Design & Nature exhibition brings art with sustainability to students
Usina São Martinho helped hundreds of students and teachers from municipal schools in
Dumont and Pradópolis, in the state of São Paulo, increase their knowledge of the arts and
subjects related to sustainability. The event, held between February 12 and March 12, provided
participants with a special day of visits and learning activities.
Divided into groups, students first learned about the activities of the Environmental Education
Center (CEA), located in the mill’s headquarters, where they were shown several practical
examples of sustainability and respect for the environment. Afterwards, they visited the Design
& Nature exhibition in the Ribeirão Preto Art Museum (MARP), 40 kilometers from the mill.
This exhibition, which traditionally takes place in São Paulo, was brought to Ribeirão Preto for
the first time by Origem Produções. Usina São Martinho was one of the first sponsors of the
project, which contains the work of 42 Brazilian designers faced with the challenge of creating
unique pieces uniting aesthetics, functionality and durability with themes such as the protection
of natural resources, the reduction in pollutant gas emissions, and respect for social and cultural
issues.
The students visited the exhibition accompanied by monitors and received a brochure on
sustainability at the end of the visit. Teachers also received audio-visual material that can be
used in the classroom. According to Marici Vila, Head of Origem Produções, the aim was to
facilitate the access of people in upstate São Paulo to innovative high-quality design produced
with responsibility.
Also according to Marici Vila, the project sought sponsors that promoted sustainability in their
operations, a practice encouraged by the Design & Nature exhibition. The exhibition’s
sustainable design criteria include the protection of natural resources; the reduction of pollutant
gas emissions; social and environmental policies; recycling and closed cycles; ease of repair
and upgrading; aesthetics and durability; multi-functionality; and respect for culture and ethics.
About São Martinho
The São Martinho Group is one of the largest sugar and ethanol groups in Brazil, and operates
three mills: São Martinho, in Pradópolis (in the Ribeirão Preto region of São Paulo state);
Iracema, in Iracemápolis (in the Limeira region of São Paulo state); and Boa Vista (in
Quirinópolis, 300 km from Goiânia, in Goiás state); as well as a unit producing a ribonucleic acid
known as Omtek, which is also based in Iracemápolis. For more information, please visit the
website at www.saomartinho.ind.br.
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