For the eleventh episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, we are joined in studio by Gordon Bateup. Gordon leads a Perth-based Project Management business and is the founder of Green Chair - a social enterprise established to connect physical items of value with people in need.
Gordon spent a good chunk of his career as a quantity surveyor which he describes as ‘an accountant of the construction industry’ before establishing himself as a hands on and inquisitive Project Manager. In 2020, after witnessing years of nonsensicle waste as a by-product of the commercial property industry he took action and established Green Chair which has since helped a number of non-profit and other worthy organisations receive over 65,000 units of quality furniture, white goods, technology and other items.
We loved being candid in this conversation with Gordon, while also sitting in admiration for the impact he has had in taking action over the past six years. This is someone who cares enough to be motivated to influence better outcomes for what would traditionally end up in landfill.
In this conversation we explore:
What motivated the establishment of a social enterprise.
The ‘ghost economy’ and some of the structures that enable it.
Short term cost uplift vs long term value retention.
Ensuring those less equipped to deal with trash don’t become a pseudo landfill.
Who is, and shouldn’t be, scared of second-life product being normalised.
The unexpected benefits for people involved in the process.
What interior designers and manufacturers could do to minimise what Green Chair struggles to re-home.
We hope you enjoy.
*please note that during this episode we mention the late Adam Paikos-Coe who was an absolute champion of a designer who passed away too soon. We apologise in advance if this surfaces undesired emotions for our listeners. We felt it was important that the content remained as Adam was an instigator and convener of impactful design decisions that have informed and inspired the approach of many (including us) since.
Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why?
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