which are noted below. These workshops are open to anyone who would like to learn more about their environment and develop new skills. Our courses cover a wide range of topics, all led by experts in their fields.

To findout more or to book a place, please contact Ruth Wyatt on:·
Tel - 0131 654 1933· Email - ruth@elgt.org.uk· Web – http://www.elgt.org.uk/

Drystane Walling - Sat 24 & Sun 25 November 2007
Location to be confirmed, Edinburgh (9am-4.30pm)
Explore the ancient Scottish skill of drystane walling. This 2 day introductory course provides the opportunity to work as part of a team within a community woodland setting, building an authentic drystane wall using traditional techniques.

Rag Rugging – Sat 1 December 2007
Redhall Walled Garden, Edinburgh (10am-4pm)
The original recycling craft. Create stunning rugs and hangings from scrap material using simple, traditional techniques.

Parent & Child Bird watching – Sat 1 Dec 2007 (child must be aged 9 or over)
Pentlands Regional Park, Flotterstone (10.30am-2pm)
A fun informative day for parents & children. Learn all about the identification and conservation of woodland and moorland birds, in and around Midlothian.

Natural Decorations for Christmas – Sat 8 December 2007
Redhall Walled Garden, Edinburgh (10am-3pm)
Get ready for the festive season the natural way! This fun and creative workshop will give you the chance to bring a touch of Christmas cheer to your home, making decorations from a variety of natural materials.

Pond Creation & Maintenance – Sat 23 February 2008
Redhall Walled Garden, Edinburgh
Creating a pond is one of the best ways to invite wildlife into your garden. This practical workshop will help you create and maintain your pond, covering the main concepts for design, siting, construction methods, planting, maintenance and management of wildlife ponds.


EARLY BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL
PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO NEW PARTICIPANTS

With kind regards,Ruth Wyatt

Ruth Wyatt Administration Officer Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust Laundry House Dalkeith Country Park Dalkeith EH22 2NA Tel: 0131 654 1933 Fax: 0131 654 2229 Email: ruth@elgt.org.uk www.elgt.org.uk

Excess materials for creative industries

I have just returned from a great day of talks on materials and design processes at London Metropolitan University, where Clare Qualmann introduced the Materials and Products Library, which includes information and samples of sustainably produced and recyclyed materials. Anyone can make use of this valuable resource by joining Metropolitan Works, located at 41 Commercial Road, London.

In my own work I use offcuts of formica, but have been finding it hard to source this stuff. It seems to have been superceded by other materials in kitchen design, and so it just doesn't appear in skips anymore. The sheets I do have, have been begged from product and furniture design departments in local colleges, but obviously this can't be repeated.

Clare suggested searching using the term 'excess materials', and also mentioned two initiatives that might be able to help with this kind of approach: WRAP is the Waste Resource Action Programme at http://www.wrap.org.uk/, and UK First is starting an initiative to help the furniture industry manage waste reduction: see http://www.ukfirst.org.uk/index2.htm.


Further, Helen O'Neill of the PMC Studio gave a talk and deomnstration, and cited Mitsubishi, the manufacturer of PMC, as being pro-active in using organic compounds in this product - that is, the micron scale particles of metal are suspended in a water and cellulose solution.

Do you know where your materials originate?

hi everyone,

Welcome to the first question on the ethics committee blog!

Does anyone have any experience of attempting to discover where their raw materials have come from?

How helpful are your suppliers with this information? Have you ever asked them specifically about their ethical policies?

Please share!