National Waste Reduction Week (Oct 18-24) is an annual celebration of our collective environmental efforts to address circular economy, resource efficiency, and waste reduction. At OCAD U, let’s shine a light on the myriad roles that we all play in addressing the sustainability of material lifecycles. Please join for the following workshops. For any questions, please email Victoria Ho, Sustainability Coordinator, at vho@ocadu.ca.
Thursday October 21, 12pm-1pm: Teaching and Applying Sustainability in Graphic Design
Online via Teams
Event description: Can we design waste out of the equation? In discussion with Stuart Werle (Professor, Faculty of Design), Michelle Di Raimo (Class of 2021), Ming Zhao (Class of 2021), and Angela Lam (Class of 2022). Attendees will learn about teaching and applying sustainability to graphic design and packaging design. Join this workshop to think through how you might bring sustainability into your own courses and projects.
Presenters will address themes such as:
- Effective teaching strategies in graphic design that address climate change & sustainability;
- How to integrate sustainability into your projects and design philosophy;
- Navigating greenwashing;
- Considerations for building a brand around sustainability; and
- Key principles to apply for material sourcing
Friday October 22, 12pm-1pm: Things Come Back Together: Mending and Sustainable Textiles Practices
Online via Teams
Event description: "Clothes tatter, tear, split, run, rip, unravel, spring holes. Things fall apart. But we are gifted with hands that sew, mend, fasten, pin, glue, weave, darn. Things come back together." These words from the book Mending Life: A Handbook for Repairing Clothes and Hearts by Nina and Sonya Montenegro will guide this workshop. The holes in their sweaters, socks, and pants are an opportunity for creativity! Through simple patching techniques, you will learn how you can save your clothing from the landfill while also making it a more compelling piece of clothing. We will also discuss traditional boro embroidery, applique, and how to approach choosing more sustainable clothing options.
Materials: Used clothing in need of mend, pen, sewing needle & thread (yarn or embroidery floss), scrap fabric.
Bio: Charlotte Durnford-Dionne is an undergraduate design student with a minor in textiles doing her fall placement with the Textile Museum of Canada. She has been making her own clothing for as long as she can remember and has recently found a new passion for upcycling the clothing she already has. On her Instagram she has shared this creative activity in the form of tutorial style "reels", hoping to inspire a more sustainable approach to fashion consumption.
