Can designers help redress some of the most pressing eco-problems of our planet? It’s a resounding “yes” from the 24 Green Grads who will reveal their cutting-edge solutions for the future over the weekend of November 16/17 in a free show at Yorkton Workshops, the East London gallery of design agency Pearson Lloyd. They are all recent graduates of UK universities from as far apart as Falmouth and Glasgow – and they have “ideas to heal the planet.”

Green Grads come from a wide range of disciplines, from art to engineering, also including product and furniture design, materials innovation, animation, graphics, ceramics, glass, textiles, fashion, interior design and architecture. They have many and diverse projects. They variously nurture nature, invent materials, design to last, eliminate waste, restore and repair, and recycle and “close loops” for a more circular economy. They capture carbon, save energy, fight pollution, conserve resources, foster local production and/or rescue species

“Our vision is to fuel UK environmental action with new talent from UK universities,” says curator Barbara Chandler, who founded Green Grads in 2021. “Ideas from the Green Grads vary widely, with some projects already up and running and others set to go. You’ll find ‘leathers’ from seaweed, vessels from eggshells, a repairable kettle, ‘smart’ blinds that automatically adjust to heat and light – and on the wilder side, a dress made from tea leaves, and jewellery grown from slime mould. Given that up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage (according to the Design Council), this is a crucial show. Our Green Grads are the responsible designers of the future with ideas to heal the planet.”

Here are some highlights from the show:

Gabriel Kay has designed a multi-award winning repairable kettle, with parts that can be swapped or replaced. “E-Waste is a growing problem globally, and as designers, we are partly responsible for this crisis. We cannot ignore the impact of our work and repair could be our salvation,” says this young designer from De Montfort University.
Around 300 million pairs of running shoes are thrown away each year in the UK alone. They cannot be recycled because they’re stuck together with glue. Green Grad Lewis Broughton has designed ModuRun, a revolutionary shoe that comes apart. “Then it can be adapted for different terrains and recycled and reused at end of life.”
Project RAW (renewable agricultural waste) by Yohaan Kukreja and Ankita Khanna is a bio-composite made from the rice straw otherwise burnt in huge quantities every year by famers in India, where it causes deadly pollution. Their new material is strong and flexible and has many applications, including footwear, which the duo have already explored.
Green Grad Conor McArthur has already used his “seaweed leather” (branded Kelpworks) to build shelters for festivals and events – “these temporary structures are typically made from extractive materials and generate significant waste.” He’s hanging his seaweed experiments on a clothes line in the courtyard of Yorkton Workshops, with tags to explain different types and properties, with samples nearby of his material stitched, laser cut, engraved and or printed.
Green Grad Josephine Drew is making beautiful delicate bowls out of discarded eggshells, originally collected from her university’s catering services.