Be a green shopper! Event

This workshop has been specially arranged for P&CN, in collaboration with Julia Kendal, Green Academy Programme Assistant, Winchester School of Art (WSA) and Ali Simmance, Multidisciplinary Research Co-ordinator and founder of the University of Southampton ‘Be a Green Shopper' initiative.

The 'Be a Green Shopper' initiative was created by Alison Simmance (coordinator of Sustainability Science at Southampton) in March 2013 in association with WSA and the Green Academy . The initiative was inspired by Alison's visit to the Gioto Garbage Slum, Nakuru, Kenya where she met an entrepreneurial group of women who developed an ingenious way to earn money by creating purses and handbags from recycled plastics ( Nakuru Women's Plastic Recycling Business ). Inspired by this innovated sustainability project, Alison created the ‘Be a Green Shopper' initiative here at the university.

The workshop aims to create a fun, interactive space for people to create their own eco-friendly shopping bag from recycled material. The University of Southampton's 60th Anniversary 'Changing the world' campaign banners are used as the material with the ethos to create a long-lasting legacy of sustainability within the University and to encourage individuals to make better use of reused material.

We have hired 6 sewing machines from WSA for the event and will run 2 x 30min bookable sessions, 6 people at each session.  Materials will be supplied, no need to bring anything except your lunch!

Please could you indicate in your response to this invitation whether you would prefer to make your bag in session 1 or session 2 as follows:

SESSION 1 : 12.30pm - 1.00pm

SESSION 2: 1.00pm - 1.30pm

Sewing machines and materials will otherwise be allocated on a first come, first served basis.  If you are not involved in the bag-making, there is plenty of space in the area and you are more than welcome to come along with your lunch and network with colleagues in the group.  You may even wish discuss arrangements for your own Green Shopper event for your colleagues with Julia and Ali.

You can find further information, a how-to-guide and great photos of previous ‘Be a Green Shopper' events in the attached document.

The thumbnail photo shows the green bag made by Charlotte Everitt.

Book your place!

If you would like to make a bag (using half a metre of University of Southampton 60th anniversary campaign fabric!), please let Lisa know which session you would prefer.

Otherwise, there is plenty of space in the workshop area to come along with your lunch and enjoy!

The Green Shopper Initiative

This was launched during Multidisciplinary Research Week 2013.  You can find full details, including links to the seminars here .