Index
21 November 2011
Welcome to the hot seat
A children's stool made from completely biodegradable material that literally sprouts and grows at the end of its life is now a reality.
The award-winning stool is made from wheat starch, water, vinegar, glycerol, pea straw and grass seeds.
Once it reaches the end of its life The Kids Straw Stool can be placed into nature to bio-degrade, with the pea straw and grass seeds sprouting new life.
The stool is the brainchild of Dale Hardiman, an RMIT University student who won $2,500 for his idea after the stool was a runner-up in a leading national design competition.
Mr Hardiman, who is in the final year of his Associate Degree in Design, Furniture, said the ingredients cost $21.
The four key parts of the stool need to be cooked, something that can be done in a household kitchen, in less than five hours, using a saucepan and oven.
"This chair is a case of cook, sit, bio-degrade and grow. This helps promote health in the land. It biodegrades outdoors in five to six weeks and is ideal for children up to 10 years old," he said.
Mr Hardiman said that as population increased, the need for children's furniture would also increase.
"Being able to use standard cooking utensils and cook your children's furniture in the house, removes all transport and waste material. The entire life-cycle of the product stays within a single location," he said.
"The user needs to cook and create the stool themselves, building a relationship with the product.
"This hopefully promotes longevity until its intended life-span ends and also involves the child from a very young age in creating something and teaching them awareness of their environment."
Mr Hardiman went to Sydney recently to present his stool to the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Awards, where a panel of eight design leaders chose The Kids Straw Stool as one of four runners-up from a field of 60.
For interviews or comment: Dale Hardiman, 0435 406 049.
For general media enquiries: Kevin Slack, RMIT University Communications, 0439 499 008. For high-res jpeg images of the stool and Dale Hardiman email kevin.slack@rmit.edu.au
