Recreation Repair Reimagined

Textile waste, including that produced by the outdoor industry, is a huge environmental and social problem. An incomprehensible number of items are discarded each year, many of which end up contributing to pollution across the globe. Some of this equipment is costly, both in terms of the externalities of production and disposal and the price tag consumers see, the latter of which poses an issue of accessibility to many people. We have worked to address these challenges by facilitating an opportunity as well as a space in which people can repair and repurpose worn gear and textiles so as to give them new life. This project has been intended to reduce waste entering our landfill—making our economy more circular—as well as save consumers money. By collaborating with the UM Makerspace to host this project, we have laid the groundwork to provide the knowledge and skills to UM students, faculty, and staff, to join us in making our closets and gear stashes more environmentally conscious. We have researched similar efforts and ways of repairing and reproposing common items and focused on these in our workshops and dissemination of information. We believe that shifting how we treat and maintain our possessions can lead to a reduction in our negative impact on the planet, while also making it easier to experience the environments that need us to be active participants in their protection, and issue that is important now as ever.