*This article first appeared in our Simply Green digital magazine
Winnie McHenry
The concept of “going green” is often described as a journey. First, we must become aware of our impact, and then we must equip ourselves to take action.
We do this by educating and upskilling ourselves to make a positive impact. When we think about “saving the planet”, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and disempowered by the urgent need for large-scale change.
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But the journey begins with a single step. Fortunately, we are not alone. There are people whose journeys we can learn from and who can inspire us.
Upcycle.co.za provides alternative waste management strategies for corporates and trains communities and individuals to see value in waste and value in their own lives through crafting. Everybody and everything has value. You harness value by giving it an opportunity to flourish and time to grow.
I discovered there was a toolkit in my trash and I grew it into a business. We do workshops on setting up your home recycling system. We teach people how to do a waste audit, design a waste area and set up a composting system from discarded materials.
We inspire and show people how to take their home’s waste management to the next level. Often we are too quick to jump in the car to go buy something new. Lockdown taught us that we can turn challenges into opportunities and we challenge people to change the world by changing the way they see it.
If you look in your dustbin, there is a craft kit waiting to be transformed into something amazing.
1 Know your impact:
Calculate your ecological footprint . Audit your consumption and waste in your home
2 Change your mindset:
Educate yourself about where the products you buy come from, how they are made and if the waste they produce can be recycled through your local recycling centres. Not all centres accept the same materials, so send them only what they can process. This will make you aware of the challenges involved in recycling.
3 Take the first step:
Even starting by simply separating at source can have a big impact on the environment and community. By placing different recyclables in separate bags you save informal waste pickers time and help prevent health hazards associated with mixed waste. Use your leftover grey water to wash your recyclable materials before adding them to the bin.
4 Try something new: You can find a host of ideas that you can craft in your home at (www.upcycle.co.za/initiatives/projects). Spending time crafting with your children, family, friends or community helps teach the value of waste and inspires creative problem-solving.
5 Show your work:
Share your “amazingness” with the world – we need to see the good things that are happening to inspire more action. Post your creation and get more inspiration on our Facebook page.
*Winnie McHenry is the owner of Upcycle which creates green solutions for your waste by reinventing it and giving it a new purpose, as opposed to recycling it.
