Let’s Get Circular

Northstowe Sustainability Day

Sunday, 24th of November

Join us at Northstowe for this magnificent event. If you would like more information, please click here.

Past Events

Let’s Make it Circular!

A family day out on 20th July from 11 to 2pm at Storey’s Field Centre to introduce primary school children to Circular Economy through fun games, toys and demonstrations from organisations and researchers working on the circular economy arena.

We are finalising our programme for the day. We will have our Toy Swap Shop, storytelling and a reading corner, hands-on activities by upcycling materials and much more. We will keep you posted.

Programme for the Day

Most of the activities are drop-in sessions, except for the storytelling which will start at three different times (11:30; 12:30 and 1:30). You can also play detectives and find a number of clues in each stall. Once completed you can get a secret price!

We are delighted to have the Mayor of Cambridge Cllr Gerri Bird joining us on the day. We are really looking forward to meeting her!

Storytelling by Marion Leeper

Marion Leeper grew up in a family of actors, raconteurs, tellers of tall tales and downright liars. She has been listening to and telling stories (true and less true) for longer than she can remember.  She’s to be seen in libraries, museums, and outside spaces in and around Cambridge, as well as festivals around the country and recently has been touring her show Stories in the Dark, in her tent, one of the smallest but glitziest storytelling spaces in the world. If you would like to know more about visit http://www.marionleeperstoryteller.co.uk/

Re-Using Paper by Indie & Grai

“Inspired by my own rebel girls – Indiana and Graihagh, I created Indie & Grai. I always found it frustrating that I could never find cool accessories for them – So I decided to make my own! My collection uses fun, interesting shapes and cool geometric prints to spark imagination and curiosity. Watching my girls grow and develop, seeing their passion and curiosity, their love of experimenting and going on adventures. They love to dress up, do their hair, put on jewellery and put on shows. All the things traditionally associated with girls. However, they also love splashing in puddles, climbing trees, building lego and watching Star Wars. I want them to continue embracing all aspects of being young, of playing, of being happy and of being who they want to be. To do all the things they love doing without being forced to think about what a girl should and shouldn’t be. To embrace and love all that being a girl is, but for that to mean that there are no limits. They can be anything they want to be and do whatever their hearts desire. Dream big and be a rebel girl!”

Find us https://www.facebook.com/indiegrai/; https://www.instagram.com/indiegrai/

About the workshop: Making origami animals, envelopes and games out of reused paper. Learn how to make simple origami shapes out of reused paper. We will learn basic animal shapes such as a butterfly and penguin. Or make miniature envelopes that you can write secret messages inside. Or choose to make an origami paper game to tell someone’s fortune. You can choose different patterned and coloured paper, or decorate it yourself.

Food Waste by Cambridge Food Hub

Workshop run by Alice Guillame, Project Manager. “The Food Hub is a visionary project coming to the Cambridge area, aiming to increase the accessibility of sustainable food whilst supporting local producers and small businesses. The Hub will be a centre for all aspects of food: from production and consumption to education and research. We aim to be fair, progressive and sustainable in all of our actions.” If you would like to know more about them, visit their website at https://cambridgefoodhub.org/.

Upcycling by LittleReCreations

“I have worked on the ‘Festival’ circuit for many years and have always been baffled and outraged by the wasteful mentality and lack of social responsibility that many festival goers have – especially those who seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable behaviour to leave their whole weekend in the campsite. There are many Charities that rely heavily on this throwaway society and many, more unfortunate souls, who are extremely grateful to be receiving new bedding, clothes, food and shelters through these causes but there is simply too much waste to be managed by these small organisations and despite them sending out armies of volunteers to collect supplies there is still so much that goes to landfill.

The disturbing thing I noticed was that many people were not content just leaving behind their mess, they also damaged items beyond repair, defecating in cool bags, slashing tents and opening and emptying food sources. This got me thinking and in 2016 I walked around Boomtown with a group called FWRD, (Festival Waste Reclamation & Distribution) and along with collecting for various charities involved with them I started stripping down the broken tents and collecting up the fabric. At first, I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do with it all, in four hours I had collected three bin bags full of fabric and I had only been in one field!!! After getting home, I set to washing everything, striped it all with my pinking shears and with a little help from groups of my friends we created the first few meters of Tent Tinsel. My ideas spiralled from there and now I have a collection of various decorations with an ever-growing range of products which I hire back to festivals – often to decorate their campsites, for private functions, weddings and local fairs and fetes. Each time the decorations are hired out a percentage of the hire fee is donated to Herts for Refugees, a local charity who I have roamed many a field with and who have been hugely supportive in my venture so far. If you would like more information, a hire guide or price list get in touch at Kirsty.little@me.com

Plastic Waste I by Cambridge Creative Circular Plastics Centre

The workshop will be run by Aazraa Oumayyah Pankan and Dr. Adrian Fisher. It will show how energy recovery from waste can take place by using microorganisms.

Plastic Waste II by Prof. James Elliott

Prof. James Elliott will be talking about how to get rid of plastic waste and also have some demonstrations of a natural polymer (rubber, and their own cellulose-based materials).

Gardening and Composting

Workshop run by Newnham College Gardens.

Reading corner

Our reading corner will be hosted by Aliett, a mother of two small children passionate about children’s literature and the environment.

Toy Swap

Our usual toy swap shop, bring a toy, swap for another. Remember, it is not about the monetary value but to stop toys going into landfills.