Category: Sharing learnings

1. What is EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY?

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 9th Aug 2021

   

    

   Each year a date is calculated per country and combined to give us a combined Earth Overshoot Day.  This year is was 29th July.  It means it's the point where our use resources and services exceeds what the Earth can provide - so the tipping point where we start to use the resources in defict.   The impact of the pandemic had a smaller impact than hoped.  

   
   The concerning news is that the UK's Overshoot Day is even earlier in the year at 19th May. 

    

   

    

   This graphic from http://www.overshootday.org/ shows the calulations over my lifetime for Earth Overshoot Day.

   In 1970 we very nearly got to the end of the year, falling short by one day. What are we doing?!  We really need to #movethedate

    

   
   What can you do?

   Much is not under our control - but more than you think is.
   Find out your personal footprint using this calculator.  It's very quick to do - all you have to answer are 15 questions.

   
   We are not looking for perfect.
   Small changes make a difference.

    

   Once we have this information, we can see where the most impact is - and then make changes.

   The only way to improve our date is to be informed, measure our footprint and do something - however small it might feel.

    

2. I have a huge interest in MATERIALS. So much in fact it influenced how I named my company.

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 30th Jun 2021

   I have a huge interest in MATERIALS.    So much in fact it influenced how I named my company.

   I studied Furniture & Product Design in the late 80s / early 90s - that was A LOT about materials (and processes). One of my degree projects was a piece of furniture made from a board material called TECTAN which is recycled post consumer Tetra Pak. It was not only about beauty for me even then. The materials needed to be conscious.

   At The Body Shop HQ I was part of the monitoring of materials used in their store design to marry up with their strong ethics and values
   -  avoid PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
   -   avoid formaldehyde
   -   use FSC sustainable timber (Forest Stewardship Council)
   -   avoid animal products and animal tested paint, minimal VOC content
   -  reclaimed, reused and recycled materials
   -  use of Community Trade materials

    

   We all should have a huge interest in materials and increase our awareness. What we use in our spaces is so important to occupant health (that's human AND animal), those in the extraction and production process, those who install them, the lifecycle - use and end of life - leaching and contamination.

   

   Powerful quote is from - Alison Mears - Director, Healthy Materials Lab, at Parsons - The New School

    

   I've still got so much learning to do.   And as I said in my last Journal post - that's not going to stop!

   I've just completed the four courses that make up the HEALTHY MATERIALS AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING curriculum at Parson's The New School which I've been studying since January. The people behind their EXCELLENT Materials Lab have created this excellent and broad-ranging course for those involved in the Built Environment. It identifies Chemicals and Materials of concern, how to avoid them in clients projects, what tools can be used - certifications and labels, what frameworks exist and the difference between them, how project teams can collaborate and execute healthier projects, how they are maintained and monitored to continue to be healthier and better spaces for our clients.

    

   My specifications will be improved after this!

    

   I really recommend it to my industry colleagues.

   HealthierMaterials1-4.X1.Sp21.Online
   https://healthymaterialslab.org/learning-hub

    

3. MY (RE)TURNING POINT

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 5th May 2021

   

    

   I've been fortunate to help local company Kings Colleges with the design of their college buildings for many years. It's such a lovely team of passionate and creative people there. I've worked on most of their UK buildings and helped to create a template to apply to their buildings globally.  A few years ago we completed Kings Brighton.  It's a building that's near to where I live and next to the Level - so lots of green space nearby for students and staff to enjoy.

   This building achieved the BREEAM sustainable building rating of EXCELLENT. So this included specifications that were lower impact, there's a living roof, living wall, cycle parking.

    

   I know about sustainability and GUESS WHAT.....I would have loved to have done SO MUCH MORE.

    

   This project very much spurred me on to work harder to provide sustainable specifications for my clients - drawing on all that I learnt during my excellent education in working in sustainability for The Body Shop's HQ early in my career. Although I thought I was working with vegan and sustainable specifications - found I had drifted into the mainstream of unconsciously sourced and specified materials and WASTE! This project completely woke me up to that and what more I could do in my role of designer.

    

    

   

    

   SO WHAT DID I DO?

   I took time out to study more to bump up my knowledge.

   I completed courses on vegan design, human centred design and sustainability. I'm currently nearly at the end of another course on using healthier materials.

    

   Clients want to make BETTER choices and want to be guided on lower impact specifications. They just don't know what to look out for or even what all the issues are. I feel it's my duty as a designer to guide them.

    

   So my learning is not going to stop and I'm working hard to influence fellow designers via INTERIOR DESIGN DECLARES and the BRITISH INSTITUTE OF INTERIOR DESIGN as well.

    

    

   Here's a short video about Kings Brighton - complete with a look around the building.

   If you'd like to read more - and tour the building in more detail - have a look here... https://www.materialiseinteriors.com/kings-brighton.html