Even though there have been some events on sustainable design before (see our coverage of Design Connection and the green section at Puro Diseno fair), this one comes with in a time of many projects and people that are revolving around the subject of sustainability in Argentina.

Much undeveloped than in the States or Europe, it seems 2009 will be the year green finally jumps to a larger audience than the small group of us that have been quietly watching this grow.

The organizers of the event, Ana Lisa Alperovich and Rodrigo Valdivielso, are hoping this will be a conversation starter for many designers that are not involved in the subject and for the audience in general, which is why they have opened the event to everyone with free entry.

The designers

The products that will be presented in the exhibition cover different categories and are a good representation of the actual state of ecodesign in Argentina.

There will be different kinds of products for the home like the Nuke efficient and non contaminant stove, Tribalia’s knitted rugs and accessories, Arqom’s furniture, andMinima Huella’s glasses from bottles and cardboard benches.

Arqom’s Nativo bench.

In clothing and accessories the festival will feature 12-Na garments with reinvented clothes, Indarra’s solar jacket and sustainable fabrics pieces, Manto’s traditional weavings made modern, recycled fibers Cargabags, advertising banners bags by Baumm, tires accessories by Neumatica, repurposed tights bags by Mestiza, andbonded leather bags by Gruba.

Cargabags.

There will be jewelry by Silvina Romero and Tota Reciclados; and toys byVacavaliente and Maminas.

The conferences and workshops

The entire program of conferences for the festival can be found online at theSustentable website.

All presentations and workshops are free of charge and no need for inscription, just show up at the right time and you’re done. There are talks about bioclimatic architecture, solar cooking, visual pollution, clean energies, organic gardening, sustainable textiles, local resources, organic eating and solar collectors, among others.

Some interesting people that will offer the talks are El Viaje de Odiseo and their anti-plastic-bags campaign, Miki Friedenbach, and the fellows from Xcruza studio and their solar cooker.

The workshops include one about advertising banners reuse by Baumm, another about discarded textiles design by Silvina Romero, another about composting and organic gardening, and one more about PET bottles reuse.

Remember, it’s all happening this weekend, from November 28 to December 2, from 11 am to 7 pm, at the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden (good opportunity to visit this beautiful green space located in Santa Fe Av. 3951; subway line D, Plaza Italia Station). Free parking for bikes is offered at the entry.

(Disclaimer: this writer voluntarily contributed with the organization of this event).

Sustentable ’08