Western News: September 24, 2020

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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.
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Western News: September 24, 2020

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