Connecting people to the importance of personal impact, the power of responsible business and the need to live sustainably. 

 

Featured Stories

 
 
 
 
 

Pierre + Charlotte  × Matters Journal

Special Giveaway

 
 
 
workshop2_print copy.jpg
 
 

Stories

Featured
Equity Crowdfunding: Buying into the Brands You Believe in
Impact, Business
Equity Crowdfunding: Buying into the Brands You Believe in
Impact, Business
Impact, Business
BlockGrain: How Blockchain Is Helping Farmers
Technology, Food
BlockGrain: How Blockchain Is Helping Farmers
Technology, Food
Technology, Food
Women In Design That WORKAROUND
Design, Impact
Women In Design That WORKAROUND
Design, Impact
Design, Impact
Bea Johnson: The Zero Waste Lifestyle
Environment, Health
Bea Johnson: The Zero Waste Lifestyle
Environment, Health
Environment, Health
Garments For The Grave
Environment, Design
Garments For The Grave
Environment, Design
Environment, Design
Venice Biennale: Sustainability In The Sinking City
Design, Environment
Venice Biennale: Sustainability In The Sinking City
Design, Environment
Design, Environment
Dr. Gopi Krishna Vijaya: Morals & Technology
Technology, Health
Dr. Gopi Krishna Vijaya: Morals & Technology
Technology, Health
Technology, Health
Don't Sell Me Gender
Design, Business
Don't Sell Me Gender
Design, Business
Design, Business
Reground: Turning Waste Into A Resource
Environment, Business
Reground: Turning Waste Into A Resource
Environment, Business
Environment, Business
Money Talks: The Collective Power of Personal Impact
Design, Impact
Money Talks: The Collective Power of Personal Impact
Design, Impact
Design, Impact
What Is A Social Entrepreneur?
Impact, Business
What Is A Social Entrepreneur?
Impact, Business
Impact, Business
Indigenous Foods: Swallowing Our History
Food, Environment
Indigenous Foods: Swallowing Our History
Food, Environment
Food, Environment
 
 
 
 
 

Matters Journal × Monash University

Materials Engineering Tomorrow

 
 
 
Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 12.27.53 pm.png
 
 

Partner Content

 
 
 
 
 

Shop

Matters Journal
Print Editions

 
 
 
Screen Shot 2018-04-10 at 8.57.30 am.png
 
 

Follow Us

Botter (@rushemybotter), a Dutch fashion label, with their Spring/Summer show entitled 'FISH OR FLIGHT' at the Berlin Fashion Show last month protesting against ocean pollution.
"We wanted a way for as many people as possible to have the opportunity to invest in a brand they believe in." - Sam Davy, co-founder of @pass_a_ball . . Equity crowdfunding, which was legislated earlier this year, allows people to invest in a brand they love, receiving not a reward like most other crowdfunding platforms, but a share in the business. PARK SSC (@pass_a_ball) raised over $300,000 using Australia's first online equity crowdfunding platform Birchal (@birchalco). We spoke to the co-founders of both PARK SCC and Birchal about this exciting new opportunity to get behind the brands you believe in. . Link in bio.
January 11 2018 might not have been particularly memorable for most Australians but for some it was a milestone for Australian capital funding. Legislation was finally passed, in the wake of similar laws in the US, New Zealand and Britain, that opened the door for a new kind of crowdfunding. Platforms like Kickstarter use a reward-based crowdfunding model, where supporters are awarded a gift for their investment. However this new type of crowdfunding, called equity crowdfunding, allows supports to get a little more involved in the brands they love; rather than receiving a reward, supporters receive a portion of the business. We speak to Matt Vitale, co-founder of Australia's first online equity crowdfunding platform @birchalco, and Sam Davy (pictured), co-founder of the socially responsible soccer brand, @pass_a_ball, that successfully raised over $300,000 thanks to this new investment opportunity. . . Equity Crowdfunding: Buying into the Brand You Believe in An Article This Thursday 16/08 . Photo courtesy of PARK Social Soccer Co.
Chinese architecture firm @wutopialab_sh with the Sinan Bookstore in the Shanghai Sanctum, that is designed to represent or map the different parts of the human body and mind. Located on the bottom level with a labyrinth layout is the bookstore's subconscious, containing books on philosophy and history. At the very top, on the fourth floor, enveloped in a black and white colour scheme, are quiet nooks for reading and writing, representing the store's thoughts. The entire bookstore embodies the learning happening within its walls. "Let Sinan Books be like a lighthouse, guiding people's learning and thinking," state the architects.
"...that is the mantra of our business; delivering value back to farmers." - Sam Webb, COO of BlockGrain. . . Imagine if you could scan your beer, using your smartphone, and you could see exactly who produced it and how it came to be in your hand. An Australian company is not only trying to make that a reality, but they're attempting to radically overhaul the terrible inefficiencies when it comes to delivering stock from a farm to an end consumer. With the help of blockchain, BlockGrain are about to change how farmers farm. We speak to Sam Webb, COO of BlockGrain, about our global waste issue, empowering farmers and transparency. Full interview via the link in our bio.
Recently, a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN estimated that, globally, 30% of all food produced is lost or waste. BlockGrain, an Australian company utilising blockchain technology, is promising to completely transform how efficiently a commodity moves from the farmer to your pantry, ultimately minimising waste. Co-founded by a fifth generation farmer from the Mallee, BlockGrain seeks to empower farmers first and foremost with radical transparency. . . BlockGrain: How Blockchain Is Helping Farmers An Interview This Thursday 9/08
@seljakbrand make 100% recycled woollen blankets in Tassie from offcuts and operate within a closed loop system, turning your old, torn blankets back into new ones. Founded by two sisters, Karina and Samantha, @seljakbrand is another example of a company that is a 'vote for good' when it comes to spending your money on things you need or want, especially in the throes of winter! We spoke to Karina recently and she summed it all up perfectly. "Sustainability and minimising waste is a responsibility, not a nice-to-have, when designing and manufacturing things. Everyone knows the earth has limited resources. Closed-loop systems cycle the same resources over and over again so we don't have to extract new ones, or dispose of old ones. Plus, it's just so satisfying to make something useful and beautiful that was otherwise headed for the trash!" This sentiment reminded us of another circular economy hero, Kaitlin Reid from @reground, who we interviewed recently. "Firstly, our ethos is to turn waste into a resource and we really want mindset and behaviour to follow that change." Your waste is not only a resource, it's your responsibility. Let's close the loop!
"...to identify, assemble, create a platform for, and find new connections between a burgeoning movement of women focused on advocacy and activism within an expanded field of architecture.” - the curatorial statement for the current exhibit at @rmitdesignhub . . Women in design have been working around the structural biases prevalent in their male-dominated industries by engaging in activist practises. WORKAROUND is on right now at @rmitdesignhub and is an incredible series of broadcasted shows aimed at empowering young designers and architects that are trying to break away from convention. We speak to the curators and those behind the scenes about how women are 'working around' the patriarchy. Full story online now. Link in bio. . Photo by Tobias Titz
 
 
 
 
 

What's Happening

Events That Matter

 
 
 
 
Screen Shot 2017-10-23 at 12.25.13 pm.png
Categories —
Arts Design Environment Food Health Technology
Date Name