Discovering Circular Economy at the Govanhill Baths
A community-led circular economy event took place on 25th October at the Deep End of Govanhill Baths, Glasgow. It was organised by CEMVO Scotland and Glasgow Climate Action Hub, and aimed to inform the participants about reducing waste and working towards a circular economy as individuals as well as a community. The event itself was structured into smaller parts, like clothes mending workshop, a guided tour of community recycling facilities for textiles and plastics, meeting people currently working in the field and a community organising workshop.
The clothes mending workshop focusing on the Japanese embroidery technique of “Sashiko” (literal meaning “little stabs”) led by Ailsa Lyall. Sashiko has been traditionally used to repair worn places or tears with patches. Ailsa herself is a renowned Glasgow-based sewist, kilt maker and workshop facilitator who also appeared on the popular British reality show “The Great Sewing Bee.” She was so friendly and engaging that even I, a complete beginner at sewing, had sewn a hole in a pair of jeans at the end of the workshop!
Image of Ailsa Lyall, taken from her website
Another interesting aspect of this insightful event was the sewing session for beginners. The sewing session worked up an appetite for us, and lunch followed, catering provided by Afro-Fusion Cuisine. The guided tour through the recycling facilities for clothes and plastics was up next, and I found the whole experience fascinating. Lauren Hooper, manager of Rags to Riches, was our guide, and she gave detailed information about how these facilities are run, along with the machines that are used to do so.
Govanhill Baths textile storeroom was another place I really enjoyed visiting during the event. The textiles storeroom was located right beside the room where the sewing was workshop in the morning. This activity was facilitated by Gail Power, Textiles Facilitator for Rags to Riches. The room itself was full of textiles collected from different organisations, as donations waiting to be repaired. Lauren opened a textile poster donated by M&S and showing Gail’s mastery of the craft and passion for upcycling.
We were all brimming with curiosity as to what the plastics recycling hub will look like inside and were not disappointed. The workshop was just so interesting and the things that were made from recycled plastic surprised us all. There were benches and chairs that you might mistake for wood and other items made of recycled plastic! It was incredible seeing all that in person and Lauren went to on explain how the plastics are thrown by households and companies alike are collected, washed and made into something so useful using machines in the hub.
Finally, John Houghton from the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, delivered an excellent presentation on the Circular Economy and its effect on Scotland’s objective: Step Up to Net Zero. He emphasised how small businesses are adopting circular economy models and sustainability practices, contributing to an ambitious plan to reach net zero by 2030, surpassing the target set by the Scottish Government. It was very insightful to learn about these concepts.
For a total beginner like myself, the workshop was a great introduction to the new world of circular economy, particularly with the practical training sessions by those already in this sub-field of sustainability.
The event, organised in partnership between CEMVO Scotland and Rags to Riches, made for a fantastic day, packed with interesting chats and delicious food. I think it really gave everyone the knowledge and tools they needed to explore further and understand how even small actions can have a big impact, like tiny drops of water creating an ocean.
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