A look at the 7Rs of Sustainability: and the Projects on this Site

Often, the average consumer when starting to try to be sustainable starts with increasing recycling. Recycling is very important as it conserves resources and reduces energy and water consumption(this link has some statistics on the equivalent energy for recycling specified amounts of different materials).

Recycling is however only the last of 7 options in the chain of sustainability. Furthermore, not all items that are given for recycling are actually recycled. Some where between 15% and a third of all recycling streams end up eventually in landfills. Residues that cannot be recycled in recycling bales can account for 5 to 30% of recycling bales.

The projects on this website try to address as many of the 7Rs in innovative ways.

The 7 Rs:

1) Rethink- Change how you think about consumerism so that you buy less and buy more sustainable products. The Functional Charm project targets this R as well as the next two Rs( Refuse and Reduce) by looking at a way of making carrying reusable utensils in a fashionable and compact way.

2) Refuse- Refuse to consume products that are not sustainable.

3) Reduce- Reduce consumption generally.

4) Reuse- Upcycle an object that is used but in good condition for a new purpose. The Eco Deco Project looks at several DIY craft projects that take everyday household items and repurposes them. The Snappy Scraps project explores crafty ways of using sewing wastage generated by a local tailoring business in a practical manner and business savvy manner.

5) Repair- Fix damaged items.

6) Regift- Gift an item you once loved to someone who would like the item.

7) Recycle/Rot: The Compostable Paper/Plastic Material Project uses Kombucha and waste food(banana peals, apple cores, used tea leaves) to make materials that might be used as wrapping paper, a material for making bags and sweet boxes.