We want to change the paper supply chain from forest to farm. At Fresh Press, we explore and enact the potential of regional sustainable agricultural fiber waste as paper and paper products. Watch our video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EYXIOGXHh8
Project
Fresh Press Paper
Sustainable Materials · Circular Economy · Public Engagement
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Design Problem
Change the paper supply chain from forest to farm. www.freshpress.studio.
Research Question
How can we create a more sustainable alternative to tree-fiber paper and pulp packaging? (Read more >)
Watch this video to learn more about Fresh Press
Research Component
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View the Fresh Press Branding Guidebook
Outreach Component
The public outreach arm of Fresh Press grew from our exposure in the media and our desire to educate our campus and community about sustainability through the lens of paper and agriculture. We opened our doors in 2019 to free and fee-based papermaking workshops
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Research Outcomes
Fresh Press is the only research lab at a university in North America focused on the testing and creation of papers and building materials that are viable for commercial use from agricultural residue fiber sourced from an on-campus sustainable farm. The research and community engagement ecology of the lab is akin to an amoeba one that is active and changes with each new scholar or student who joins.
- Papermaking Community Workshops: Storytelling, Transformation, and Therapy, $ 8,000 (NEA)
- A Case for a New Case Paper: Co-engineering Library Conservation Materials from Locally Sourced Agricultural Waste, $18,673 (2019-2023)
- A Campus Circular Economy – From Farm to Table & Desk, $37,695 (2016)
- 3-D Pulp: Crop Residue At Small and Large Scales, $14,522 (2016)
- Farm and Fiber, $79,620 (2014)
- Off-Grid Sustainable Farm, $68,416 (2012)
- Agri-fiber Paper Lab, $42,130 (2011)
Credits
Co-Founders: Steve Kostell & Eric Benson
Studio Manager: E. Ainsley
Past Studio Managers: Megan Diddie, Sophia Pipathsouk, Veronica Pham
Exhibitions
Want to learn more? Get in touch.
