Looking Beyond the Bin with Upcycling
Because we hate trash talks and strongly believe in second chances
Hey there! How’s it going climate friend?
If you’ve been reading our previous posts, you’ll know we’ve mostly covered climate related topics pulled from our monthly events. Word on the street is that the people are wanting more! So we’re trying something new over here at Climate North, looking to pop into your inbox a little more often with some fresh insights and to support you on your climate journey.
WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT
🤔 Did you know…
Upcycling Food could save one-third of all food produced globally from getting wasted.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, known as Canada’s food professor, says that Upcycling Food could actually eliminate more food waste across the supply chain, repurposing waste into new products for the market.
Okotoks, Alberta based GroundUP Eco-ventures upcycles spent coffee grounds and brewer’s grains as gluten-free coffee flour, brewer’s barley saved-grain flour and coffee oil as a cosmetic.
What is Upcycling?
We’ve got you covered - keep reading to find out the 101 of what you need to know.
NEW LIFE-LINE
Turning Waste into Wonders
A fascinating concept in the realm of sustainability, upcycling essentially involves enhancing the value of items that we would otherwise discard - a creative solution for tackling two significant environmental challenges: waste reduction and resource depletion.
Unlike recycling, which often breaks materials down for the creation of new products, upcycling prioritises their repurposing in their original form - reducing the demand for virgin resources and minimising overall waste generation.
While the world of DIY projects certainly embraces upcycling, we'll be focusing on two particularly impactful subsets with far-reaching consequences: food and fashion.
Upcycle Food: A Delicious Solution to Waste
So, you know how we always end up with those veggie peels and stale bread? Well, upcycling food is turning those into a hearty broth and crispy croutons. If you think on a larger scale, this would mean feeding every Ontarian 20 loaves of bread every year with all of the 16 million kilos of spent grains from the breweries. Good bye, hunger!
Research says that Canadians waste a staggering 2.2 million tonnes of edible food each year, which is like throwing away $17 billion! Upcycling can really cut down on this waste and help us move towards a more sustainable food system. It's a win-win!
Upcycle Fashion: Style with a Conscience
Were you aware that fast fashion is notoriously famous for creating massive amounts of waste and pollution? Which is why upcycling fashion aims to counter this by creatively turning old garments into new, stylish pieces. It’s like taking those worn-out jeans and making them into a chic tote bag, or updating a vintage dress into something modern and fabulous.
Fashion Takes Action (FTA) in Canada is leading this charge, encouraging both designers and consumers to get creative. With current trends, the fashion industry could consume a quarter of the world's carbon budget by 2050, but upcycling can help cut down on waste and save resources.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Upcycle Clothing Collective: Giving Fashion a Second Life in Victoria, BC
Who They Are: Mackenzie Wavryk, the visionary founder of the Upcycle Clothing Collective, is a leader in sustainable fashion based in Victoria, BC. Her dedication to transforming the fashion industry through upcycling has made her a key advocate for eco-friendly fashion practices.
What They Do: The Upcycle Clothing Collective transforms second-hand and vintage pieces into unique, stylish garments. They offer a curated selection of consignment items and support local designers, promoting slow fashion and encouraging sustainable wardrobe choices.
Why It Matters: By reducing waste (estimated at 92 million tons per year globally) and promoting material reuse, the collective is on the mission to combat the environmental impact of fast fashion. At the same time provide a viable and stylishly sustainable alternative that benefits both the environment and the community.
Explore their mission and collection at Upcycle Clothing Collective.
CN PICKS
Eat: We stumbled upon a solution that can improve your gut health while also heals the climate! This Canadian company makes prebiotic resistant-starch based products that are upcycled from potato processing ingredients.
Read: Looking for ideas to engage your kids this summer? This book shows tweens how to take objects destined for the recycling bin and breathe new life into them to make room decor, organizers, school supplies, and so much more.
Watch: A Korean luxury bag upcycling master turns an old Gucci tote bag into a new shoulder bag. Why can’t these luxury brands do this instead of burning the unsold stock? We wonder. 🤔
Listen: If you're about finding inspiration to repurpose, reuse, and recycle discarded items, then we have a podcast that might particularly interest you!
GAMES
We’ve got a climate word-search that’s in need of playing!
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Brought to you by Rebeka (Becky) Romanovsky, Fab Barrillot, Chloe D'Agostini
Written by Tejas Shah