Sustainability is to the fore for Forth Valley College’s entire Creative Industries Department, and to help they are milking a very positive relationship with the Starbucks café based at the Stirling Campus.
It turns out that empty Starbucks oat milk cartons are ideal to print on and the staff have been saving empty ones for artistic students to use in their work, and the recycling means that the College saves money on ordering art and design materials.
The work of one student – Claudia Cuero from the Portfolio Preparation course pictured here working on the cartons – has been mounted on the Starbucks café wall for customers to marvel at.
Ewan John, said: “We have been using the empty Starbucks oat milk cartons to print on and they have been very kindly saving them for us. We have saved a fortune on buying perspex and reduced waste.
“Portfolio Preparation student Claudia Cuero explores sustainability in printmaking by using recycled Starbucks oat milk cartons in place of traditional perspex plates. This drypoint technique involves scratching an image into the surface of the carton with a sharp tool. Ink is applied and wiped, leaving it in the grooves. It is then transferred to paper using a press. The result is a richly textured print, created with minimal waste and maximum creativity.
“So the whole class has been involved and creating amazing prints from each and everyone of them. Sustainability is something that the whole Department and the College as a whole - is conscious of doing across all levels and everyone is behind that.”
