No weblog update lately

There is much happening off-line…

Including big changes within our office structure

More to come!

BNO talks - Green Targets - 21 april 2011

The BNO ( Association of Dutch Designers), has invited LSDP as one of the guest speakers of the evening. The central theme is 'Setting Sustainability Targets' within a design agency.  

During our presentation we will talk about the project  'Desycling de Regenboog Groep", its integrated strategy and how we implemented it taking into account all aspects of sustainability at a local scale. You can  read more about this project here.

Happy 2011!

Inspiring low-tech high performance intervention by Volkswagen Italy.

Desycled Products in Japan

                     Bakkera Notebooks desycled from flour paper sacks.  

A line of desycled products designed by LSDP will be sold in the Museum of contemporary Art in Tokyo.


These products are part of the desycle strategy which LSDP has developed and implemented since 2008 for "Stichting the Regenboog" ( foundation that looks after the needs of homeless and drug addicts in the city of Amsterdam http://www.deregenboog.org/)

Japanese artist Tomoko Take participates amongst other 4 artists on the exhibition " Catalysis for Life -New language of Dutch art and design'" http://www.mot-art-museum.jp/eng/current.html. For this exhibition she has selected a couple of desycled products produced in the desycle workshop of the foundation as possible products to become part of her next project "Homeless Design" where she will collect "homeless" related products to create a collective platform of "homeless design products".

We are very enthusiastic that Desycling the Regenboog crosses boarders and we hope that more artists and designers become inspired by it in Japan.

Visit the weblog of Desycling the Regenboog Project (in Dutch):

http://www.desyclingderegenboog.blogspot.com/

A Desycle Lab in Amsterdam

The Desycle Stichting is preparing the set up of the Desycle Lab in Amsterdam. LSDP their team and desycling coaches are researching where the best spot is for the Desycle Lab to land in the city. Don't miss our next posts where we will inform you about upcoming desycling projects, activities and products.

To find out more about Desycling visit: http://www.desyclingamsterdam.blogspot.com/

Practical sustainability - Sustainable practicality

                                                                                                 Picture: Netta Tauber 

LSDP and Stichting Desycle have invited other organizations and companies to partnership in the development of an innovative project for 2011/2012. We cannot tell a lot about it at the moment, except that it involves a lot of great ideas, designing, producing, exhibiting, sharing and a very nice publication!

We will keep you posted.

More to come!

LSDP in Mexico City

Guia Mexicana de Diseno (http://www.mexicandesign.com/) and Universidad la Salle (http://www.ulsa.edu.mx/) in Mexico City invited LSDP to give a workshop for young designers about social design. Because we like to be hands on and put our knowledge into practice, we set up 8 designers together with an organization which takes care of girls living on the streets of Mexico city “Yolia” (http://www.yolia.org.mx/) to work together intensely during three days, to co-create new rewarding activities for the girls. These activities will help them learn new skills and acquire new responsibilities which will stimulate them to invest more time in their personal development. After the 3 day workshop we left a group of designers and an organization who are willing to work together to make this project happen. LSDP will assess them through the process.

3 days of intense hard work

Project Presentations

Evaluation with the directors

Workshop closing with songs inspired in the girls live's

The goal for the girls involved in this project

IJburg Werkt with the 5p’s. (people, planet, profit, pleasure and practicality)

In May 2010 we organized a creative session where Ymere (housing corporation in Amsterdam, the IJburg Marktmeester, Radar Advies (agency on social issues) and a group of 5 entrepreneurs exchanged their concerns, ideas and proposals about the start-up of a sustainable business in IJburg.
Leading the session through the 5p’s opened up all possible directions this project could take. It also allowed everyone to bring in their expertise to find what role they can take in every phase of this project. This unorthodox session lasted 4 hours of intense brain workout, but was worth the smiles and laughter’s of every participant.
A comprehensive 5p's report was the result of the research and activities organized which will set up the basis for the start up of this project in IJburg.



                       Early start with coffee and presentations.



                   Roland Heijnen en Peter van 't Klooster van
                   Pantar Amsterdam en Vincent Perotti van
                   Green Dot Company.

                                       Making 'intuitive' choices

                                       Mapping the project

Ijburg Werkt! How do you put together 5 socially responsible initiatives in one location?

IJburg Werkt!
How do you put together 5 socially responsible initiatives in one location?

LSDP was hired by the ‘Marktmeester IJburg’ Ymere (housing corporation in Amsterdam] and ‘Radar Advies’, to lead the first phase of this project. We've done this by diving deep into the wishes, needs and priorities of the different parties who will be part of this project. We have also visited IJburg and interviewed people around the neighborhood. We wrote a report where the success factors of this project are worked out in detail; we also gave advice about sustainable ways to approach this project to make it a success. This research is a solid basis of information that will be used throughout the whole project.

