The Sustainability Club is hosting Upcycle Month for the duration of February . Soon Feb. 9, the Sustainability Club hosted a Terrarium Upcycle Event where students learned how to make a terrarium using items they already have at home.
“Upcycle Month consists of a variety of events centered around the theme of giving products new meaning and a second life,” said Director of Sustainability and Facilities Administration John Lerczak. “Instead of certain items being discarded or disposed of after use, the Sustainability Club is hosting several workshops dedicated to creatively taking old products and giving them a new life.”
In order to celebrate Upcycle Month, the Sustainability Club is hosting many different events including the Upcycle Information Session, Terrarium Upcycle Event and the DIY Upcycle Event. The events all align with the theme of taking old products and giving them new meaning.
“We kicked off the month with an informational session that went over what is upcycling, what are the benefits and why it is important,” said Lerczak. “After we provided context, we hosted our first workshop which consisted of students utilizing an old jar or plastic bottle and turning it into a terrarium.”
The purpose for holding these events is to prepare students for the start of Sustainability Week. “We are holding these events during the month of February in preparation for Sustainability Week that will be held during the week of March 14,” said Lerczak. “We wanted to provide a taste to our students of what type of engagement would be involved and the endless possibilities of what to look forward to by being part of the Sustainability Club.”
Students are encouraged to participate in these events because they’re a chance for students to interact with the Sustainability Club, participate in the fun activities and learn useful upcycling skills.
“Students should participate in these events because they provide them an opportunity to engage with the sustainability club with hands-on experience,” said Lerczak. “By doing hands-on activities they will get a better understanding of what upcycling is and why it is important.”
The Lewis community should be aware of the fact that this month is Upcycle Month because these are activities that can be done anywhere, but by attending, students will get that hands-on experience.
“The purpose of these events are to engage the Lewis community in a meaningful way that will be useful throughout their daily lives,” said Lerczak.
Upcycling refers to taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life with a new function. It’s important because it helps reduce landfill waste and it gives a product that was originally going to be thrown away another life.
“Upcycling is a term used to describe taking an existing product that may be at the end of its life and give it another purpose, or new meaning, and it is important because it gives more meaning to the products we own,” said Lerczak. “We need to be creative in the ways we reuse products and reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill.”
The next event is the DIY Upcycle event that will be held on February 23 from 1-2 p.m. in room 150A located in the Arts and Science building. At the event, participants will be able to take plastic bags and turn them into more useful products.
Photo Credit: Katelyn Leano
