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Joshua Flowers: Flower Vase

Anuj K Dhawan: Arbour Tree

Amy Leedham: Fruit Bowl

Steve Poyser: Floating Marshall

Alan Jackson: Birds Nest

Rationale: The SipCup

The SipCup is a sustainable tea cup with an interactive property to it. This teacup is a great gift for everyone. Tea is a drink very commonly consumed by a lot of people.  The cup is interactive in the way the user determines the amount of tea that will be placed into the filter of the cup. The user can also have fun with the concept of tea making by being able to place different mixtures of tea in the cups filter. As the tea brews, the user can look at the process of the tea making which can be very communicating.

The SipCup follows five of the guidelines of the Okala design wheel:

• ·         It uses renewable resources
• ·         It creates opportunities for local chain supply
• ·         It uses recycled or reclaimed materials
• ·         It minimises manufacturing
• ·         It is manufactures from recyclable non-toxic material

This teacup is manufactured from recycled glass obtained from collected glass bottles. The lid that is placed on the glass cup is also manufactured from recycled wine corks. The manufacturing process of the glass cup is very simple due to the modest shape of the cup. The product can be manufactured locally, with many cork and glass recycling warehouses.

The shape of the cup is also very interactive. The user is intrigued to hold the cup in their hands, and thus enjoy their tea.

The SipCup

Video Reflection: Big Ideas that Changed the World: Consumerism

The video demonstrates the extent to which "consumerism" has taken over our lives and how its become part of our life. Adam Smith's model of self-individualism  invited the idea of Consumerism, which drove people into the idea of luxury which seemed very appealing. Ever since this ideology has taken over the world and has become very costly to the planet.

Consumers need to be more aware of how they they're behaviour can lead to a catastrophe. It could be said that the constant purchase of goods (sometimes not necessarily needed by them)  by the population of the world is  using up some of the non-renewable resources of the earth to an extensive amount or is creating pollutants that is harming our planet. Having said that, looking at this from another perspective, I would not want people to stop buying. As a matter of fact I am not against consumerism, because I believe, consumerism seizes so will the desire for purchase of products designed by myself in the future. As a designer I see myself taking a different approach to consumerism and its negative effects on the earth. I could seek a more sustainable approach to my designs and products.