About Swell Future Friendly Design |
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Swell is a project of 30 Days of Sustainability30 Days of Sustainability is an annual celebration and year-round affirmation of sustainability and its natural role in the world - and our lives. The second annual celebration will take place from April 21st through May 10th, 2008 in Vancouver, Canada. The celebration aims to integrate sustainability into the values of everyday citizens, corporations, government and society with various events highlighting environmental, social and economic sustainability. For more information about 30 Days of Sustainability please go to: Swell is curated and designed by Propellor Design Propellor is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Vancouver, Canada. We specialize in the custom design of lighting, furniture and interiors. We also design and curate exhibitions, dabble in graphics and building design, and are exploring the realm of public art. |
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Info Swell Future Friendly Design |
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Welcome to Swell, an exhibition of Future Friendly Design Human beings are wired to imagine, create, experiment and innovate. We also love to consume the new, the novel, the beautiful, the convenient, the useful and the disposable. We are prolific creators and consumers. Increasingly people from all walks of life are questioning the effect that all this creation and consumption is having on our society and planet. What will the future hold for us if we continue to take more from the earth than it can sustain or if we continue to allow toxins from our industry to accrue in our food, soil, water and our bodies? Lets take a step forward into the future. Imagine a future where our garbage could be used to nurture plants and trees, everything could be recycled when it was no longer useful, energy was virtually free and toxic materials were replaced by those so healthy that they were safely edible. What would it take to achieve such a future? The path to our sustainable future demands the full range of human creativity, ingenuity and innovation. It demands that we investigate diverse approaches to creating a material culture that is not at odds with nature but acts in concert with it. It demands that we consider every aspect of how the objects that we create are made: who makes them, from what materials, under what conditions, how long will they last and what happens to them when we are done with them. Swell presents the work of a diverse group of people - designers, artists, craftspeople, and artisans from around the globe - whose work takes myriad approaches to the challenge of creating sustainable design. Each product exhibited in Swell shows some combination of sustainable strategies at work. Our hope is that by bringing these exceptional designs together in close quarters, new connections will be made, new directions will become apparent, new fires will be lit and one more step will be taken toward the promise of Future Friendly Design. Sustainability is a systemic concept, relating to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society. It is intended to be a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals indefinitely. Sustainability affects every level of organization, from the local neighborhood to the entire planet |
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news Swell Future Friendly Design |
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Swell Future Friendly Design Exhibiton |
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award Swell Future Friendly Design |
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Swell Future Friendly Design Exhibition and AwardSwell Future Friendly Design is a design exhibition that will be presented to the public as a central feature of Vancouver's third annual 30 Days of Sustainability Celebration in April 2008. SWELL will showcase approximately 30 works that employ various principles of sustainability in their design, production, distribution and use. The objective of the exhibition is to highlight and advance the many new approaches emerging internationally in the area of sustainable design and to expose the public to creative examples of these strategies at work. Swell Future Friendly Design AwardA jury of design professionals will select the winner of the Swell Future Friendly Design Award and two runners up from the 30 designs represented in the exhibition. The winning work will exhibit an inherent strength of design as well as a clear and creative engagement with the challenges of realizing a sustainable design. Call for SubmissionsSWELL invites you to submit your sustainable design to be juried for inclusion in the Swell Exhibition. If your work is selected for inclusion, you will automatically become eligible to win one of the Swell Future Friendly Design Awards. EligibilityApplication is open to all designers, architects, inventors, entrepreneurs and students. To be eligible for inclusion in SWELL an applicants work must be available for display as a realized product, working prototype or presentation model in the case of architecture or large scale/site specific projects. Selection CriteriaPlease refer to the CRITERIA section on this website. In order to qualify your design should address a minimum of two of the criteria listed. Should your design incorporate a technology, concept or strategy that we have not mentioned please inform us. We are eager to include new innovations. Application ProcessPlease complete the application form provided at www.swellfuture.com/award. DeadlineAll applications must be received by March 30th 2008. Exhibitor ObligationsThose applicants whose work is chosen for inclusion in SWELL will be required to supply publication quality images of products for the purpose of SWELL website content, publicity and exhibition graphics (300dpi at 10" x 12"). Please include image credits as necessary. Exhibitors must supply their product packaged for return shipping to and from the exhibition, including packing instructions where necessary. Shipping costs will be borne by SWELL. Further InformationIf you have any questions please feel free to contact us. |
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Crieria Swell Future Friendly Design |
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Swell Sustainability CriteriaALTERNATIVE POWERAlternative energy sources are employed to power or produce the product. Wind it, shake it, crank or harness the sun, wind or water. The result is clean, efficient, endless energy. BIO DEGRADABLEBiodegradable products return to the earth. They may even decompose into nutrients that will help nurture the growth of new materials or foods. CARBON NEUTRALA carbon neutral product eliminates or neutralizes carbon dioxide emissions associated with its production through efficiency or carbon offsetting. CERTIFIEDVetted by organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to meet strict ecological standards. CLEANClean products strive to reduce or eliminate toxins and contaminants in the materials and processes that are used to make them. EFFICIENTEnergy or materials saved through considered design. Efficient products optimize the use of materials, minimize waste and conserve energy in their production, transport or use. HANDCRAFTEDProduced by human labor. Handcrafted products are endowed with warmth, personality, uniqueness, and even flaws, which make them particularly valuable in our age of machine built homogeneity. LOCALProduced in Greater Vancouver. Buying local products supports the local economy and helps foster unique local design. Buying local also reduces the need for packaging and shipping. LONGEVITYLong lasting products become heirlooms. When a product is a thing of great beauty, exhibits extraordinary craftsmanship, exceptional originality or utility, it can last for centuries and enrich both our material and aesthetic cultures. OPEN SOURCESome ideas are just too good not to share. Open source designs are free to use, modify and redistribute. The intention of open source design is to allow others to use and improve upon an idea in order to benefit society as a whole. ORGANICMade from materials that are organically grown, without the use of harmful pesticides or petroleum fertilizers. RECYCLEDMade from waste materials or designed to be easily recycled at the end of their lifespan. In some cases a product may employ a combination of both strategies. RENEWABLEMade from natural resources that are grown and harvested in a manner that ensures the viability of the resource for future generations. REPURPOSEDProducts or materials that are reused at the end of their intended lifecycle for a new purpose. Repurposed products keep valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators by giving them a new life. The results are often unexpected and delightful. SOCIALProduced in a socially responsible manner. Ethical products may comply with fair trade practices, they may employ cooperative labor or actively seek to build community as a by-product of their production. TRANSPARENCYA detailed account of where the product was made, by whom and under what conditions, including the materials and processes involved in its production. Transparency allows the consumer to make informed decisions about the products they purchase. WABI SABIAppreciation of the humble, incomplete and impermanent. Wabi Sabi is the Japanese aesthetic that points to the beauty of imperfection. This concept is a tonic for our obsessions with perfect objects that become disposable when scratched or dented. |
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Links Swell Future Friendly Design |
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| 30daysof sustainability.com main sponsor Website design by Propellor Design Flash Website development by Groovy Joe Multimedia |
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