The 6heads Christmas as Unusual event showcased a range of ideas for a more sustainable festive season. One of the zones looked at how technology can be used to enable a Green Christmas.

The exhibition featured a 3D printer that had been built by the Imperial College Robotics Society and was printing machine parts during the event. In a timeframe slightly longer than one evening, the machine could even reproduce itself, creating the parts required to assemble another 3D printer. The material used was a polymer derived from corn starch that can be melted down to produce different objects. So whatever you might choose to build for this Christmas, it can be turned into something new next year (such as the 3D printed Yoda on the right).

Another stall in the technology zone showcased ideas from the collaborative FutureScapes project that Sony and Forum for the Future are engaging in. A team from sustainability communications agency Futerra presented “Wandular” – a concept of how a phone might look like in 2025 that would be designed to last for a lifetime. Participants of the event were engaged to think about what would make them want to keep such a device for much longer time period than we are currently using existing gadgets. You can read more about this area on Futerra’s blog about the event here.

Furthermore, the exhibition included the Top Ten Technology tips for a Sustainable Christmas where people discussed their favourites – see the image below for more detail.

We will be posting blogs about the other areas featured in our event – Fashion, Food & Drink, Activities and Travel so watch out for more ideas to enjoy a sustainable festive season!