CONTENTSIssue 19 | Making GoodAssemble
Our section highlighting emerging talents and trends in creativity, innovation, sustainability and craftsmanship, from Hermès’ Petit hatelier and Elissa Brunato’s biodegradable sequins to Aerende’s life-improving homewares and Qwstion’s Bananatex backpacks. The future starts here…

Field Trip: Plant Power
Tracey Ryan takes us on a journey from her lab in Cork to Tipperary, to discover the native herbs and plants whose power she has learnt to harness

View Point: The Sound of Silence
The Women in White stand in silent protest for 15 minutes every Wednesday morning against the fracking for shale gas at Preston New Road in Lancashire. Their Call for Calm seems to be working

My hole-and-corner
Our contributors and collaborators share their hole-and-corners

Mya-Rose Craig
For Mya-Rose Craig, a tweet is so much more than a message on social media. The young environmentalist and birdwatcher is on a mission to make nature accessible to those least likely to experience it and to see half the species of birds in the world by the time she’s 18. No wonder they call her Birdgirl…Seaweed
It grows abundantly without the need for extra resources, it’s a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and it can be use for fabrics, energy solutions and housing. Seaweed is nothing short of a miracle. So could this humble but prolifi c algae be the answer to our environmental problems?

The Scavengers
As environmental damage and
the problem of waste become the defining issues of our era, designers and makers are exploring news ways of looking at their creative processes, with handbags made from old firehoses, door handles from discarded fishing nets and furniture from bonded industrial dust…

Bobby Mills
A chance encounter in Portugal inspired photographer Bobby Mills to change his life and teach himself to work with wood – with very pleasing results

Flax
From magic spells and a valuable source of Omega 3 oils, to the fibre that is spun and woven into linen – a zero-waste process resulting in one of the oldest, most durable and low impact of natural fabrics – flax is a wonder plant with many uses

Mike Feingold
Having saved Bristol’s Royate Hill allotments from development, Mike Feingold has turned them into an urban paradise packed with produce for all to enjoy. How does he do it?
A cup of coffee and a fag every morning, he says WELL Furniture
With sustainability at the forefront
of design and production these days, companies are introducing a new standard for furniture and buildings – WELL certification aims to measure their ability to improve our comfort, reduce stress and enhance our health and well-being

Spode ceramics
A collection of some 70,000 moulds were left behind in the Spode factory when it closed in 2008. Now one artist is making it his mission to preserve the for posteriry and along with them the entire pottery region’s rich heritage of skill and dexterity

Notes
We’ve been cooking up nourishing dishes of food to share; we’ve been mending the soil and learning not to dig; we’ve been channelling our grandmothers’ superpowers; we’ve been playing with mud. We’ve stitched a journal instead of writing one; we’ve been making podcasts designed to inspire; and we’ve been learning how to sew on a button. What small actions have you been taking?

Lessons I've Learnt
Kate Fletcher, professor of Sustainability, Design and Fashion at the University of the Arts, London