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Panel on Sustainable Textiles: Moving Towards a Circular Economy
It was an honor last night to be part of a panel discussion about what a circular economy of textiles can and should be: transformational for individuals, artists, skilled labor, creatives, sheep farmers, the community, and ecosystems. That is my kind of future visioning. Here are some takeaway notes as captured by the moderator, Sy Baker: 👉 There is immense potential for decentralization and democratization👉A Sharing Economy exists–but needs to be expanded upon👉We must get more comfortable with imperfection👉Transparency is key👉Repair is essential–and can be modernized👉People are trying to do the right thing.Thanks @stopwaste for hosting us and thanks to @fibershed_ , @calpsc and Connie Ulasewicz for your efforts that…
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I Repeat: Waste Management Has More Employees Than the USA Has Upholsterers
I discovered this inconvenient truth while preparing for my @thegfda presentation today, “Furniture Waste as a Catalyst for Change.” Our systems represent our values. What type of future are we investing in? Who will benefit? Who will be left behind? Who has the megaphone? Who holds the power? Thanks again for hosting me Katie, and thanks to everyone who attended! Data source: 44,900 Waste Management employees in 2019 according to Insider Monkey article, compared to 32,870 upholsterers in 2018 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Furniture Reuse Thrives at Homeless Camps
For every couch that makes it on this feed, there are millions of others that don’t. (Americans threw away over 24 billion pounds of furnishings in 2015.) In my community, it seems the flow of street furniture goes directly through our many homeless encampments. Furniture cast offs from home and apartment dwellers often find new life within Oakland’s 4,000+ unsheltered population. Though not often talked about, this is reuse, as much as shopping on eBay or Craigslist is. In its most basic form, reuse is a survival skill. One that humans have relied on since the beginning of time. We can forget that when we’re lucky enough to choose to…
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Time to Redefine Best Practices
This is the last picture I took with a blue sky. It was a week ago. That might not sound long but it truly feels like forever when you’re locked inside with the doors and windows shuttered. We’ve entered a deeper level of isolation, and it’s awful. This picture, though, is heavy all by itself. This pile contains countless pieces of usable goods headed for the landfill. In the right corner, you can see a woman rescuing something from the heap. I asked if she found a treasure, and she responded excitedly that she did, “it just needs some TLC.” Arguably most of the pile fits that description. These west…
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Furniture Spotting on the Urban Savanna Draws Awe
I caught a glimpse of this from the corner of my eye as I was driving home from the grocery store last weekend. Like love at first sight, my heart started racing. I made an erratic u-turn, took my first right and bam, we were face to face. Up close, she’s even more magnificent: such majestic curves, and beautiful wooden grain. She sat alone under a tree with her leaf on proud display, almost triumphant. I took loads of pictures, like a spellbound tourist watching a lion lazying on the African Savanna, indifferent to my presence. That bright blue sky is nowhere to be found now. It’s been smoky and…
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Furniturecycle Featured on Sew Much More Podcast
I want to offer my deepest thanks to Ceil DiGuglielmo, host of the “Sew Much More Podcast,” for having me on her show last week. She was so gracious to include me as a guest among her cadre of home furnishings industry peeps. I appreciated her genuine interest in exploring furnishings from the bottom-up, which, she admitted, is a pretty different approach than she’s used to. We totally go for it and cover old lady furniture, IKEA, imperfect produce, Pinterest, big box stores and more. Take a listen here:
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Furniture Waste Surges Amid Mounting Crises
My bike has been in purgatory since March with the exception of one bike protest. Last week I untangled it from the pile of cobwebs and leaves under which it was hidden. I pumped up the tires and everything. It was so awesome to be moving around again swiftly, in such a familiar, happy way, even with a mask. But, my enthusiasm for renewed mobility and a change of scene was soon exchanged for despair. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for the heaps and heaps of furniture sitting outside of so many apartment complexes. There were also (many) single pieces strewn about, per usual, which is crazy in its own right,…
