4 September 2009
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| The Veggie Patch |
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| Joanna Szczepanska |
A Monash University industrial design graduate will present her award-winning water-saving design to political leaders at the World Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December this year.
Joanna Szczepanska recently won the Index: AIGA Aspen Design College Challenge for her modular, adaptable garden called "Veggie Patch" - designed to enable people living in high density urban areas to grow their own vegetables and reduce their eco-footprint using a minimal amount of water.
The flat-pack garden allows people to create as much or as little garden space as they need. A plywood framework provides the base for "cultivation pockets" - rubber matting made from car tyres with pockets that hold soil and grow vegetables.
The pockets can be adjusted in depth and circumference giving home gardeners the ability to grow a range of produce including larger fruit trees and vegetables all in the same plot.
The use of adjustable drip irrigation is what makes the Veggie Patch water efficient. A metre-long Veggie Patch with 15 cultivation pockets will use about only one-fifth of the water used for commercially-grown produce.
Ms Szczepanska, who is now studying in Holland, said she designed the product with sustainability in mind, integrating irrigation and vermi-composting (the use of worms) to create a "cradle to grave" approach to home gardening.
"The Veggie Patch can be used to educate communities, families and individuals about the importance of food and nutrition every day while empowering them to make their lifestyles more sustainable," she said.
"It will help people to reduce transport costs, use of packaging, processing and flood irrigation at the beginning of the food cycle, and to reduce their CO2 emissions and use of landfill space at the end."
Ms Szczepanska's design was based on her final year project at Monash University and was judged the best of 225 student projects from 115 universities in 27 countries. She said she looked forward to presenting her project to delegates at the World Summit.
"The win has not only provided me with the opportunity for my project to be implemented but has also enabled me to become a confident, young designer, who can push for change locally and globally," Ms Szczepanska said.
Monash Department of Design senior lecturer Russell Kennedy said Joanna's win was the most significant international prize ever awarded to a Monash design student.
Ms Szczepanska received a $10,000 grant to be put towards implementation of her project.
For more information or to arrange interviews contact Shaunnagh O'Loughlin, Media and Communications, on +61 3 9903 4843 or 0448 574 148.
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