Cavendish Living Lab participates in the London Permaculture Festival

The event took place in Cecil Sharp House in Camden where there were 20 workshops, a stalls market, a pop-up unusual edible perennials plant stall and a Families at the Festival zone. Senior lecturer and Co-course leader for Biological Sciences BSc Honours in the School of Life Sciences as well as co-lead for the Quintin Hogg Trust-funded project Cavendish Living Lab (CLL) Dr Pooja Basnett joined her students, Mehseen Ullah, Shivani Patil, Nadezda Zelve and Lou-Ann Quentin, at the festival to represent Westminster and bring light to the CLL. 

They showcased their urban farming strand, where they utilised food waste that was transformed into biofertiliser to grow food on the Cavendish Campus. This food was then donated to the local food bank, illustrating a circular model of production and consumption. They exhibited their novel hydroponics system made of sustainable materials, designed by Nadezda Zelve, a Second-Year Biomedical Science BSc Honours student, who said: “My experience at the Permaculture Festival was a great opportunity to promote the Cavendish Living Lab project and its mission towards sustainability. Engaging with a diverse audience allowed me to share insights into how we can address food security, environmental challenges, community engagement and education on sustainable practices. I believe it is crucial for outreach activities to extend beyond University into broader audience to increase engagement and promote collaboration to lay a foundation for societal change.” 

They also presented a costume designed using kombucha cellulose which was led by Nour Said, a Second-Year Architecture BA Honours student and CLL volunteer, who said: “This project with the Cavendish Living Lab allowed me to merge my passion for biomaterials and exploring fashion to create an interesting blend of the two worlds, something worth exploring more and could possibly be a real part of the fashion industry in the future.” The team are hoping to take this project forward and collaborate with the Fashion department at the University. 

Students then hosted a talk about the CLL’s current projects that are being undertaken: urban food growing, bioplastics production and water management. They spoke about bioplastics and fast fashion as well as their trip to the permaculture farm La Loma Viva in Spain, where they learned about the key principles of permaculture, teaching them how to implement their own growing space in the University. 

Mehseen Ullah said: “My involvement in the Permaculture event was helping with the preparation of our stand, as well as being a co-speaker for our presentation about the Cavendish Living Lab. It was a wonderful experience as we got to talk to like-minded people while also learning about other ways people have been sustainable.” 

Shivani Patil added: “Going to the Permaculture Festival was a great opportunity to discover more about the field. Presenting to those experts was also a great chance to promote the Cavendish Living Lab and its wonderful work. We had successful outcomes in the form of potential partnerships that I look forward to developing with the next team!” 

The Permaculture Festival is hosted every year, and this year was sponsored by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Capital Growth, Permaculture Association and LAND Permaculture Demonstration Network. The festival attracts around 600 people who come to learn about how the ethical design science of permaculture can offer sustainable and regenerative green solutions to different areas of modern life. 

About the event, Dr Pooja Basnett said: “It was amazing to participate in the London Permaculture Festival for the first time. The event was vibrant and offered an excellent networking opportunity with people leading sustainable businesses and organisations. I am so proud of our Cavendish Living Lab student outreach leaders whose workshop was very well received. We look forward to participating again next year.” 

This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger, 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society. 

Find out more about other recent projects under the Sustainable Biotechnology Research Group.