Bristol City Council’s CREATE Centre, located in Cumberland Basin, is designed to act as a vehicle for promoting sustainability and progressive environmental design and offer support, advice and information for such initiatives. Entry is free, and the centre hosts numerous events and exhibitions throughout the year. Recent highlights have included last months eco-design exhibition, which showcased entries to the Bristol Design Festival and sculptor Stuart Murdoch’s stunning recreation of the Suspension Bridge using Coke cans to mark the recent Recycle Week and now exhibiting until 3rd August.

The information available provides definite food for thought; one particularly memorable statistic is that if everyone in the South West recycled one more can each week, we’d save 32,291 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to taking 10,219 cars off the road for a year.

Although the centre specialises in helping large green projects, there is also a focus on small and achievable actions like this. As well as the gallery and various educational displays, the centre is home to a variety of environmental organisations, Bristol City Council’s Sustainability Team and public resources like conference rooms and a café with lovely river views. The definite highlight of any visit though is the adjacent purpose-built Ecohome, which is fascinating for both serious eco-geeks and those with a passing interest alike. Whether you’re thinking of creating your own green build or just want to green up your current dwelling, the range of tips and ideas is truly inspiring and may even lead to you wanting to build your own straw bale house!

CREATE is open Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm and the Ecohome is open 12-3pm

www.bristol.gov.uk/create

Alicia Roberts