Category Archives: claire does politics

smarter driving

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Yesterday I had quite an odd experience – I had my first driving lesson for around 15 or so years – not because I had been caught speeding or anything nasty, but because I had enrolled on a one hour Smarter Driving course.

As a studio, we try and minimise our car journeys as much as possible but there are inevitable times when the car just has to be used. Therefore, for the journeys that we have to make by car, how could we ensure that we were driving as eco friendly and efficiently as possible? Enter the Smarter Driving course, run by the South East Business Carbon Hub.

After a check that my licence was clean, (it is) we sat in a brand new red Peugeot ready to go. I was instructed that I should first drive in my usual style, following the directions of the instructor who was sat in the passenger seat. It felt like a driving test – I tried to stop all those little habits which creep up over the years, like crossing my hands and accelerating into my corners…

Ten minutes of driving around central Hove and we were back at our starting point. I was told that I was driving at an efficiency of around 37 mpg – not too bad I thought. But, by following a few pointers, my instructor thought I could get this up to around 45 mpg.

So – what did I need to do to improve the efficiency of my driving?

  • move through the gears VERY QUICKLY – even to the point where the engine sounded a bit grumbly – keep the revs down and keep the fuel use down.
  • anticipate any gaps when approaching junctions so the transition between roads was smooth, avoiding stops if at all possible.
  • when approaching a junction, crossing or traffic lights, remove my foot from the accelerator and let the car naturally slow down earlier.
  • use my brakes as little as possible – smooth and steady!
Armed with these little tips we headed out again, along the same route. I was prompted to change gear for the first couple of minutes, then was allowed to put the items into action. It took a bit of getting used to, but I was soon whipping though the gears and driving smoother than usual.
Once back at the start point the magic counter was turned on again, which revealed that my average mpg had jumped from around 37mpg to around 49mpg! Quite a difference – especially for town driving, and my overall efficiency was reported to me today with an increase of a whopping 28.8%. 
Try and put these little driving tips into action yourself and see what a difference it can make to your own fuel consumption, and ultimately, your carbon output.
My thanks to The South East Business Hub for the training, and my lovely instructor, Alastair.

are you supporting fairtrade fortnight ?

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We all know that when we go shopping there are a huge amount of choices to be made. Local, organic, seasonal, British grown, imported and of course, fairtrade – to name but a few.

And to be honest, it can be very daunting to choose which one is best not only for you and your family, but your budget and of course, the suppliers.

Therefore, for two weeks each February and March, the Fairtrade Foundation (who certify fairtrade goods) have the Fairtrade Fortnight to explain exactly what the mark means to everyone on the supply chain and us as consumers.

So – what exactly is ‘fartrade’? Well, in the words of the Fairtrade Foundation:

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

So by buying a fairtrade product, you are ensuring that sustainable and safe working practices are undertaken in the wider world. 

Currently there are over 3,000 Fairtrade certified products in the UK, ranging from cotton products and cut flowers to coffee, chocolate and bananas. You can even get Fairtrade wine.

So, next time you are faced with the choice between a non Fairtrade and a Fairtrade certified product, think about the wide reaching differences the few extra pennies could make to others lives in the developing world.

(image via the Fairtrade Foundation)

our sustainable design manifesto poem

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Last week we were at the brilliant South Coast Design Forum’s Brighton Designers Showcase, where our work was being exhibited along with other members to a gathered audience of fellow designers and business people from the south.

We also were given one of the speaking slots, where I had one minute to speak about something compelling in our industry, with no hard self promotional sell.

One minute. Not long to be interesting and compelling, whilst remembering each point you wanted to cover.

So, we decided to write a poem about parts of our studio’s sustainable design manifesto. It will never win any awards, but it seemed to go down well, so here it is.

 

Hello, my name’s Claire Potter

I’m going to talk about sustainability

Due to time, I’m going to do this

In the form of poetry

 

Great spaces are engaging

Should make souls and hearts sing

Exciting and inspiring

Without excessive bling

 

Small actions can feel tiny

But they’re powerful when combined

So did you help or hinder

With the element you designed?

