Shanghai Daily news

Climate change is the issue of this era with making a difference high on everyone's list of priorities. "Creative Expo - Climate Cool," an exhibition focusing on sustainable low-energy products from UK designers, concluded late November at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

Being a key part of the two-year Climate Cool Campaign launched in March by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Council, the exhibition aimed to encourage people to think about how they can consume in a more rational and environmentally-friendly manner.

All exhibits embodied principles such as energy-saving, resource protection and recycling.

They were divided into nine themes: reduce it, reuse it, recycle it, power it, buy green, buy local, make it, personalize it and love it.

Visitors were inspired to consider the source of the goods they consume and the possibility of changing their purchasing and consuming behavior to reduce their impact on the climate.

Designer Anya Hindmarch's cotton and rope creation "I Am Not A Plastic Bag" is very stylish.

It is a moving advertising board, invoking concerns about the issue of packaging waste and encourages abandoning the use of plastic bags.

Anna Bullus's "Gumnetic Bubble Gum Bin" is a gum collector that can be stuck to any surface and, amazingly, is itself made of gum.

Cohda's RD4s chair uses technology that directly molds plastic waste into a chair after being melted down. In spite of its light weight, it is firm and especially suitable for outdoor use.

The theme of "Buy Green" demonstrated how what people buy strongly influences the natural balance and sustainable growth of the earth.

Made of recycled materials such as potato, maize and tapioca, Vegware's dining utensils are natural and biodegradable.

The idea of "Buy Local" can be achieved by everyone through buying goods from local manufacturers or made of local raw materials.

David Stovell's "Friday Papers" series uses tightly rolled-up newspapers in a U-shape. This form is very strong and the papers can be made into chairs and small tables.

In addition to the interesting and well-designed exhibits, there was a B&Q Better Home area at the exhibition site, providing tips on how people can act to make the environment greener.

More and more designers are inspired by the challenges and benefits of developing sustainable products and services as this exhibition demonstrated.

Thankfully consumers are also becoming more aware of the importance of the right purchasing choice and of the profound difference it can make.