Sustainable Living
Buy less, trash less
Why it's important
We are surrounded by “stuff” and we are in need of new “stuff” every day. To produce and dispose of all the stuff we need and want, materials and energy are consumed and carbon emissions are generated. To decrease the environmental impact of this way of living, a model of circular economy was proposed where materials are collected and reused after each use. But this model is not working well enough. Nowadays in the EU each person consumes 16 tonnes of materials a year, of which 6 tonnes become waste and half of that is landfilled. Globally, we only cycle 8.6% of what we use. We need to do better if we want to save our planet and its resources, and changing our lifestyle can help.
What is CALL doing about it
Sharing community
Within CALL, we are attempting to really slow down the circular economy in our locality. We are managing the ‘Louisburgh Free Market’ WhatsApp group to re-home items for free that has more than 265 members (as of May 2023) and has prevented buying or trashing thousands of items. Rehoming goods like this saves us money, and saves trips to Westport or Castlebar with the associated emissions. The group is also so very kind and gives such a wonderful sense of community. If you live locally and want to be part of our ‘Louisburgh Free Market’ WhatsApp group let us know.
Repair directory
In our efforts to cut on waste, we put together the Louisburgh Locality Repair Directory. It is a document with information on people that live locally and can fix goods, from clothing to appliances. With the directory we want to encourage our community to repair and reuse locally as a method for reducing waste and petrol, while saving money and contributing to the local economy. Click the image above for more information. We’re still in need of more repairers in the area, if you would like to appear in it and help us fighting waste please contact us!
Within CALL, we would like to support and promote activities like these ones, according to what you, as a community, feel is more needed. Please if you have any ideas of additional activities to carry out, send them over!
What can YOU do about it
Stop and think before buying
The first step towards a more sustainable way of living is to stop and re-think your relationship with things you need and want. Stopping is very powerful. Before buying, think: Do I really need this? Can I borrow it instead? If you get something new: Can I reuse it? Can it be repaired? Can it rot at the end of its life? Refuse what you don’t need. Reduce what you buy. Buy better.
Regift, reuse, repair
The second step is to also to re-think your relationship with the things you already have: take care of them, if you don’t use them, re-gift them or up-cycle them, and either learn the old art of repairing your stuff or get someone to repair it for you to keep it in your life for as long as possible.
External links & Resources
Below you can find some links we find particularly useful when attempting a more sustainable way of living our daily lives
has a great collection of resources if you want to learn how to take care of and fix your clothes
Photo by Adrian Tiernan, @artaltitudesdroneworks
Cleaning naturally March 12, 2024 - Cleaning with natural ingredients is becoming more and more mainstream, as covered by RTE, the BBC, the Guardian and more. Most cleaners, while effective, are full of chemicals (some...
Second hand this Christmas December 6, 2023 - We are collaborating again with Louisburgh N.S. to encourage second hand this Christmas, and we’ll be offering pre-loved jumpers, clothing and christmas decor at the...
Event: Halloween Swap October 11, 2023 - It is scary! In Ireland we bin about 700,000 costumes every Halloween! 83% of the costumes are made using non-recyclable petroleum-based plastics; meaning they are set...
The Louisburgh Locality Repair Directory is now available July 24, 2023 - Our repair Directory is now available! You can browse the directory below. To download it, click here. The global economy consumes 100 billion tonnes of...
CALL needs you to create a repair directory January 10, 2023 - A “call” for anyone with skills in fixing things like lawnmowers, computers, bicycles, clothes or musical instruments, (the list is endless) to become part of...
Louisburgh Free Market WhatsApp group goes live March 21, 2022 - A group to give away and request items for free Today Louisburgh Free Market, a group to rehome items for free, is starting in our...