Lavandando: one of the eco-inventions of Chiara Probe, Venetian designer
A plastic (recycling) basket next to the rear wheel to put clothes, water and detergent. Just pedal and that's it.
From the circular economy to an exclusively Made in Italy project
In recent times, the concept of circular economy based on the three Rs has been spreading: reduction, reuse and recycling. A "green" production cycle that can bring benefits in economic terms.
According to the Ellen MacArthur foundation, with the widespread diffusion of a similar system, GDP (an increase of 7% per year in Europe) grows with considerable savings for the budgets of the states (800 billion by 2030).
However, sustainability does not only lead to economic savings and greater attention to the environment. But it can push towards new inventions. Like those of Chiara Sonda, a Venetian designer, who, in the perspective of eco-recycling, creates products that respect the environment. Just like Lavandando.
Lavandando: an exclusively Made in Italy creation
Chiara Sonda, daughter of a ceramist and a clothing shopkeeper, demonstrates her creativity as a young girl when she chooses the art school. For the University she enrolled in the Faculty of Design and Arts, where she laid the foundations for her new profession: the designer.
In this profession, in addition to the eye for aesthetics, knowledge of materials and the needs of future users is also needed. And for his degree thesis he designed Lavandando, a bicycle capable of washing clothes while pedaling.
Compared to traditional bicycles, in the rear part in addition to the wheel there is a recycled plastic basket with a porthole, where you can put water, detergent and clothes. Pushing on the pedals the basket turns together with the wheels, washing the clothes.
This way you can travel and clean with the same movement.
Lavandando is a work project exclusively Made in Italy: also designed for women in the South of the world, as in Africa where they do not have access to running water and electricity.
From Lavandando to other products of daily use
To learn the arts and crafts, the designer frequents the ceramic workshops of her city, which produce objects with a long tradition. In the cooking and processing of terracotta, the finished products, if considered defective, are no longer used. Chiara realizes that those scraps can one day come in handy and, after the invention of Washing, think of other everyday products.
So he creates a line of lamps called astrolamp, funnel-shaped and coated with a ceramic structure obtained from waste. Being of various sizes, these lights can be hung like a chandelier, held above a piece of furniture or placed on the ground.
