Kapdaa has developed an AI-powered textile waste sorting machine. It is mobile and has the potential to sort tonnes of clothing a week around London boroughs. Textile waste is a big issue in the UK, with 1.2 million tonnes of textile waste going to landfill. Discarded clothing is 350,000 tonnes of that (Shred Station). Each […]
What if a garden could tell its story through art, sound and a consciousness of the environment? That’s what Carolyn Blake is doing with Further Than Memory Can Reach which starts at Winterbourne House & Gardens later this month. Winterbourne is an historic Edwardian house and garden ‘nestled in a leafy corner of Birmingham’. The […]
The high street in the UK’s towns and cities is important for local communities and local economies. But rents are rising. And spaces are sitting empty. We’ve lost a lot of the diversity in our high streets. Over the decades the high streets have struggled and lost business to out of town retail parks where […]
Getting artists and makers together As curator of Blue Patch’s latest exhibition ‘Pull My Thread – textiles for a cool planet’, I had the privilege of exploring Brantwood, John Ruskin’s home, in the Lake District. A haven of tranquility, full of art, objects, books and with thought-provoking gardens too, Brantwood is both historical archive and […]
Join our interactive workshop to learn how to protect your business and home from flooding! Are you ready for a flood? Wednesday 18th September 10am-1pm Half Moon Pub workshop 10, Half Moon Lane SE24 9HU Here in the UK extreme rainfall may lead to floods. Increased rainfall is recognised as the main climate change risk […]
Is ESG relevant for SMEs? ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and Scopes 1, 2 and 3 are not terms in common usage for many SMEs. However, they should be. Carbon saving matters! A business can save money, highlight the integrity and sustainability of their brand, and gain critical advantage in winning contracts by reporting on […]
GroundWork Gallery in Purfleet Street, King’s Lynn is a gallery dedicated to art and the environment. Their ethos ‘art for the environment’ is imbued in their showcases and events. The gallery will re-open in March this year with an exciting program of events. The regular re-sewing studio centres around textile snippets and waste materials. The […]
From across the UK members of Blue Patch’s sustainable design community gathered together to showcase their products. London Design Fair closed due to the pandemic in 2020 – three years later LDF is back with style! Blue Patch, the UK’s Sustainable Design Community, presented two projects; Homes with a Heart, styled by design writer and […]
Sustainable Arts & Crafts Showcase marks the 30th birthday of the Dulwich Festival Blue Patch’s Sustainable Arts & Crafts Showcase proved a big hit for the Dulwich Festival with an emphasis on UK Sustainable crafts, painting, photography and sculpture. We brought together some of the UK’s finest artists, crafters and designers in an exhibition which […]
Blue Patch Collective at Oru Space We’re inviting you to Oru Space for our exhibition Nature Wall, part of the Artists Open House, celebrating the Dulwich Festival. Come and view drawings, prints and photographs by the Blue Patch Collective at the wonderful Oru, soak up the lively atmosphere and enjoy a great meal too. The […]
Join us at Blue Patch’s Sustainable Arts & Crafts Showcase for the Dulwich Festival, at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Free exhibition, Saturday 13th to Sunday 14th May. You can book your free tickets on eventbrite. As part of the 30-year celebration of the Dulwich Festival, Blue Patch is showcasing some of the nation’s finest sustainable artists, […]
Renewable energy, for example from wind turbines and solar panels, is the solution to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. But there is a problem with excess renewable energy: voltage instability. Much of the existing grid is legacy infrastructure. It was originally designed for a one-way flow of electricity to homes from the grid, and not […]
Blue Patch members have collaborated to exhibit at two London events; Decorex, the interiors trade fair at Olympia and the new Sustainability Show, a consumer fair at the Business Design Centre in Islington. I project managed and by October we were all in high vis and boots, paint brushes in hand. The energy of a […]
We’ve been out of the office for the last few weeks at Decorex and the Sustainability Show. One of the advantages to attending events like this is to meet people who are at the cutting edge of technology that will make our world more sustainable. We talked to Riversimple at the Sustainability Show about their […]
We’re going to two shows this October. The first will be Decorex on the 9th-12th October. Blue Patch will be on stand D 161 so please stop and say hello if you are attending. This year, the Decorex talks will have subjects like Emotion & Design, Sustainability, Growing Your Business and Harnessing New Energy in […]
An artist’s project Painter Carolyn Blake has created The Unchanging Traveller, a collaboration between herself, fifteen poets and one graphic designer. Carolyn welcomed all on board to use her paintings of scenes through a train window to spark ideas. The book moves us from station to station, the route typically from Birmingham to Euston, London […]
Ian Dunn Woodwork & Design is taking part in the Artist’s Open House events during the festival and will be opening his workshop doors to the general public over two weekends in May. Ian will also host fellow Blue Patch members, including: Heliconia Furniture, Blackbird Bespoke, Elly Allen, Coldharbour Lights, Janet Tod and Jane Langley. […]
Manchester Art Gallery announces new Official Paint Sponsorship with Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Edward Bulmer Natural Paint has been a member of Blue Patch since 2018. The company produces natural plant based paints that are plastic free and natural. The colour range is vibrant and exciting, with over 100 shades developed by designer, architectural historian […]
The Happy Planet store, a sustainable product shop in the Manchester Art Gallery, has been open since January 26th this year. In the last few weeks before the store closes, we review how it happened. Why use museums & galleries? Blue Patch founder, Jane Langley, is an artist herself. She has exhibited in The Textiles […]
Working towards a sustainable future for our planet is all about ensuring a future for our children and their children. Here are some of the products on sale at the Happy Planet Store in Manchester Art Gallery until April 18th. Natural and sustainable children’s brands Parents look towards brands to make products that are more […]
The trouble with being a sustainable business is finding the right materials. Sometimes there is a good reason for the material choice. For example, it is waterproof or long lasting or malleable. Making a manufacturing business more sustainable can become a game of ‘find the right material’ and this requires a lot of testing to […]
Blue Patch are delighted to announce the opening of the Happy Planet Store at Manchester Art Gallery January 26th – April 18th 2022. A collaborative partnership between Manchester Art Gallery and Blue Patch, a national social enterprise, is enabling sustainable, local brands to sell products through the Happy Planet Store, a curated pop-up of sustainable […]
I admit it. I have been guilty……of climate nihilism. I’ve found myself turning down the volume on the news or sometimes looking the other way. It was all too unbearable, out of my hands and I was less than optimistic about the state of the world. That is, until I went to CAT. Sorry to […]
Blue Patch’s ‘travelling’ Sustainable Department Store popped up at the Whitworth, Manchester University’s award winning museum. Blue Patch were lucky to coincided with Whitworth Director Alistair Hudson’s radically refreshing vision for the ‘Useful Museum’ (listen to Alistair here). The Useful Museum got off to a flying start with the Reno residency, led by Linda Brogan. Everyone […]
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