Circular economy in practice - Workshops

With the next activities, your participants will get to experience first hand some alternative circular methods and principles, and get to organise their own local action to raise awareness and practice Circular Economy.

UPCYCLING TEXTILE - introduced by Youth Express Network

DESCRIPTION

This workshop will include two textile productions: the creation of a tawashi (japanese sponge made out of old clothing), and the creation of a no-sew bag. It can be organised with a group. It aims at showing easy ways to avoid throwing away textile, reuse and repurpose clothing that we don’t want to keep. It also will allow you to inform young people on the impact of fashion and overconsuming clothes, through a fun, practical and simple activity.

Around 2 hours

- The tawashi workshop will require textile in the shape of a « sleeve »: socks, leggings, tights, pants or the sleeves of a long-sleeved t-shirt or cotton sweater. For the bag, you will need a t-shirt (short or long sleeve). Clothes or textile that would have been thrown away: the clothing items can be old clothes, damaged clothes, clothes that don’t fit anymore or that are out of style or any other textile. - Only for the tawashi workshop: you will need a tawashi board OR a make one, with a small square wood plank + 20 nails + a hammer. See pictures below:

- Scissors - Tables and chairs to be more confortable - Optional : to customise your bag, you can use tie-dye, heat transfer paper or fabric pens.

TIME NEEDED

MATERIAL NEEDED TIP

It could be useful to work in partnership with a professional sewer for more complex workshops on textile upcycling, if you intend to create more complex clothing and need sewing machines, or want to teach more complexe sewing techniques as well, such as the patchwork technic.

INSTRUCTIONS

INTRODUCTION

This workshop is focused on textile, eco-friendly fashion. Introduce your workshop with a presentation of the context, maybe explain the impact of fashion waste. It is also very important to explain the various ways a person can dispose of their unwanted clothing: highlight the fact that your clothing might serve or fit other people, talk about selling, and donating. Upcycling and repurposing is only one way of making clothing circular.

PREPARATION

Before the event, make sure you have enough clothing for all your participants. You can invite them to bring their own unwanted clothing. Allow them to choose and/or exchange their clothing to get an item, color or pattern that suits them.

TASKS

TAWASHI WORKSHOP • Cut your socks, tights or leggings into 10 rings up to 8cm thick. • Attach the rings to the nails vertically: secure one ring to the nail closest to you on the left and stretch it to attach it to the opposite nail. • Attach 4 more rings vertically. • Weave the remaining rings horizontally, alternatively over and under the vertical rings: attach a ring to the top left nail on the left side of the square, and pass it over the first vertical ring, under the second vertical ring, over, under and over and then hook it to the opposite top right nail on the right side of the square. • Continue and attach 4 more rings horizontally, but weaving the opposite way with each new ring. • The final phase will hold the sponge in its shape. Unhook any ring from its nail, then unhook a second ring right next to it. Pass this second ring into the first ring. Hold on to the second ring and let go of the first ring. The second ring now becomes the “first ring”.

Continue this step all around your square. Tighten as you go, as needed. • The final ring that you end up with is the hook that you’ll use to hang and dry your tawashi sponge! You can tie it with a knot so the sponge will hold its shape.

• Watch this video to learn how to make a tawashi: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAz8dUZO3TY

NO-SEW BAG WORKSHOP • Cut off the arms of the shirt • Cut a deeper U neckline • Cut the extra fabric from the bottom of the t-shirt to adjust the bag to the size you want (optional). • At the bottom of the t-shirt, cut fringe strips about 7 cm long and 2 cm wide. • Tie the front and back fringe pieces together (on the inside for a neater look). • Custom phase (optional). Invite your participants to customise their shirt with colors or a message.

• Watch this video to learn how to make a no-sew bag: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgpaM3u2zng

OUTCOME

The participants will go home with a useful item, made out of clothing that would probably have ended up in a landfill.

DEBRIEFING

When debriefing with your participants, you can open a group reflection on other objects that can be reused easily, and waste that can be prevented.

ZERO WASTE RECIPES - introduced by Youth Express Network

DESCRIPTION

Food is part of our vital needs and it is a significant source of waste because of over-packaging and overconsumption. We have gotten used to throwing away wrappings and food without consideration of the impact this waste produces on the environment. Plus, although recycling is part of a solution, it is often wrongly assumed to be a perfect and clean answer, when it is in reality only partially efficient. Approaching food can be a good pedagogical way of showing how one can change perspective on the way they consume and dispose of food. This cooking workshop will allow participants to learn accessible, easy recipes to prevent food related waste and make the most of food using food scraps in a circular way. Some inclusion points are nonetheless important to keep in mind: people don’t all have the same access to food (cost or quality), culinary know-how varies from one individual to the other, and aggressive commercial strategies reach us at different levels. Moreover, some people have different diet restrictions or choices, so keep this in mind.

PREPARATION

For this activity, you will have to search zero waste or eco-friendly recipes on the internet that can be made with the material available at the location of your event. You will find examples or recipes below. Here’s a list of topics that should/could be discussed through the group brainstorming (research more information to be prepared and able to answer and teach valuable info to your participants): - Consuming meat has an impact on the environment. - Instead of throwing away vegetable scraps, composting them reduces methane emissions and creates natural fertiliser. - From plastic wraps to sponges, the kitchen is one room of a house that creates a lot of waste. Share alternatives that can prevent this waste production. - Zero waste or Low waste cooking is beneficial for the environment and also allows you to save money. - Buying local and in bulk, avoiding transformed and over packaged products.

TIME NEEDED MATERIAL NEEDED

The duration will depend on the recipe and the available material • Depending on the recipe, it could be convenient to have access to a kitchen, or at least some cooking utensils. • + Ingredients needed

INSTRUCTIONS

TASKS

• Gather your group in the room and invite a group reflection and discussion of the topics mentioned above. What is the waste produced in the kitchen? What are methods or tips that you can implement to avoid such waste? What food scraps that are usually disposed of can actually be used for other purposes? • Show alternatives to food waste and waste management in the kitchen. • Start the cooking workshop with your chosen recipe.

OUTCOME

Your participants should have produced a recipe that they can make later at home, and learn alternatives to lower their impact on the environment.

DEBRIEFING

Questions that can be used to initiate debriefing: How was this activity? Do you think these alternatives are easy or hard to implement? What idea will you bring back to your home?

GARDEN SCRAPS PESTO The following pesto recipe is convenient because it will not require many utensils and it is a cold recipe (If you can access a oven or stove, you can look for more complex recipes on the internet following the key word “Zero Waste Recipe”). It is made out of vegetables’ scraps, and can be applied to at least 2 vegetables that are very nice to eat raw as appetizers: carrots and radish. The aim of these recipes is to produce Zero or very little food waste. Any waste produced should be of vegetable origin and should go into a compost. This is very important: to ensure that no other waste is produced, make sure to buy the vegetables and other ingredients in bulk, with as few packaging as possible. Prepare your carrot sticks or fresh radish, and make sure you keep the radish stems and carrot tops.

PESTO RECIPE

▢ Garden scraps (radish stems OR carrot tops) ▢ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ▢ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese ▢ 1 garlic clove ▢ 1/4 cup pinenuts or nuts ▢ 1/2 cup pistachios ▢ 1/4 tsp sea salt ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper ▢ 1 lemon juiced Grind and mix all the ingredients, and you get a pesto, ready to be spread on a piece of bread !

EXAMPLE