Some impressions of our tours around the neighborhood of IJburg in Amsterdam:

People, PLanet, Profit and Pleasure projects in 2009/2010

We have developed new sustainable business concepts for various clients in the housing development, tourism and garbage sector. As usual, we work close with our clients from the conceptual idea to a detailed action plan and/or the execution, adding values to their values. Follow our weblog in 2010 for updates on the execution and results of these projects.

Design 2 change!

LSDP has developed an instrument to stimulate ‘change’ within organisations. Through a series of design activities we reflect on our daily work roles in a playful way, which leads the participants to learn how to use their creative skills at work, making them more effective in their role.
In November we worked closely with ‘2switch’, an Arnhem based Dutch company specialized in the development and re-integration of special people into society.
The success of this project was accelerated by the inspiring participant’s willingness to adjust their talents into our present and challenging world needs.
We are very proud to introduce this ‘change’-concept which contains the values of our vision: Changing an organisation starts by changing its people, each and every member of the team. We focus on those people, since they make the profit, the planet and of course the pleasure!

Sustainable production workshop de Regenboog Groep

We developed this year two more great products within the desycled criteria. We first organized a brainstorm session where we thought and chose several products ideas together with the makers and the workshop leaders. Our goal was to have great product ideas for both target group (consumers and homeless people). We have now a list of 15 potential ideas. To start we selected the first two of the ranking list and we designed them. We also trained the workshop leaders into the design aspects of these products. Take a look at the project weblog: http://desyclingderegenboog.blogspot.com/ to get deeper in the process.


The desycling workshop of the Regenboog group in Amsterdam has developed an effective rhythm. This project has proven that patience in execution and persistence does lead to results in these type of circumstances. The original idea behind this workshop has motivated visitors to the shelter to commit long-term to the project and to go forward with their personal development. The shelter itself has picked up the basis put down by LSDP and now is in the process of taking this project to subsequent levels of execution and produce new products with its own resources.

Desycling Amsterdam strategy 2009: Desycle ‘at the table’ in Amsterdam New West

LSDP, the Desycle Foundation and the desycling coaches have been invited by Foundation Wilde Westen and Stedelijk in West to organize a desycling project for and with the neighbors of Geuzenveld-Slotermeer. The project took place in the location where Wilde Westen was executing “De kok, de kweker, zijn vrouw en hun buurman”, a project for het Stedelijk in West.

As a follow up of Desycling A’dam 08, LSDP organized a project in collaboration with the coaches in which we explored the habits and costumes of different cultures around the subject ‘Kitchens and Meals”. Around 50 people (children and adults) shared their cultural experiences and creative skills during the project’s activities.

The intensive collaboration resulted in specific products, like a large fruit bowl designed with recycled magazines and produced by a heterogeneous group of 40 people, plus concrete ideas which an enthusiastic group of women are willing to explore further and transform into further opportunities.

LSDP, in collaboration with the desycling coaches, and other organizations are searching for the resources to set up the development of these ideas into a business model which will benefit the personal development of the neighborhood women.



For more information about the project visit http://desyclingamsterdam.blogspot.com/

Sustainable architecture by children for children in Amsterdam!

Children are designing together with architects their ideal playhouse! This project is taking place in the innovative city of Amsterdam. We have designed and executed this project for our client Eigen Haard one of the largest housing corporations in the Netherlands who understands what our future cities need.

Mijn speelhuis (my play house) is simultaneously happening in Osdorp, Bos & Lommer and Slotervaart districts of Amsterdam New West. The ‘play house’ scale models will be exhibited in each district. We are looking forward to the second phase of the project where the children ideas can be realized in the neighborhood.

Follow the news about this project in the weblog (in Dutch) http://mijnspeelhuis.blogspot.com

Creative session at Syntrus Achmea

The dreamer recieving her dream

LSDP in request by Syntrus Achmea in Amsterdam organized the workshop under the title "Desycle your Dream'. The goal of the workshop was to remind the group how to find within their 'working teams' for the means to constantly improve their services to their clients.

Dream factories 'desycling' dreams

By implementing the creative process of the 'desycling strategy' the group was set into a different context from the daily working one. In this context they had to answer the question 'what is my retirement dream'. The teams became dream factories that had to satisfy the 'dreamers wishes' by designing and producing a desycled product that would represent these wishes.

During the exercise new questions were raised and the participants had to undertake different roles from the ones they have in their working environment. This experience allowed the group to reflect on the importance of finding and owning their role within team work.


