GREEN LIVING: Let’s go full circle

A free Circular Economy Showcase, organised by One Westport, is taking place at Westport Town Hall Theatre on Saturday, June 15, from 10am to 4pm. The theme for the event is ‘Change One Thing’, and the One Westport group hopes to encourage everyone, from individuals to business and organisations to make one change that will help in the larger transition to a circular economy.

In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, repair, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, upcycling and composting. It’s all about cutting down on waste, needless manufacturing and mass production, and helping to regenerate nature rather than using and abusing its finite resources to feed our consumption addiction and throw-away mindset.

One Westport’s showcase event will feature exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and a series of talks on all things circular economy. There will be practical workshops on bicycle maintenance and repair, as well as clothes repair and repurposing. There will also be a clothes swap, whereby attendees can bring one or two items for exchange.

Talks and presentations will focus on the connection between the circular economy and household consumption, covering food, energy and everyday consumables. All talks and presentations start at 1pm (though everyone is encouraged to arrive a little early) and finish at 4pm.

One Westport is a community network of environmental, business, sport and other community-based organisations that have joined forces, working to sustainably develop Westport and to preserve and enhance its ecosystem for future generations.

Realising that a number of groups were working separately on different but similar sustainability issues around Westport, One Westport was created to bring greater efficiencies to these efforts by pooling knowledge and resources and creating a united forum. Membership is increasing all the time and includes individuals and people from local businesses, sports clubs and community groups.

Some of the businesses and groups represented in One Wesport include 15-Minute Westport, Westport Tidy Towns, Leave No Trace, Edible Landscape Project, West Sustainable Energy Community, Atlantic Technological University, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Destination Westport, Westport GAA, Westport United, Bertrá Connected, Westport Eco Congregation, Mayo County Council, Mayo Pride, Yoga Root, Tertulia Bookshop, Westival, Westport Community Garden, The Gallery and Pax Whole Foods and Eco Goods.​

One Westport aims to represent the voices of its members where economic, social, and environmental issues are being discussed; to represent its members at a local, national, and international level; to promote sustainability at a local, national, and international level; to enhance Westport’s quality of life through the embrace of socio-cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing; to build collaboration amongst the wider stakeholder group and community; to forge a brighter future for Westport through a considered approach to economic, social, and environmental development; and to build resilience to the negative consequences of climate change.

Sometimes we can helpless in the face of the worsening climate crisis, and a little overwhelmed. Thankfully, collaborative groups like One Westport are helping to give individuals and organisations a sense of communal agency and a real platform for encouraging and introducing effective change. By pulling together, maybe, just maybe, we can do more than we think to help turn things around.

For more details, visit www.onewestport.ie or email info@onewestport.ie.