Sustainable Dye Garden Project Sustainability in the Curriculum Development Funding: Enhancing the understanding of sustainable textile design processes

Project Team: Linda Florence, Anne Marr

Central Saint Martins College of Arts and DesignBA Textile DesignGlobal Generation

Context:. Understanding the impact of textile manufacturing to the environment and the value of local plants and weeds for the dying process.

Project: Develops an embedded awareness of sustainability for Textile Design students with a “hands-on experience” of gardening, natural dye workshops and professional practice talks. Engagement with the local community skip garden project run by Global Generation. Specialists introduce their perceptions of sustainable textile production processes. Speakers from the Future Textile Research Centre introduce future “bio-engineering” of materials and “TED’s ten” sustainable design strategies. Students attend gardening and natural dye workshops as well drawing classes in local allotments.

Design role: The project aims to create a permanent dye garden that can be used by future students. Another outcome will be the understanding of the importance of implementing sustainable design concepts/ processes from the early stages of a design project - rather then an add on later on.

http://www.globalgeneration.org.uk/