African Carbon Trust

Design Indaba 2008 will again offset the carbon footprint of its conference, for the third year now.

Design Indaba continuously looks for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. For the past two years, Design Indaba has supported the planting of trees to offset our carbon footprint, however, as our knowledge of climate change has improved and the options for carbon mitigation increased, it is important for Design Indaba to choose the right project to support.

We are busy investigating two projects. Firstly, the Kuyasa project based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town – the very first project in the world to be certified as a CDM Gold Standard project. And secondly, a wind turbines project in the Western Cape, in association with Agama Energy.

Design Indaba is committed to reducing our carbon emissions and rethinking how we go about our daily living in an environmentally conscious manner. Our African Carbon Trust is an initiative to research the best carbon-offsetting strategy. A media campaign will be launched this year to raise awareness on how individuals and companies can make a difference in combating climate change and promoting sustainable development. Thanks also to a partnership with Toyota SA, a fleet of environmentally-friendly hybrid vehicles will transport our conference speakers.

DESIGN INDABA 2008
Design Indaba will fortify as the South African Design Week in 2008, with the expo and conference programme running over a week from Saturday 23 February to Friday 29 February 2008.

DESIGN INDABA EXPO
For the fifth time, the Design Indaba Expo will offer a curated commercial platform for South African designers to showcase local goods and services to the global market. Based on the success of the 2007 event, which played host to more than 20 000 visitors, the 2008 event has been extended for an extra day, running from Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 February, 2008. The Expo will also be even bigger than before with more floor space, a host of new exhibitors and a brand-new dedicated fashion arena with day-long shows and movie festivals.

DESIGN INDABA CONFERENCE
The Design Indaba Conference will run from Wednesday 27 February to Friday 29 February, 2008. Judged the best conference in the world by EIBTM in Barcelona, the conference has played host to luminaries from all over the world since 1995 and been sold out for the past three years.

SPECIALIST INDABAS
Due to demand from delegates and the public to attend the Specialist Indabas, these will run parallel to the Expo on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 February 2008. These two-hour architecture, fashion and jewellery events feature local and international designers debating the contribution of these creative sectors to the South African economy. Bookings for Specialist Indabas open at Computicket on 14 January 2008.

YOUNG DESIGNERS SIMULCAST
As part of Design Indaba’s ongoing commitment to design education, Design Indaba 2008 will again offer a Young Designers Simulcast, catering to young designers and students under the age of 25. This is a live broadcast from the main plenary session to a second auditorium. Students and young designers will be able to access speakers in short, informal chat sessions during and at the end of the day.

DESIGN INDABA JOURNALISM WORKSHOP
For the first time, Design Indaba is presenting the Design Indaba Journalism Workshop in conjunction with the Design Indaba Expo taking place from February 23 to 26, 2008. New York design critic and assistant professor at Parsons, Susan Yelavich will lead the workshop with the assistance of an international team of acclaimed editors, journalists and writers. The cost is R1500 per person. To apply for participation, please contact Deborah Weber.

For more detailed information about the above activities taking place, and for related high-resolution images, please contact:

Deborah Weber
E-mail: deborah@interactiveafrica.com

Nadine Botha
E-mail: nadine@interactiveafrica.com

Tel: (021) 465 9966
Website: www.designindabaexpo.com