Combating consumerism

Greenpeace Southeast Asia invites everyone who cares about Earth to learn how to make the most out of everyday materials in a series of DIY workshops to be held during Make SMTHNG Week 2018 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Pathumwan intersection, from Friday until Sunday, 10am-9pm.

Held to promote awareness on waste reduction and green lifestyles, and to fight overconsumption and throwaway culture, the event will be packed with daily workshops showing how to make coasters and Macramé plant hangers from recycled fabric and paper.

Exclusively on Friday, visitors will learn how to make face masks and face body scrub from rice and cooling herbs from famous YouTuber Mamasayyes at 1pm; and packaging-free solid shampoo from Saijai Nature and Herbal at 4.30pm.

Other workshops on the weekend will show how to make natural-wax food wraps to replace plastic wraps from SuperBee Wax Wraps on Saturday at 2pm; how to turn used cloth banners into a bag with Tam:Da on Sunday at 1pm; and how to breathe new life into your old clothes by Pipo of the popular YouTube channel Pipodily at 4.30pm.

There will also be an exhibition highlighting Thailand’s waste crisis and overconsumption, featuring a talk on “Shopless Society: Buy Less, Reuse And DIY” on Saturday at 5pm. Guest speakers include the founder of the 3-Wheels Uncle Facebook page, which focuses on waste separation and management; Leelapat Kasantikul, editor-in-chief of My Home magazine; and Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul, Greenpeace Southeast Asia’s ocean campaigner.

Make SMTHNG Week is an international festival that challenges our consumerist culture. Initiated last year, it has been held around the world, including in Hong Kong, China, the US, Canada and Kenya.