 

Design for disassembly

Should be factored at the start

So ending creates new beginnings

When something’s taken apart

 

Reduce reuse recyle? But

Responsibility

Respectful and Repair it

Should be added to the three

 

Minimise your waste stream

So lots of things are saved

Mileage, money, resources

And responsible paths are paved

 

Collaborate with others

Many brains better than one

For thinking WAY outside the box –

Essential. (and it’s fun)

 

Design should be disruptive

It should challenge then create

For how are we to progress

If we don’t innovate?

 

So this is our studio focus

To design spaces ethically

And we assure you we’re far better at it

Than we are at poetry!

 

(by Claire Potter, Jan 2012)

pop up people

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Last week we had a very busy time indeed.

On Tuesday we attended the Eco Innovation event run in conjunction with the Centre for Sustainable Design, then on Wednesday we were at the South Coast Design Forum’s Brighton Design Showcase where I took part in the one minute Pecha Kucha style challenge (where I read a poem, which will be published here tomorrow) and lastly on Thursday we were at the launch of the pop up people report in Worthing at the lovely Fresh Egg offices.

The report has been compiled by Dan Thompson from Artists and Makers, and examines who the people are who create pop up events, what they can be, where they can be locate, and most importantly, how they can combine to create a re-enlivened High Street culture.

The front page of the report, which was supported by the Arts Council and Lottery Funding amongst others, begins with a brilliant phrase – ‘We can do much more together – it’s not so impossible’, which sets the direction for the rest of the document. This is not just supposed to be a list of what has been done and a few scattered statistics – this is a call to arms to those who want to resurrect the empty spaces within our towns and cities.

A few towns are highlighted in the report – Margate, Coventry, Leeds and Rotterdam are examined with We Are Bedford and The Brick Box in Brixton being used as case studies for what can be achieved.

It really is quite compelling reading – the realisation of exactly the state our Town Centres are in and the knock on effect from closure to closure yet inspiring at the same time – the fact that people have actually got up and done something about the issues.

The last section looks at how both we as consumers, potential pop-up creators and government can support those willing to re-open empty shops with new creative projects, listing a series of useful pieces of further reading on town centres and urbanism, empty shops and ideas and inspiration.

We thoroughly enjoyed reading the report, and having completed a pop up design studio ourselves (and designed pop up shops for others), we can testify to the fact that pop up events do assist in the rejuvenation of an otherwise empty, sad and depressing location. They do not have to cost the earth, can be completed and implemented effectively and have huge impact.

Let’s just get out there and do something about it.

a stunning aluminium rainscreen

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Placing new buildings beside old facades within a city environment can be tricky.

Some choose to emanate the local vernacular style by creating a pastiche of maybe what was there, or historically would have been there. Unfortunately, this fake history does nothing to progress beautiful architecture and speaks nothing about how our cities work and how we inhabit and interact with them.

Others choose to plonk down a piece of contemporary design and expect the city and it’s dwellers to adopt it into the family. Again, this is a risky way to design architecture – we believe it should come from a conceptual reading of the site and not just created using whizzy software.

So, what is the solution?

How about historical references using clean lines, nice detailing and modern materials?

And this is what we like about this facade design for a townhouse in New York by Peter Gluck and Partners. The aluminium is beautifully and unashamedly contemporary, yet there are nods to the surrounding buildings with the blackened brick shapes on the metal.

What is also lovely is the delicate connection between the new building and the two which flank it – the glass acts as a buffer between the brick and the metal, creating a sensitive boundary.

Great architecture can, and should sit within our historic towns and cities – as long as the relationship is clearly defined and the connections are beautifully respectful. We would love some more in Brighton please.

(image via Inhabitat)

plan your storage for a decluttered life

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We all know that space is at a real premium – especially to those who live in cities, sharing increasingly smaller flats.

Having a decluttered life obviously begins with having less stuff (hence the appeal of MP3 over CDs, which you have to store) – we want things which we own invisibly, or share, so we do not have to find a home for it at all.

