Sugru ❤️ September 2022
NEWS & STORIES ABOUT REPAIR, WASTING LESS, AND OTHER WHOLESOME STUFF THAT WE'RE ROOTING FOR THIS MONTH.
Reselfridges
A stalwart on the British high street since 1909, Selfridges is responding to customers’ demand for more sustainable shopping. By 2030, the department store group is aiming for almost half of its interaction with customers to have shifted away from the sell-sell-sell mentality of yesteryear, and to move towards the more environmentally sustainable way of shopping: resale, repair, rental and refills.
Selfridges already made headway last year after increasing sales of secondhand items by 240%, facilitating 28k repairs, renting over 2k items to customers and selling more than 8k refills.
We love to see it!
Entitled to the outdoors
If there was ever an ambassador for foraging, Alexis Nikole, aka @blackforager, would be the prime candidate. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Alexis describes herself as a foraging teacher and environmental science enthusiast. Wandering through woods, across beaches and around her neighbourhood, she will dispel myths, create ice cream from seeds, make onion blossom vinegar and so much more… always to the tune of an enthusiastic impromptu song.
Start your fun foraging journey today and give her a follow!
It's Second Hand September
Throughout the month of September, Oxfam are challenging everyone to only buy second hand items. A fun way to spread awareness and combat waste, use the hashtag #SecondHandSeptember with any second hand item you buy. Here are 6 reasons from Oxfam to get involved this year.
And it doesn't matter at what point of the month you start, every second hand purchase contributes to the fight against waste, and every sustainable act will hopefully nurture a habit for life.
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Support a worthwhile charity
With over 1 billion people in the world suffering from a disability, and most living in poverty, the work of Motivation – a global disability charity and social enterprise – is close to our hearts. Their vision is to create a world where all disabled people are included and can fully participate in every aspect of life. For over 30 years, Motivation has been providing wheelchairs to those in need. But these aren’t just any wheelchairs – they’re designed for rough, rural environments. Plus they’re fitted to World Health Organization standards by trained professionals. If you’re looking to support a worthy cause, Motivation is it.
Patrick Bergsma
We discovered artist Patrick Bergsma on Instagram and were blown away at the intricacy of his works, combining the traditional Japanese arts of both Kintusgi and Bonsai.
In his Expanding China series, Patrick combines these art-forms with the beauty of typically Dutch style of antique pottery, Delft Blue, and creates these unique and intricate structures.
Patrick says, “According to the philosophy [of Kintsugi] it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. In these works, it is as if the natural elements reshape these old cultural remains from our civilization.”
Stunning! Be sure to give Patrick a follow.
'The Pavement Surgeon'
Have you ever seen a more beautiful way to repair pavements and potholes? Anonymous artist Ememem, who cleverly calls themself the 'bitumender', has been beautifully mending streets across Europe for the past six years. Inspired by one of our favourite ways to repair, the traditional art of Kintsugi, Ememem forces us to really pay attention to the damage and decay in the urban world around us. If you're walking around in Norway, Germany, Spain, Scotland, or Italy, keep an eye out for one of their creations. They're truly a sight to see. 🧡
News from Patagonia
In a surprising turn of events, the founder of Patagonia, a leading sportswear and outdoor gear brand with a strong sustainable ethos, has decided to donate his entire company to the fight against climate change. Yvon Chouinard made history when he announced he was giving the brand up to a non-profit organisation called the Holdfast Collective, that will use all proceeds to fight the environmental effects of the climate crisis.
“As of now, Earth is our only shareholder... ALL profits, in perpetuity, will go to our mission to ‘save our home planet’.” - Patagonia company
Yes to Patagonia! We love to see it.
The waterways of Bali
Bali's waterways are drowning in plastic waste. It's a terrible sight to see. But Sungai Watch, an organisation founded in 2019 to tackle Indonesia’s huge plastic pollution problem, is making huge changes to the waterways of Bali. Filmmaker, eco-activist and co-founder of Sungai Watch, Gary Bencheghib, is documenting these incredible efforts. And it's fantastic to see the positive impact they're making. From wading through and cleaning up rivers of junk, to processing and recycling the collected plastic into long-lasting products, it's truly inspiring. We hope to see the organisation's work spread far and wide in the years to come!
