The idea
My project would be divided in a number of workshops where local residents will be guided through walks to some areas and green spaces in the borough of Haringey and will clean them from litter while rescuing household waste that can be reused (or will bring it from home). After that, we will arrive at a venue and start upcycling our waste into creative craft items. I will lead the sessions teaching people how to realize objects and accessories useful for the daily routine from domestic waste and encourage them to suggest similar ideas, while promoting environmental awareness. Each session can focus on a specific material, including an informative part about the impact and nature of it (e.g. metal, paper, plastic). People will make a different item for their homes every time and will experience local issues and solutions related to their waste. Beyond educating about sustainability and recycling, we will promote local participation, responsibility and sociability.
What we'll deliver
- Promote information, behavioral change and responsibility on the 3 Rs and environmental problems within the community
- Cleaning and improving green spaces and local areas from litter while learning about sustainability and recycling
- Document the project and residents' involvement through pictures and videos
- Workshops on creative recycling - hands-on activities - to produce craft items
Why it's a great idea
I believe the best way to convince people to take responsibility for our environment and the community is by inspiring them with activities that make them feel practically involved while showing the concrete impact of their action. With waste being one of the main plagues of our time, it is determinant to educate to a different attitude and lifestyle, that lowers consumerism and recovers the precious values of recycling, reusing and making things ourselves.
I believe it is necessary to transmit the message that all the waste that we produce implies a huge ethical responsibility, and that a big part of it can stop to be waste, if we have enough creativity to transform it. Running Creative Recycling Workshops after cleaning from litter the place where we live, will show how important is our individual commitment as residents and how to reduce, recycle our daily waste and turn it into new things: a direct, effective, fun way to work towards those aims.
Steps to get it done
- Buying resources and material to collect litter and run creative recycling sessions
- Advertising sessions to the local community
- Document the project while it happens through pictures and videos
- Individuate routes and path to walk while collecting litter and a venue as arrival point to run the practical activity
- Plan several different sessions with a different waste material as focus
We will run between 4 and 6 two-hours-long sessions across 3 months, ideally on weekends - either starting in October or later on depending on timing needed to finalise and put in place the project.
Each session will start with a walk (30' to 1H) around Haringey (Haringey Walks can be a reference to start), crossing as much as green space as we can, during which we will explore the area and clean from litter with equipment (litter picking tongues and bags). At the end of the walk we will stop at a venue and will run a 1H session of Creative Recycling Craft where we will talk about the impact of waste, learn about sustainable lifestyle and responsible citizenship and turn the waste we found or that we brought from home (in case of safety issues) into upcycled items.
