Three Architecture BA Honours students were chosen to present at the London Student Sustainability Conference 2022 on 24 February, an entirely student-led, collaborative event between six London universities which allows students to exhibit their work through presentations, posters and other performances or media on their work.
The aim of the conference is to promote the United Nations sustainability goals and encourage students to share their research, as well as giving students the opportunity to network and broaden their knowledge of the challenges and solutions facing the most critical sustainability issues.
Students Jack Morris, Nedal Harris-Ghosheh, and Jessica Abdul Matin from the School of Architecture and Cities were the three students chosen to participate in the conference. Nedal and Jessica submitted their posters alongside oral presentations, with both students winning two out of the three categories of the conference’s poster competition.
Nedal Harris-Ghosheh’s project, The Brentford Convention on the Management of Transboundary Movements of Electrical Waste, focused on the widespread issue of how old mobile phones are being disposed of by young people between the ages of 14 and 25. He found out that 5,761 phone screens break every hour worldwide, and over 70% of toxic pollution on landfill originates from electrical waste.
His project aimed to address and reverse the issues surrounding shipments of electrical waste to other countries, sometimes illegally, as well as creating a temporary space that produces useful items and materials from electrical waste. Nedal proposed that this would address the issue of the UK being the biggest culprit in exporting electrical waste illegally, and ultimately help to meet some of the United Nations global goals for sustainability.
Jessica Abdul Matin’s project, Stitchgether, focused on the issue of fashion trends causing overconsumption, which results in clothes ending up in landfill or third world countries. She found out that 60% of clothes are made of synthetic materials derived from petrochemicals, which can sit in landfills for 200 years.
Jessica’s project proposes a pavilion be made to be used by the residents of Brentford, West London, where they can donate their old clothes and create their own quilts. Through interactive activities with the residents, Jessica took forward the idea of responsible consumption and production, deciding to create a space where the old clothes could be reused, as well as serve a new purpose to the community. She proposed that the reusing and repurposing of clothing will help with less production of waste within the fashion industry
Talking about the conference, Dain Son Robinson, Sustainable Development Goal Coordinator at the University of Westminster, said: “It was so wonderful to have Westminster students presenting at this conference for the first time, especially since we also had the pleasure of hosting the evening networking event for the conference at our Regent Street campus.
“On top of that, it was absolutely amazing to have our students win two out of the three categories of the conference’s poster competition. What a testament to our academics’ amazing teaching and support for our students! We will continue building on this great momentum and energy towards Education for Sustainable Development at Westminster and highlight the amazing pedagogical work being delivered across our institution.”
Natalie Newey, Senior Lecturer from the School of Architecture and Cities, added: “Richa Mukhia and I, tutors for DS[2]02, are extremely proud of Jack, Jessica and Nedal, all dedicated Architecture students with bright futures in front of them!”
Find out more about Architecture, Interiors and Urban Design courses at the University of Westminster.
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