Why the Albatross Lectures?
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The Albatross Lecture 2024
Join us on 30th January 2024 to hear a keynote presentation from Professor Mark Miodownik, University College London.
For more than twenty years Prof. Miodownik has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark also recently set up the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub to carry our research into solving the environmental catastrophe of plastic waste dealing with topics such as biodegradable plastics and product reuse and repairability.
Thank you to Bruntwood SciTech for hosting us for the launch of our Albatross Lectures.
Talk Description
"The End of Consumerism"
'To deal with issues such as plastic pollution and climate change all materials and products in future will need to be part of a circular economy – they need to be designed primarily for repair and reuse, with recycling as the last resort. But how far away is that future? Almost all current products and materials in our homes and cities fail this circularity test. Thus, the task is enormous and means that we will need to redesign practically everything - and do it fast. In this talk I address the challenges of this paradigm shift and show that one of the striking implications is that consumerism as an economic model is incompatible with climate and biodiversity goals. I give examples from my research group where we have been working with manufacturing companies to tackle plastic waste, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase repairability. In each case the importance of taking a systems approach emerges and brings with it the added complications of working across disciplines, from psychology to economics. One of our conclusions is that the word ‘consumer’ is no longer a useful way to describe the role of people in a sustainable economy.'
Indicative Agenda
11:00 - 11:15 - Registration and Arrival of Delegates
11:15 - 11:30 - Welcome and Introductions
11:30 - 12:15 - Professor Mark Miodownik, University College London, Keynote Presentation 'The End of Consumerism'
12:15 - 13:00 - Networking Lunch with Informal Discussions
13:00 - 13:45 - Panel Q&A with Professor Mark Miodownik (UCL) and Academics from The University of Manchester
13:45 - 14:00 - Closing Thoughts and Wrap Up
14:00 - Event Close
Please register via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-albatross-lecture-2024-professor-mark-miodownik-tickets-739478107927?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