But inevitably we all own things. One of the most frequent things we have on a client wish list is the appeal for more and better organised storage option. And really, these are the key elements – have less stuff and ensuring that the storage you have is completely suitable for what you need to store. A drawer unit is no use to me if I need a place for my snowboard.

And recently, IKEA, one of the kings of marketing showcased how they can provide the solution for compact yet comfortable living.

For one whole week, IKEA installed two identical 54sqm apartments onto the concourse of the Auber Metro station in Paris. One was empty and you could wander around and the other was filled with five ‘room mates’, which lived in Big Brother style in the fake apartment for the week.

As well as being a huge marketing ploy, IKEA were trying to demonstrate, in real time, exactly how you can live in a small space if you plan it well – which they have done in these examples.

But this is something that we can all do – using and adapting our existing spaces to suit what we have. It is a very personal journey as my storage needs will be very different to yours. Make a list of your belongings and ensure that everything you want to store has a home. Get boxes if you need them, or more hanging rails, or segment up an existing cupboard.

It will not be a short journey and you will twist along the way, but space and storage planning is possibly the most rewarding and calming interior trips you can take.

Trust us.

(image from Grist)

movember…

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November. The recovery after White Night Brighton and Hallowe’en. Guy Fawkes Night. Chestnuts, pumpkins and chilli infused hot chocolate. Putting the garden to bed and draught proofing the house. November is a busy month for us.

And this November it will be a little busier, as I have signed up to grow a moustache and beard in the Bristling Gardener’s Team for the fabulous Movember – raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer.

The keen eyed amongst you will notice that I am female, so technically this will be rather difficult, but I have been told by our Team Captain, the wonderful James Alexander-Sinclair that this is not an issue. I am growing a woollen set instead, starting today, in a colour yet to be decided.

I will, of course, be posting images here of my growing, erm, knitting efforts over the whole month of November, so stay tuned.

And for those of you feeling able, you can donate some sponsorship here.

Thanks all.

reasons to be cheerful…

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I know that The Apprentice will probably split people right down the middle.  You will either love the combination of business style    tasks, bizarre and often ruthless characters, comical editing and of course, the fantastic gurning that Nick Hewer manages every week,  or you will not. You will think it is the biggest piece of tut going.

We fall into the former category. We love it.

We love laughing at the brainless comments the contestants come out with (due to some very clever editing probably as well), the power suits, the backstabbing bitching. It is everything we try NOT to be. But, we also love seeing the way they think, how they create. There are not many programmes where you see glimmers of the creative process, however misdirected or bungled. From the sketches and brainstorms to final products, pitches, marketing, image creation and event launches – the Apprentice squeezes projects that we, as creative professionals do every day, on a longer timescale, that the public never see the background to.

Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not, but it is great to see all the contestants trying to be creative.

But right from the start, there was one contestant that caught our eye.

Different from the rest, he was polite and slightly kooky. There was no backstabbing – he wielded a small black sketchbook instead of a flick knife. Tom Pellereau.

Every week we watched in angst as he, the Apprentice’s most frequent losing team member was threatened with the firing finger. But it never came. Could the only truly ‘creative’ Apprentice contestant survive to the final? Would Lord Sugar recognise his skills as well as the value of designer/inventor?

Well, yes. Tom won, and we were sooooo happy we leapt around the studio – this was a business victory not only for Tom, but for the morale of designers everywhere – especially those still in education – design is not something that can be boxed up and brought out in the ‘good times’. It is an intrinsic part of every business and deserves the full respect of business. Without good design, in some form, there is rarely good business.

So – a reason to be cheerful. A designer wins the Apprentice with a creative character, a good brain and an honest demeanour. Let’s hope this way of thinking will filter down to all businesses and they recognise the true value we give, every day.

the people’s supermarket…

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Staying with the foodie theme from my last post, I thought I would talk a little about what could be the future of shopping.

