Western News: September 24, 2020

12 Thursday September 24 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
WESTERN NEWS
News
Harnessing creativity
from recycled ‘junk’
Myriad groups
help keep our
community moving.
Reporter Bea
Gooding speaks
to Creative Junk
co-ordinator
Christine Jackson
about the
importance of
sustainable creativity
What does Creative
Junk do, and how did
it come to be what it is
today?
Originally set up in
1981, we service a demand
for affordable materials
that are used to promote
creative, imaginative
play and events in the
community — for
children, their families,
artists, designers, crafters,
cosplayers, wearable art,
early childhood services,
schools and a variety of
other organisations.
Our motto — Recycle,
Reuse, Rethink — reflects
the organisation’s ideals
and its ethical and
environmental stance.
We are now looking to
expand our outreach to
more actively embrace the
environmental side of our
values
What are the issues that
your charity is currently
facing, and what is being
done to overcome them?
Our biggest issue at
present is funding, it’s been
affected nationwide for
everyone by the Covid-19
crisis, so we here at
Creative Junk are trying
to become more selfsupporting.
We have our “spare parts
boxes” which raises money
for us, with schools or
anyone wanting creative
goods all over the country,
these boxes are posted to
them. We have also held
open days, sip ’n’ craft
nights and car boot sales.
A local Lego group has
also stepped forward and
provided displays in our
upstairs space and charged
a gold coin donation to
view as a fundraising
event for us, as some of
the builders use materials
from our warehouse to
create landscapes for their
displays.
Another issue would be,
not enough people know
about us. Ideally, we would
like to employ another
person to assist with the
co-ordinator in being able
to get out to schools and
other groups to learn about
Creative Junk. Also to go
out to businesses educate
them, what we can use
instead of things going to
landfill.
Why is an organisation
like this important
for Christchurch in
terms of sustainability
and providing creative
resources?
We help businesses
and local people reduce
the amount of products
going into landfill, which
is currently a big problem
in Christchurch. We are
constantly connecting
with new companies who
have what they thought
was “rubbish” but we see
as products to turn into
useful creative items. Our
workshops also help to
educate children that they
can look around their own
homes and find things
to be creative with that
mum or dad was going to
throw away, and that’s the
most important step in
sustainability - education.
Creative Junk is unique
and is important to all of
New Zealand.
What impact has
Creative Junk had on
groups who benefit from
the service?
We work with Ara, The
Repair Shed, The children’s
university, UCA, Learning
Exchange Timebank,
Otautahi Christchurch
Creative Spaces, Skillwise
retraining, Waitaha School
and Volunteer Canterbury
to name but a few over our
39 years of being in the
community.
We have been able
to provide classes with
REPURPOSE: Creative
Junk manager
Christine Jackson
and volunteer Alexia
Martin, with creations
made from recycled
materials destined for
landfill.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN ​
materials for projects
ranging from classroom
activities right up to
materials for school
performance costumes.
We have found
during hard times, like
earthquakes, people with
anxieties or wellbeing
and at the moment with
Covid-19, people go to
a happy place of craft,
drawing, knitting or just
making whatever for a feelgood
feeling within.
With families being at
home together because of
Covid-19 they are doing,
crafting, making things
together and thinking
outside the box, this is
what Creative Junk is
about.
In what ways can
people implement
environmentally
sustainable practices
while promoting
creativity?
The best way is to think
of a way to repurpose an
item before they consider
disposing of it. For
instance, an old golf club
can be repurposed into
a colourful bird garden
decoration or theheads of
a golf club can be fixed to
a board and turned into
a coat rack. An old lawn
bowl or bowling ball can
be turned into a bright
animal-themed doorstop.
The best thing people can
do is to stop and think
before they put anything in
the bin.
•Get in touch with
Creative Junk
through the website
or Facebook, www.
creativejunk.org.
nz, or email info@
creativejunk.org.nz.