Gualala Arts Lecture Series presents:
Reducing Waste

with Ann Savageau
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Admission is $5

For Ann Savageau, Professor of Design at the University of California, Davis, the question posed to shoppers every day, "Paper or plastic?" has profound implications. In her Thursday, September 20 talk she will explain how humans can learn from nature, begin to eliminate the waste people create, and help heal our planet.

Savageau believes humans, the only organism on the planet that generates unused waste, can learn from nature how to eliminate waste and begin to heal our planet. The talk will address this issue. She will relate what she has learned by working with students and others worldwide in addressing what is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century.

In the natural order, organisms transform one creature's waste into another's food. Her courses in sustainable design and textiles are simply extensions of what we observe in the natural world. Her vision is informed by her experiences living in Iran as well as work in India and Colombia.

She writes, "I collect and use natural and manmade objects with a history, in which the processes of decay and use are evident, and which have been discarded or are considered ugly. My objective is to transform everyday objects into works that bring out their inherent beauty."

One example illustrates her commitment. Since 2008 Savageau has addressed the issue of plastic bag pollution through her project Bags Across the Globe. Using recycled textiles, she and her students create designer shopping bags to help replace the 500 billion plastic bags annually used and largely discarded. Given as gifts, the bags represent one small step towards a cleaner planet.

Another interesting project that incorporates students involves creating new products from campus waste. They have founded the Aggie ReStore at UC Davis, a store that sells post-consumer materials including clothing, school supplies and craft items to the campus community.

Further information on Savageau and her various endeavors is available at her website www.annsavageau.com. The talk begins at 7:00 p.m. in Coleman Auditorium. A $5 admission will be collected at the door.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.