Radical Matter: Rethinking Materials for a Sustainable Future is a book by Caroline Till and Kate Franklin (highly recommended).  It got me thinking a lot about waste, about how much of it there is in this commercial/single-use/plastic/landfill world we're in.

 

In contrast to our hunter/gatherer ancestors and the gradually dwindling nomadic societies of today (who really know about reusing waste), it seems as though the further we retreat beyond brick walls into man-made interiors and concrete cities, the further we leave behind our understanding and care for the natural world and our knowledge of craftsmanship.

 

As a designer -i.e. someone who is helping to build these interior walls- it is important to focus design on bringing the outside in and the inside out; attempting to maintain a balanced relationship between interior and exterior so we don't continue to neglect the environment.  

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Inspired by Radical Matter, I tried out a few home experimental waste creations (plaited plastic bags, origami crisp packet creations, cocoa bean and eggshell composite materials and even a home-grown hair pot) before visiting the Bradford Countryside Service in Baildon to have a look through their well-kept junkyard to see what could be reused to make something new.  The finished product was a stool made from old climbing rope (no longer legally safe to use) and salvaged timber.  This was just one waste-made product out of a thousand possibilities, so it will hopefully inspire us all to think twice about waste and the importance of sustainable living.