Remade in Brixton
Trinity Arms, 45 Trinity Gardens, London, SW9 8DR
Present: Sophie Broadbent, Olivia Christophersen, Stephen Edwards, Felix Gonzales, Bonnie Hewson, Mitchell Jacobs, Hannah Lewis
Summer events
Local events over the summer where we could have a stall include:
- Lambeth Green Communities Open Evening (Town Hall, 8 June)
- Lambeth Country Show (18-19 July)
- Brixton Splash (2 August)
- Urban Green Fair (20 September)
How can we use these events to engage the community with waste issues? e.g. exhibition of reused / recycled products, hands-on “remaking” activities, information + visuals…
Brainstorm – displays / activities
- Factoids
- Make an eyecatching banner out of recycled materials / products
- Things to attract attention e.g. fixing / remaking clothes to look funky / exciting
- Workshops – making stuff from waste
- I could teach a bit of rag-rugging (Bonnie)
- Lamonte – bikes revamping
- Link up with Philip the solar cooker man to work with youth clubs to make cookers before or at events (made of old card and foil)
- I’d like to help make a waste memorial (preferably transportable) to have at the fairs – or to display in the the new Town Square (contact Sonia in Neighbourhoods Team – Bonnie)
- WRAP – Lindsay Wrayman (compost bin display with front cut open)
- I think contact should be made with Sprout Design and the woman who works with kids and recycled stuff – listed on London 21 (Bonnie)
- Paper press
- Person (or relay of people) pedalling all day with “pedal-ometer†to show how much energy created (Felix has details of companies)
- Create a public channel (video people in a TV-like frame?)
- Confessional / “diary room†for people to record their opinions
- Collect eco / recycling pledges + pick one to win a prize e.g. 10 Brixton Pounds
- Bluetooth – paperless info
- Talks / seminars
- Storytelling
- Identify local businesses / organisations to promote or collaborate with on stalls
Logistics
- Book space at fairs where necessary and co-ordinate with TTB
- Decide what sort of information / services we can provide relatively easily (in time for this summer) and focus on those
Remade Fair
Remade in Brixton has the opportunity to be part of a new “Sustainability Market” on a Sunday in October in Electric Avenue! If successful it could become a regular event. What could we (and the local reuse and refashioning businesses / groups we know) do there? e.g.
- Reused + refashioned products
- Repair + revamp services
- Bring-and-buy / swap stalls
- Wants + offers board, LETS, Freecycle sign-up
- Make-it-yourself stalls – learn new skills
- Exhibition / information stalls
- Bins for recyclable items – with information about where it goes etc
- Lots of opportunities to swap and share resources – spaces, machinery, equipment, tools (see Factree project – RCA student – or Stephen has link to another project)
Young enterprise / Youth engagement
During Young Enterprise Week (November) groups of young people will be invited to have a stall on the market for a day. Lambeth is keen for this to have a green element. Could Remade in Brixton be involved in some way e.g. going into a school to brainstorm recycled / refashioned products?
This led to a more general brainstorm around youth engagement:
- Opportunities for youth in green collar jobs, eco-economy
- Local green entrepreneurs – presentations / advice forums
- Green roofs in estates and get the youth to sell produce at the market and be involved
- Include youth clubs in contributions (to summer events / Enterprise Week) – commission them to do a song / film / recycled art / banner etc
- Waste as art – creating monument to oil age (see example in Transition film)
- Re: Totem Pole – contact Rebecca from Stave Hill Ecology Park (via Felix)
- Building visions of the future out of waste
- Recycle T-shirts with a Remade stencil
- Aim to have Remade in Brixton dress on the Paris catwalk
- Why reinvent the wheel – use existing resources like Traid, Sharewear, Sprout Design, woman on London 21 site to run workshops in schools
Engagement – general
Comments:
- Can Remade in Brixton reshape the demographic of people engaged – I want to do this – Green 4 All (Mitchell)
- When will we start to engage with the wider Brixton community – will any of these events do this?
- I want this to be inclusive of Brixton people (Sophie)
- TTB is about doing what YOU would like to do – engaging everyone and inspiring – making more people feel like they can make a difference
- Think of ways to encourage people to get involved in the longer term – e.g. things people will find useful / interesting + actions people will find unintimidating
- I’d like to see a regular Swap Hub for skills swapping, learning, clothes swapping etc. Maybe in St Vincents, or the Market or Arthur Potts-Dawson’s new “people’s supermarketâ€â€¦ Traid, Sharewear, Stitch + Bitch, Lambeth College clothes making
- Involve children / young people and older people (especially with skills?)
- Waste calculator online?
Other projects / enterprises
Comments:
- I think Remade could claim the LCRN Chelsea Flowershow Giveaway (reusing containers / other materials from show for gardens) as in our remit – help co-ordinate publicity, transport etc – maybe next year? (Bonnie)
- Coordinate with LETS? (e.g. “wants + offers†in market can include services as well as stuff)
- Coordinate with Reskilling – repair + remaking skills
- Make the most of council resources, e.g. council funds projects like Dr Bike
- Refer to visions / actions produced at earlier meetings to inform what areas it might be worth focusing on
Strategic goals
Comments – to feed into our response to set of strategic goals developed by TTB Hub Group:
- Engaging whole spectrum from community to business, amateur to professional
- Develop stronger links with local businesses + Lambeth council recycling / waste officers
- Brixton as reuse and refashioning capital of the UK
- Drive towards developing new reuse / refashioning / waste-as-resource based enterprises (within existing businesses or as new ones)
- Linking environmental, social and economic aims… creating new “green collar†work
- Zero waste Brixton as long-term goal
- Focus on services as well as products – repair, revamp, teach + learn skills, pat testing for reused electronics, retrofitting solar panels (contact Peckham Power – jack@transitiontownpeckham.org)
[...] Meeting Tuesday 26 May 2009 NOTES [...]