ABSTRACT
The ZEDcafe and bar would demonstrate how food can be grown locally by organic methods and delivered to the city via solar charged electric vehicles without using fossil fuels or unnecessary packaging. An on-site biodigester uses food waste to produce biogas for cooking, while the waste stream nutrients can be returned as fertilizer to the farms. Evening events and activities can be held, with shows and lectures on-site, providing an entertaining and informative atmosphere for sharing, learning and relaxing. A team of local artists, designers and craftsmen transformed waste consumer goods and furniture, salvaged from the city’s waste stream, to create valuable and fashionable furniture and interior fixtures and fittings, thereby avoiding new purchases where possible. The Forkbeard piece demonstrates a transition from depressing environmental predictions to humorous and optimistic sentiment that almost anyone can understand quickly. Every low-carbon building, product and initiative needs to explain, through engaging artistic means, why the collective challenge is so important.
