Our environment day was supported by the wonderful Mary Morton who is now telling us how the Stitch it Don’t Ditch it group started. “I came across this group http://www.streetstitching.com when already running sewing sessions for SHRUB Coop and thought that I’d like to join a local group; however there wasn’t one. Street stitching involves making a banner for a camping chair and sitting in a public place in a group while repairing clothing. It is designed to be an act of gentle disruption that demonstrates the pleasure and necessity of garment repair. The events aim to raise awareness that the textile industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 20% of global clean water pollution, as well as contributing significantly to plastic waste. Individuals can reduce the environmental impact of clothing by repairing garments so that they can use them for longer. The menders share sewing skills, discuss options for repairs and signpost to online and local learning resources with anyone who wants to start to sew or improve their hand sewing repair skills.By recruiting folks onto a WhatsApp group where anyone in the group can organise an event we managed to run monthly events from April to October 2022 and twice in August. We started again in April 2023 adding attendance at local eco events such as the Meadows and Canal festivals, and of course your Environment Day! We’ve also been involved with Scottish Libraries Lend and Mend launch event. We recommend repairwhatyouwear.com because it has resources for learning hand mending skills, including a training video for passing on basic hand sewing skills. The Shrub Co-operative is committed to reducing waste by empowering communities to reduce waste, reuse items and recycle: you are welcome to join us!
https://www.shrubcoop.org/about-us/
Meadows Community Gardens 