Independant shops? Hopefully. Farmers Markets? I should hope so. Growing your own? Practical for some, but not others. Urban farms? They are coming, but not just yet.
So, what could be the immediate future from our food shopping experiences?
Supermarkets.
Yep. You heard me right. Supermarkets, but not as we know it.
We have become conditioned to shop for everything at one place – cramming our little cages on wheels with essentials every week before we drive home to consume (or throw away…but that is another post). The supermarket is just the way most of us do our shopping. Fact.
Even though many of us try to grow our own, support our local producers and frequent our farmers markets, many of us still use the supermarket model as our main shopping experience.
So if you can’t beat the supermarkets, why not join them.
And this is what a few enterprising souls have begun.
Park Slope in New York is a 25yr old co-operative with around 6000 members, who give up 2hrs 45mins per month to work in the supermarket (cashier, cleaner, shelf replenishment etc) in return for wonderfully sourced, local, often organic produce at hugely reduced rates. With (little) wages to pay, the community are actively pocketing the mark-up savings in the lower prices available. If you do not do your shift, you have to make up with double the time next shift, and if you continue to flaunt the rules, sorry, you are out.
This can sound a little harsh, but this kind of model can ONLY work with full communication and trust between all members. Sounds great to me.
It also looked great to Arthur Potts Dawson (who also set up the London eco restaurant Acorn House), who has taken this seed idea and translated it into London’s first version of the American model, in Holborn, called The People’s Supermarket.
The basic premise is the same – pay your £25 membership, sign up to your 4 hour shift and you are a member – AND part owner – of the People’s Supermarket. This entitles you to hugely reduced core produce (large lovely loaf £1.85 to ‘regular’ shoppers, £1 to members) and 10% reduction on your overall bill.
But being a part owner of the supermarket also means that you are entitled to a say in what is stocked, where from, and how the whole kit and caboodle is run. An ideal situation really – cheaper stuff, a nod to the ‘big society’ and a say in keeping that local raspberry yoghurt you have come to love as well as the larger decisions.
Not everyone will like the idea of working four hours to qualify for the benefits, but (having worked for a big supermarket to pay my way through university) it can be fun.
And in a time of gloom, surely a few more pennies in the bank, a few more local bits in your belly and a few new friends in your phone can only be a good thing?

The greenest olympics ever?

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It seems as though February has passed my by without so much as a howdi doodi, and I was appalled to see just how long it has been since my last post.

I have not been on holiday. I was a little ill, but nothing too serious. I have just been stupidly busy.

So there you go. Guilt removed.

I have been doing something instead of blogging though, and given that it only happens once every four years, I have excused myself from other duties to partake in the goggle box.

The Winter Olympics. As an avid snowboarder, this is bliss. Halfpipe (well done Torah), Boarder cross (haha, no slip ups with badly timed grabs this year eh?) and then there is everything else. Alpine events, skating, skeleton, curling, hockey……ah – wonderful times…

But this W.O. has caught my attention for other reasons. For a massive, massive event, it is really trying to improve it’s green credentials, and I do not mean by being the first resort to try the ‘no snow’ look.

And here is a little run down of some of the pimped greenie elements…

Medals – although a tinchy amount, the range of gold, silver and bronze medals have been produced this Olympics using some recycled elements reclaimed from defunct computers. Up to now, all medals have been made using virgin mined ores, so this little symbolic action is a step in the right direction.

The Village – as you can imagine, there are huge amounts of accommodation required to house the myriad of athletes, coaches and support teams travelling to the Olympics. But utilising the opportunity to really do something good, the nine new buildings commissioned for the village were so uber eco friendly that they actually set a new green standard for North America. Heat recovery systems draw energy back from exhaust heat and even the ocean, and the usual suspects of solar panels and green roofs make the podium.

The Richmond Oval – this stunning skating venue utilises timber that has been affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle and is possibly the largest timber clear span roof in the world, with an area covering four and a half football fields.

The Vancouver Convention Centre – this building also sports a stunning roof of over six acres in area and is blanketed in over 400,000 native plants who sit in a pesticide free, chemical free compost system.

There are also a vast series of temporary and permanent small scale buildings and shelters that have been commissioned to be both beautiful and top notch on the eco scales.

Plus the world’s largest hydrogen powered bus fleet is currently ferrying people about the venues.

So, the bar has been raised big style for London 2012. Can we become the greenest Summer Olympics ever?