ecoBirdy participated in Action for Education 2018, a cross-cultural programme organised in Yilan County, Taiwan. The topic was based on “Sustainable Development Goals” encouraged by the United Nations. ecoBirdy was invited to participate in this programme to transmit its design values, interact with the local kids (10-12 years old), educators, initiate an exchange of culture and discover the beauty of people, nature, and communities in Yilan. The workshop was held at Beicheng elementary school and Wanfu Elementary School. ecoBirdy's goal was to create a workshop to stimulate creativity and raise awareness about recycling. The time frame was challenging: just a day and a half per school and the objective was that every kid would finish a self-made beautiful product.
The starting point was an everyday object: a plastic bottle. Something the kids are familiar with. The subject of the workshop was to bring a plastic bottle and transform it into a hanging lamp. Because light is a universal way of expressing emotion and creating atmosphere, a lamp would be a great object to communicate values. Reusing material from post-consumer waste and transforming it into new products will help children to understand the value of circular design. During the workshop the children created hanging lamps made of plastic bottles and reused paper material, a learning process where they were able to explore materials, textures and aesthetics by combining different colours and feelings.
There was no competition for the best lamp, the idea was just to let them experience.
The workshop consisted of six phases where kids disassembled, transformed and constructed, all done in a playful way. Assisting each other was an important part in reaching the end result: a unique and beautiful lamp for each student. ecoBirdy prepared a manual to make every step in the process clear to the students. This methodology helped with the implementation and successful completion for every student in a short time.
By dividing the recycled paper according to colour as a game, students were obliged to make choices. Some colours might look different from others, but isn't that the beauty of diversity? Something that relates to other issues in society. The kids were introduced to a new way of colour recognition and able to appreciate the differences.
In the second part of the workshop students were asked to install the electrical wiring and tension was built to see the final result. Each student received their moment of glory when the lamp was tested and they received applause from their fellow students.
The workshop ended with an exhibition of all the lamps which together illuminated a public passageway for months.