For LSDP working with this large and heterogeneous group was very interesting. The differences in the group were not only cultural but also the participants attitude towards their job differed a lot from each other. During the whole process of the workshop we perceived that a lot more work on the communication/participation aspect of the group are needed to bust these team's enthusiasm to work together to deliver a better service to their clients.

Dreamers recieveing the products which represent their dreams

The creative process triggered the participants insight about their role in the company and towards their clients. One important aspect ‘humor’ and the ability to laugh at stressful situations helps to mitigate the unpleasant moments within the working environment.
At the end of the day we did see some sparkling eyes and heard some intense laughter throughout the activity which we expect the group will take further to their working environment.

Desycling De Regenboog Groep project

The Latin Sisters Design Productions (LSDP) are working on the setup of a desycling workshop and creating a new product design line in drop-in-centre Makom for De Regenboog Groep (DRG), an organization for homeless people and hard drug users. De Regenboog Groep welcomes them in drop-in centers and user rooms. To learn more about them look on their website: http://www.deregenboog.org/


Desycling is a concept developed by LSDP. In this strategy design, recycling and participation come together. The goal is to involve people, companies and public organizations in social and environmental theme’s and to stimulate to act and become aware. The desycle concept stimulates people’s creativity and encourages them to look different to garbage.

The pilot project
The pilot project is about setting up a desycling workshop. In this workshop Hi5-ers are producing design products. LSDP designs two products for the workshop. These products are made from garbage material, which are collected in the neighborhood from residents, companies and shops. The products made in the workshop will be sold in different shops in Amsterdam.

Hi5-ers
The desycling workshop is an activation projects for Hi5-ers. Hi5-ers are people who receive welfare and have lived for more than two years in Amsterdam. This pilot project is such a Hi5-project. The project offers the Hi5-ers to work with environmental issues and design.
A very important theme is the capabilities and motivations of the Hi5-ers. The production level and techniques are adjusted to their capabilities. Hi5-ers are a very wide group of different kind of people. Therefore research is done about this group of people.

Garbage materials & neighborhood participation
The garbage materials are collected by people who ride the ‘bakfiets’ in the neighborhood of Makom, the drop-in-center where the workshop is established. Residents of Oud-Zuid, organizations, shops and companies are asked to participate and collect some of their garbage. The type of materials that is used depends on the designed products, the availability and quantity of the supplied materials and its environmental aspects. The garbage of store chains, small shops and market stalls is explored.

To see the development and the results of the project check http://www.desyclingderegenboog.blogspot.com/

Feliz 2009!

Desycling Amsterdam 2008 a big succes!

Neighbors make trendy design products with their garbage

During 2008 LSDP organized a great project Neighbors from New-West in Amsterdam together with designers made a series of design products with their garbage which they self brought to the temporary ‘Desycle Center’.
During 4 months they worked together in workshops and transformed old cardboard boxes, plastic bags, old clothes and furniture in trendy bags, jewelry and hip wallets and lamps.
Other neighbors, shops and organizations worked together bringing their contacts for the project and supplying material, like the vegetable and fruits shop Emre and Juttersdok (well known second hand shop from Amsterdam) among others. As result there is a big local network that wants to continue desycling activities, like the 10 coaches that are now able to start training other people.

End of June all the results and the great design were exhibits in an event during 4 days in the famous Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam. The exhibition was also build with garbage and old materials; people were fascinated with the transformation. 7,000 pet bottles were giving form to the 4 pavilions where workshops and other desycling activities took place. The shop was always full of people who wanted to buy a desycling manual to transform their garbage in something new.

A public discussion was organized during the course of the event. It brought together people from different disciplines, like minister of Social Affairs of the neighborhood Westerpark, representatives of recycling companies, second hand companies, welfare organizations as HIVOS, designers and neighbors. They discussed themes as participation, recycling and the feasibility of a permanent Desycle Center to start in 2009. General conclusion was the willingness to work together in creating a better world, starting with local activities as Desycling Amsterdam.

We will post in the New Year more news about the plans for 2009! Look at the activities in the weblog: www.desycling08.blogspot.com

LSDP and Desycle at Droombaan

LSDP gave a great Desycle commission to the smart candidates of KRO’s television program Droombaan.

It was great to work together with the professional people of Eyeworks. Especially by the rushing Latin style that made us feel at home.

Watch for the results the program at Saturday August 10 from 20.05 – 20.40 hours at Nederland 3.

And further: http://www.droombaan.kro.nl/
http://droombaan.kro.nl/uitzendingen/seizoen1/uitzending5/20080803.aspx

We moved!

Last Wednesday we all moved out of Post CS building to our new offices at Vijzelstraat. The new building is called Duintjer CS. It is the former ABN AMRO building.

From now on our new address is:

Vijzelstraat 72
Office 2.14
1017 HL Amsterdam

Come and visit us!