There is an urgent need to end the ‘Waste Age’ - the current system our construction industries operate in. Globally, the construction industry creates an estimated third of the world’s overall waste, and at least 40% of carbon dioxide emissions. In the UK, a third of all waste sent to landfill is made up of waste from the construction industry.
How can we prioritise the reuse, recycling and processing of materials and existing resources in our built environment so that we can Be Good Ancestors to people and planet?
In this meetup, we’ll learn about creative approaches in the construction and materials sectors that use re-use materials and new technologies to disrupt and change how we think about waste.
Talks by:
Debbie Ward, The Re-Use Hub Wolverhampton
Debbie is somewhat of a Circular Economy geek and she is fuelled by the belief that creating a Circular Economy is part of the solution to get us humans out of the mess we have made, and are continuing to make, of the planet. She'll be sharing the work of The Re-Use Hub, which supports the construction industry to cut waste, make better use of materials, and lower carbon emissions. This is done by saving usable products and materials from being downcycled, burned, or sent to landfill – and instead helping them get reused. This keeps valuable resources in use for longer.
The Hub is also open to the public, offering a wide range of low-cost materials for DIY, building and creative projects – making reuse easy and affordable for everyone.
Making together:
And as always, we’ll be making together! Dig through a 'skip' of waste materials, and use recycled wood and plastic, plastics, off-cuts of insulation board, to make the loudest (and most beautiful!) ornate door-knocker you can...
We'll be hosting regular community meetups every 3rd Thursday of the month! Come along and meet your neighbours, take part in some crafting and let us know what you'd like to see at future Community Meetups. Refreshments will be provided.
About WeCanMake
WeCanMake is a neighbourhood test-space for imagining and making new ways to create homes that build social infrastructure and community wealth. Rooted in the council-built estate of Knowle West, Bristol, we are a Community Interest Company, operate as a community land trust, and are part of art and tech collective Knowle West Media Centre.
WeCanMake has developed a new model to do housing differently, and through creative community-driven innovation. This includes creating a new supply of land for community-led homes, charting a new route through the planning system, using Modern Methods of Construction to diversify and localise the production of new homes, and creating a bottom-up approach to tracking impact and social value.
Over the coming months, WeCanMake will be running a series of workshops for other communities, neighbourhoods, and local authorities interested in adapting and adopting the model to their own context.
Interested in attending an upcoming workshop? Click here to register.
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Funding by the South West Net Zero Hub, which is hosted by the West of England Combined Authority through the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator Programme.
