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Visiting a repair cafe

Today I travelled down to Exmouth, Devon to visit one of the repair cafes that are put on around the country to take a look at the monthly event that is put on, and to interview a couple of those who volunteer to help out. I discussed how this event is beneficial for the environment and the reasons behind getting involved with this, whether it is for a chat or to repair a special item that you would otherwise have to replace.

To hear more about the environmental benefits of repair cafes, the full interview will be released on the 8th January.

Photo taken from the Repair Cafe Exmouth Facebook page.

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Five easy ways to be sustainable

To reverse the shocking statistics about clothing waste and the fashion industry, we must obtain a more sustainable lifestyle. It can be difficult to know where to begin to make your wardrobe more sustainable, so here are five simple ways that you can do so.

Purchase less

A huge issue that we have is consumption, as we are buying too many clothes. The majority of clothes that we purchase are not worn as much as they should be, and tonnes of good quality clothes are thrown away. We should lean to purchase less so retailers will see that the demand for new clothing is not as high, so as a result they will produce less.

Choose fabrics wisely

When you buy and wash clothes that are made out of fabrics which use micro fibres, this ends up polluting the ocean. Micro fibres do not break down so marine life are ingesting them, which means they are working their way into our food cycle. It is instead best to purchase clothes which are made out of certified organic cotton as the process from the growth of this cotton to it being made into fabric is monitored, and no toxic substances are used which is better for the environment.

Don’t throw away your clothes

Throwing your clothes away will mean that they will be sent to landfill, when they could probably be re purposed and re used to provide them with a longer life. If you no longer wear an item of clothing, you should think about what will happen to it if you throw it away, and instead consider taking it to a charity shop so someone else can enjoy the item.

Shop second hand

Buying second hand is a great way to develop a sustainable wardrobe as the clothes have already been made, making this significantly better for the environment. There will be no extra production of clothes to produce a new item of clothing for your wardrobe, and instead of being thrown away, the clothes that you find will get a longer lifespan. It is also easier to shop second hand now, as online shops such as Depop and eBay are great websites that you can use to find second hand clothes, but you can also go into charity or vintage shops too.

Repair clothes that you already own

If you do not find yourself wearing a particular item of clothing, it can be repurposed into another to give it a new lease of life. Similarly, any broken item of clothing that you already own can be repaired so you are able to wear it again. This will not only be better for the environment, but this will also be more cost cost effective as it will save you from having to buy a new item of clothing.

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The success of Hubbub

Almost six years ago, Hubbub was formed. With £25,000 and a clear set of principles, Trewin Restorick started this charity. This is an environmental charity which creates campaigns to make a difference, successfully inspiring healthier and greener lifestyle choices by producing playful and fun campaigns that are easy to get involved with. Their initial aim was to create environmental campaigns that engage with a mainstream audience, which discussed the things that people are passionate about, collaborated with organisations who shared the same ambitions, measure the impact and shared their results, and delivered a positive change. 

So here are some of the differences that they have made:

Gift A Bundle

In 2016, a pilot version of the campaign called ‘Bundle of Joy’ was launched. This looked at passing on outgrown baby clothes to those who need it, and across four weeks 252 bundles and 1,500 pieces of clothing were collected. In 2017, Hubbub collaborated with Mothercare and 2,000 bundles were gifted by customers, which is about 20,000 items of clothing. In 2018, the Gift A Bundle campaign led to 2,055 bundles of clothing being gifted and 52,000 items of clothing being redistributed. 

Bright Friday

In 2016, the first Bright Friday campaign took place. Instead of encouraging people to give into the Black Friday sales, Hubbub created a campaign which instead reminded people that we don’t need to purchase new clothes to feel good. Across the 2016 and 2017 campaigns, it extended the life of 639 items of clothing. 

Square Mile Challenge

In 2017, bright yellow coffee cups recycling bins were installed around London, aiming to motivate people to recycle their coffee cups. In 2018, this collaborative campaign had helped to recycle just under five million cups.

Ballot Bins

In 2018, Hubbub noted that they had sold 900 cigarette Ballot Bins across the world which had helped to cut cigarette littering. They discovered that by placing playful messages on bins this persuades people to cut littering and increase recycling. 

Give It A Grow

In 2019, Hubbub collaborated with the Mayor of London to make growing in cities easier, by creating a planting kit and giving away 10,000 of these to 18 collection points across London. As well as 10,000 of these kits being given out, 5,800 people signed up to the newsletter and the campaign had a reach of almost 3 million on social media. 

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My interview with Dorset Waste Partnership

Today I visited Dorchester for the first time to meet with Kirsten Juniper, Recycling Officer for Dorset Waste Partnership. I was invited to visit her SWISH event, where residents of Dorchester gave in their old unworn clothes so they could have a look at what had been given in, and take away any clothes for free. 

I was able to interview her and Dan Williams, another Recycling Officer for Dorset Waste Partnership, to ask them about what happens to textiles when they are wasted and not recycled and I also found out about the work that they do and the event that they were holding. 

To find out more about this information given, the full article will be released on the 8th of January.

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My interview with Beatrice Turner

Today I was lucky enough to interview sustainable blogger and minimalist, Beatrice Turner. She successfully runs a blog and Instagram where she writes and posts about her everyday sustainable choices, mainly focusing on fashion. During this interview we spoke about her journey to becoming sustainable and how she uses her platforms to educate her followers on sustainable fashion, and the issues that are present in the fast fashion industry.

To hear more about this interview with Beatrice Turner, then I will keep you updated on this blog and the full article will be published on 8th January.

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My interview with Hubbub

I am on my journey home after taking a trip to London to Somerset House to meet with Sustainability Intern at Hubbub, Kirstie Brittain. We met for a coffee and a chat this morning to discuss the work that the environmental charity, Hubbub, is doing to work towards a more sustainable and happy environment.

It's amazing to hear about why it is so important to make lifestyle changes to be more sustainable with fashion, and to hear about their successful campaigns that they are putting in place to teach people how to do this.

To hear more about our conversation, keep revisiting this blog and watch out for the full article on the 8th January.

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What is this about?

Follow this page to stay educated about the detrimental impact fast fashion is having on our environment. I will be looking into different solutions we should adopt to help save the planet, and I will be using this platform to share my research and findings. I hope to create an urgency for change and teach my audience how important it is to act now.