TED is a US based not-for-profit enterprise devoted to the propogation of Ideas Worth Spreading. TED started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment & Design.

In the spirit of Ideas Worth Spreading TED has created a program called TEDx, a series of local self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

TEDxSydney at CarriageWorks on Saturday 22 May 2010 will feature a selection of Australia's leading visionaries and storytellers showcasing their Ideas Worth Spreading LIVE to a group of thinkers ... as well as ONLINE to the world at large. At this invitation-only event, a curated group of changemakers, innovators, thinkers, creatives, cultural leaders & social pioneers will witness a back-to-back schedule of talks, performances and other multimedia surprises showcasing “Ideas Worth Spreading” from a carefully selected coterie of presenters whom the event organisers (and their networks) feel have something valuable to contribute.

Recent debate within the design community would suggest that sustainability is, or should now be, a fundamental consideration for all designers. Certainly, there is substantial evidence to show how design is making a positive difference in the troubled world in which we live. However, the design industry also continues to contribute to unsustainable systems of waste and excess and has played a significant role in many of the problems we now face. This is both a confronting and exciting time for designers as they make decisions about the work they do, the way they do it and the impact it has on our lives and our planet.

Object Gallery invited creative directors from five outstanding design studios – each based in New South Wales and each with a genuine track record in the area of ethical and sustainable design – to respond to this statement.

Bird Textiles was one of them.

How did we respond?

Ben Peacock and Matt Perry from The Republic of Everyone only work on products, services and brands that do good in the world. Things that encourage recycling or save energy, initiatives that save lives, ideas that promote healthy living and get kids off the couch. They have developed a business focusing exclusively on sustainability and bringing about social change to business.

They are do-gooders who are good at doing. Win win. :)

We met them last year at Eat Green Design @ Sydney Design Week and think they are fab.

So, with the whales/japan thing in the news again we thought some creative cool to prickle peoples conscience and change their mind set was in order.

The C word is misunderstood.
The C word is a work of art.
The C word is cutting edge.
The C word is passed down from generation to generation.
The C word is desireable
The C word is unique.

Brilliantly talented, highly creative, ambitious for their futures..... crafts people have hung their heads in shame in the past when using the C word.

But the popular resurgence of craft over the last few years, supported by reputable organisations like Object Gallery, Craft Victoria and commercial indie craft ventures like the Finders Keepers markets have impacted on the perception of craft in Australia.

On the other side of the world, Craftscotlands progressive CEO, Emma Walker, was fresh in the job, when she had a C word epiphany.  ‘Craft, contrary to popular belief or the tired and lacklustre marketing campaigns that so often surround it, is one of the most urgent of art forms’, said Emma. ‘It demands attention. We wanted to inject confidence into the sector.’ And so ‘The C Word’ media campaign was born.

Enough with the Olympics posters, official or otherwise.....this, my friends, is priceless.

Doco maker Ceri Levy is the brains behind Ghosts of Gone Birds. Working with hip creative agency Good Pilot out of London Town, Ceri and over 120 artist, writers and muso friends and supporters, have come together to raise awareness for BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinctions programme.

Switching off now? Don’t. This campaign is brilliant.

‘We are raising a creative army for conservation through a series of multimedia exhibitions and events that will breathe artistic life back into extinct birds species’ says the team at Ghosts of Gone Birds, ‘Shedding light on front line conservation work being done around the world to prevent any more birds migrating to gone status’.

An innovative art exhibition, spoken word and music events make for a tidy creative events programme. But it is the brand identity, images and series of information posters which sell the concept and cause so brilliantly. Do read on to see the series of posters, and follow this link to their website to read the ‘Ghost Stories’ behind each image.

Ten out of ten from Mama Bird.

Slim striped eggplant, fat purple eggplant, green tomatoes, flares of bright yellow sunflower, corn coming into cob and kale... what has happened to Sydney's Town Hall Square?

To put it simply, the farm has come to town... or the garden, at least. Where there was once only paving, passers-by glance, realise that this is no ordinary garden, then stop to look at the edibles that have invaded the Square.

Over the coming weeks fresh produce will ripen before city workers’ eyes, including tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums, sunflowers, lettuce and silver beet.

The display is part of this season's City of Sydney Living Colour display which can be seen in the city's squares. Themed ‘green living’, the display celebrates community gardens and embraces new ideas to help residents and businesses adopt sustainable practices by reducing carbon emissions, water and energy used when delivering food from growers to shoppers. In Australia, the food supply chain produces 23 percent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions - that includes direct emissions from agriculture and emissions generated from energy, transport, food production, processing and distribution.

Ten out of ten for Matt W Moore’s scrumptious seed packaging which I happened across yesterday whilst surfin, duckin and diving the net. I am gonna ooze and rave about them because they really do embody just about all that I love about well designed sustainable product/packaging.

I’m seriously diggin the combination of illustration and typography....could it be possible to get this much pleasure from a play on shape and colour. Love love love.

With a ridiculously impressive client list, Matt of MWM Graphics considers custom typography his lifes work...and it shows. Based in Portland, Maine, in the U.S., Matt works across several different disciplines. His style is really unique. Colourful digital illustrations and commercial projects, all sit comfortably next to a growing list of Fine Art gallery commissions and exhibitions around the world.

Their strapline reads “War on Terra, seedboms are friendly bombs exploding with flower power for responsible rebels in the war against weary wastelands”. .....and eco vandals around the world are soaking and shaking with covert rebellion.

Following the growing movement in guerrilla gardening, these funky little seedboms are handmade in the UK from reclaimed and recycled materials such as post consumer paper and used egg cartons. They also contain organic peat free compost, organic fertiliser and a selection of easy to grow flower seeds. The seedboms breakdown over time and biodegrade into the environment leaving only flowers behind.

The concept struck a chord with Selfridges new concept store in the UK, ‘Grow’ , and so in collaboration with Selfridges and Guerillagardening.org , Seedbom were given the enviable opportunity of creating a Selfridges window display with their product, in Selfridges main windows Oxford Street, London.

Now in its 6th year, the Byron Bay International Film Festival has established a reputation for dynamic programming. This reputation is built on the festivals ability to pull together a captivating, stimulating and entertaining dose of screen culture. But there two stand out genres for which both the festival, and Byron Bay, are best known. Surf/street culture, and conservation/the environment. Screening over 10 days, from 2-11 March , further programming and ticketing information will be available in the lead up to the festival at www.bbff.com.au.

Here’s our top picks from their enviro programme:

Manufacturing Stoke. Surf. No other sport is so intrinsically linked to nature. And yet, in becoming the multi-billion dollar industry it is today, a great paradox has arisen. Surfers are directly connected to the earth’s pulse and yet a majority of the materials used are environmentally toxic. Manufacturing Stoke, is an introspective look into the surfing culture’s struggle for positive environmental change. Follow this link to the movie trailer.