‘Part of a ‘circular economy’
THE organiser of the Midlands’ number one wool show is inviting people to ‘plant acorns’ for a sustainable future.
Wool@13 founder Ingrid Wagner and community liaison coordinator Fiona Beech, have been inspired to work towards a ‘circular economy’ by legendary nauralist Sir David Attenborough.
Ingrid said: “David Attenborough has been asking for a second industrial revolution, powered by millions of sustainable innovations.
“And he’s asking how it reaches our lives and what we are prepared to do about it.”
The two women, with management, marketing, arts and business experience behind them, believe that the challenge to change must come through people’s own lives and beliefs.
Their aim, they say, is to plant seeds which will grow into mighty oaks by linking the issues raised by climate change to individual lives.
“We don’t have to wait till 2030 for the bigger climate change issues to start happening,” added Ingrid, from Stafford.
“We can start with our own lives now by changing how we think about what is important to us – we can repair, repurpose and recycle and we can become part of a circular economy.”
Fiona, a keen crafter, gardener and animal owner in her spare time, added: “The linear economy is what we’ve got at the moment.
“It takes, makes, uses and disposes and it’s created mountains of waste in our world. It’s not sustainable, it’s expensive and it needs to change.”
The circular economy, by contrast, has the opposite aim.
Ingrid added: “We’d like to create the opportunity to learn about and teach how to recover and reuse as many products and materials as possible.
“The circular economy is a make/ remake – use/reuse economy and it takes its model from nature which does exactly the same thing.”
Ingrid and Fiona aim to create a hub where people can learn how to repair instead of throwing a garment away, or find out how to repurpose and renew discarded items of furniture, or how to sharpen a pair of shears.
Fiona, who lives in Cannock, added: “Mighty oaks come from little acorns. They grow strong and resilient – they are survivors.
“We know our people seeds are out there. We just need to bring them together so their knowledge can be shared.
“After all, knowledge is power and with that power, we can change the world.”