Remade Meeting 8

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 supermarket”… 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)