MAKE SMTHNG Week, with more than 273 events in 38 countries, asks people to #BuyNothing and #MakeSmthng instead.
Greenpeace, its global partners — Fashion Revolution, #BreakFreeFromPlastic, Shareable, Arts Thread, the Fab Labs Network and the Fab City Global Initiative, will bring together hundreds of designers, artists and makers to lead workshops where people can learn creative techniques of reuse, repairing, fashion upcycling and DIY.
Events include making sustainable Christmas presents, living a plastic-free life, community repair cafes, books and clothes swaps, and zero waste cooking — in 32 countries from Qatar to Peru, Canada, India, Germany, Italy, UK, South Africa and Spain.
On August first this year, humanity used up more natural resources than the planet is able to reproduce in a year. The over-consumption of convenience products like fast-fashion, single use paper and plastics, gadgets or toys designed not to last, and industrially-produced food, is pushing our planet to its limits.[1]
When[edit | edit source]
Nov 23 - Dec 3, 2018: Fri-Mon
2018 Report[edit | edit source]
Campaign to promote sharing and the maker movement draws thousands around the world
Global waste is reaching staggering levels and is set to worsen, if things don't change drastically. The combined waste generated by cities around the globe is projected to increase by 60 percent by 2025, according to World Bank data. While that might seem overwhelming, people are taking action on the local, national, and international levels to combat the problem, from running campaigns to curb the use of disposable plastics on the micro level to adopting the ideas of the circular economy on the macro scale.
For the second year, Shareable partnered with Greenpeace and other organizations for MAKE SMTHNG Week, which ran from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3. The campaign was a huge success, with almost 400 events in 48 countries that focused on promoting repair, reuse, and resource reclamation, and over 10,000 participants online who shared their experiences with the #MAKESMTHNGWeek hashtag.
The events "were about reinforcing local communities and promoting alternatives to consumption,” says Edyta Sitko, offline engagement coordinator at Greenpeace. “I have to say it has been pretty inspiring to watch.”
Shareable co-hosted events in both Totnes and Brighton in the United Kingdom as well as Berkeley, California. The Totnes ShareFest, hosted by ShareShed, Network of Wellbeing, and other groups, drew more than 800 people — around 10 percent of the population. Participants got to try their hand at carving spoons, upcycling clothing, making ornaments, sharpening tools, making Christmas sweaters, and more.
"We couldn't be more proud of and grateful for everyone involved in this truly amazing event," says Mirella Ferraz, coordinator at the Network of Wellbeing. "Much gratitude to our wonderful team of volunteers, all the collaborators, and the 800 plus people who attended it. All the work was well worth it, and it feels we managed to fully celebrate sharing, repairing and making, creativity, and collaboration."
The following week, Tom Llewellyn, Shareable's strategic partnership director, collaborated with the Ecology Center to lead a full house of participants in making reusable beeswax cloths in Berkeley, California.
"It's always heartening to see so many people learning new skills, reducing the waste that they produce, and actively," Llewellyn says. "A shift in culture has to start somewhere, and one of the most exciting outcomes was that a group of participants left with plans to replicate the workshop at a local elementary school so that every student can make their own reusable wrap."
While MAKE SMTHNG Week comes around only once a year, we hope you'll take inspiration from these events and consider hosting events throughout the year.[2]
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How to's[edit | edit source]
- This holiday season, host an event to make something for loved ones Shareable October 30, 2018
Quotes[edit | edit source]
“We are already drowning in stuff — stuffed wardrobes, garages, and kitchens – yet we keep on shopping for more fashion, gadgets, food, single-use plastic, toys, and cars. With our throwaway lifestyles we are fuelling climate change, pollution and the destruction of people’s homes and irreplaceable natural wonders. MAKE SMTHNG Week offers a fun and creative way out of this wasteful consumerism,”
“By sharing, caring, and repairing things we can make more of what we already own and give our beautiful planet a break,”
“Shopping does not make us happy. But being with friends and people, learning new skills, and valuing what we already have, does. So this Black Friday, buy nothing and make something!”
“Large corporations continue to put profits first, while they reduce the quality, repairability and versatility of their products. Through omnipresent advertising we are told, again and again, to buy more and more stuff we don’t need. Companies won’t change unless we show them people want something different. Together we have to build something that will make this outdated, wasteful model obsolete,” Robin Perkins, Make SMTHNG campaigner at Greenpeace.[3]
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External links[edit | edit source]
MAKE SMTHNG Week, includes: 'What you can do', Events calendar, Tutorials and Resources
References
- ↑ Greenpeace International
- ↑ Shareable, Dec 18, 2018
- ↑ Greenpeace International
