I met the amazing Jackie and Paddy recently, we discussed upcycling and they totally inspired me with their ideas! The first one was how to make a scarf from an old jumper. Difficulty level - Super Easy. All you need to do is cut the jumper across under the arm. I now have an amazing soft scarf. Please send me your upcycling or zero waste ideas. bookings@theurbanco-op.ie Geraldine
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My aunt had the perfect way to recycle cards, she reuses the card top as a postcard.
Other ideas from Zoe Williams (gathered.how) on what you can make from old cards
Happy recycling. Geraldine
Between the sunshiney days you may have been tempted to get working on some DIY!
A fresh coat of paint can transform the place! As always though the end of the job means there is always paint leftover and the paint tins end up in the garage until I get to a civic amenity site. It is great to know that the leftovers can be reused!! Zero waste ideas though have seen a rising tide of innovation on reusing paint that is perfectly fine to use and much cheaper! Next time you need a pain job done check them out. http://taithouse.ie/relove-paint/ Anne Maher
Too Good To Go: an innovative app helping to tackle the issue of food waste If you’re a keen and regular reader of our newsletter, you’ll remember that last month we promised we would be continuing to highlight the efforts we make here to contribute to the circular economy as best we can. This month under the spotlight is our recent addition as a supplier on The Too Good To Go app. The Too Good to Go project came to life in response to the distressing reality of food waste, an issue which pervades not just our homes, but the entire food and retail industry. From the point of production, one third of all food produced finds itself going to waste - whether that be at some point along the supply chain, or at its destination point in our homes, shops and restaurants. Here at The Urban Co-op, we maintain a direct connection with so many local food suppliers. We find it particularly affecting to imagine that, after the effort and time and care that goes into producing food for this planet, so much of it ends up just going to waste. In the spirit of transparency, we are, of course, guilty of contributing to food waste. As a grocery shop, it can be unavoidable - it would be a case of matching our ordering absolutely perfectly with what our customers buy on a daily basis. Safe to say, this is impossible. While we do constantly tweak our ordering in efforts to avoid too much going to waste, it can naturally occur that we are left with unsold fresh foods at the end of the day - fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy. This is where the Too Good to Go app comes in. We, the retailer, register with the app. At the end of each day you, the customer, can log in and order a “Magic Bag”. You pay €3.99 for high quality produce that would otherwise add up to roughly the value of €12. We put together bits and pieces that would otherwise be on its last legs if left another day on the shelf, and you collect it before the shop closes. Using the Too Good To Go app has made us, and hopefully our customers, feel that we are helping combat food waste in some small way. It can also be such a fun experiment in flexing your culinary skills - by collecting a food box with no prior knowledge of what it will contain, you’ll be forced to be inventive! These small actions might not be the silver bullet needed to tackle the bigger issues, but action begets action. Keeping our enthusiasm and pride in what we believe in alive by committing these small yet meaningful acts is hugely important - and you never know what small steps can eventually lead to. Kelly Girardi Instagram @kelly_girardi Linktree kelly_girardi
In the Kitchen
The Circular Economy, starring stale bread If you are absolutely sick of the sight of the bread and can’t bear it being in your kitchen a moment longer, perhaps take inspiration from what we do here at The Urban Co-op with any bread that doesn’t sell (even though this is a rare enough occurrence - bread sells!). We do our best to dispose consciously of any and all waste that we create. In the case of bread, some suppliers return and collect it and bring it away with them (there are myriad uses for leftover bread in the food industry). In the cases where this doesn’t happen, we place the leftover loaves into a dedicated food waste bin, which is then donated to some of our suppliers who use it in the feed that goes to their pigs! So, even old bread can be an example of one of the core facets of our mission at The Urban Co-op: hopefully providing inspiration for what a functioning circular economy can look like. In fact, repurposing of something old into something new will be the topic for next month’s zero waste tip, so keep your eyes peeled for next month’s newsletter if this is a topic that interests you! Kelly Girardi |
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April 2024
AuthorsRecipes from Katie Verling & Jacques |