Toolkit – Upcycling and circular lifestyle

Brainstorming Activity, set the three blank posters with a guiding question on each: 1. Types of circularity, 2. Signs of circularity in your city and house, 3. Disseminating circularity

• once you have set the posters, divide your class in three groups and each group starts filling in one of the posters answering the guiding questions
• on the first poster the group starting will have to reflect on existing types of circularity, trying to identify different approaches or models within the broader concept of a circular economy
• on the second poster the group starting will have to identify observable indicators or practices that reflect the adoption of circular economy principles within the local urban environment and residential spaces
• on the third poster the group starting will have to imagine ways of spreading or sharing information, knowledge, and practices related to the circular economy. The goal is to promote and implement circular principles widely across various sectors, industries, communities, and individuals. Disseminating circularity involves educating, communicating, and fostering awareness to encourage the adoption of sustainable and circular practices
• ideally you should allow 30 minutes for brainstorming and research if the group requires it on each poster, but you can decide to shorten the time if you have little time available for your workshop
• After their first brainstorming, each group rotates to the right and moves to the next poster. This means that each group will build new ideas on the basis of what the previous group wrote on the poster.

TIP: allow groups to use sticky notes and coloured markers on the posters for more creative visual content

As the final step allow each group to make a short 5/10 minutes presentation of the summary of thoughts and ideas emerged from all groups on the poster they last filled in. Each presentation should be allow time at the end for questions and comments from other participants.

1h 30’ Session 1: Swap party simulation

In plenary: Participants are invited to bring a small object (e.g. a book, clothes, etc.) and tell a story about that object around:

• What is it?
• How did I get it and why?
• What are my feelings towards this object?
• Why don’t I use it anymore?
• Why and how could someone else use it?

Individual work: participants are invited to create a “post” containing the image and a description of the object as if someone else could get that object. They will then present it to the group in plenary.

You will introduce the concept of circular economy, recycling and upcycling: the swap party is a practice of Circular economy.

15’ Break

1h 30’

What’s a Swap Party

Once the participants have experienced the swap party they will have a clear idea of the experience and be able to imagine it in their own community. At this point you will show the Swap party video tutorial and invite participants to prepare the event.

Evaluation of the workshop:

• How do you feel?
• Were presentations clear for you?
• How do you feel about the idea to be an organiser of the next swap party event?
• What did you learn today?

The European Green Deal

Pour hot water over it.

Let it sink for 30 minutes.

Blend the paper. Make sure that your paste doesn’t become too liquid. It should remain fairly consistent, like a toothpaste.

Remove excess water. You can either use your hands or a tea towel.

Add the seeds and mix them on the paper.

Create different thick shapes out of the paper.

Dry your paper for at least 1 day directly in the sun. When paper is dry, it’s ready to be gifted or planted.

During the second half of the workshop participants will be expected to apply the theoretical knowledge to a practical exercise by filling in a circular business model canvas. To facilitate this part of the workshop follow the steps below:

• make sure you are familiar with the business model canvas and present it to the participants. Take some time to go through all its parts and components, explaining and making examples on how to fill it in with information by each person or working group
• decide whether you want people to work independently, in pairs or in groups
• you can also decide whether you want to explain all section of the canvas at the beginning or do a gradual explanation where you allow time for filling in after each time a section was explained
• allow time to brainstorm a circular economy business model by completing all parts of the canvas

Wrapping up and restitution

• final moment will involve 5/10 minutes presentation of the circular economy business they imagined by each group, each presentation should be allow time at the end for questions and comments from other participants

OBSERVATION AND DESIGN THROUGH IMAGINATIVE ROLE PLAYING

Tell your participants that they are now archaeologists from the future and they have just discovered these items that they have to describe in a scientific manner to present them in a museum afterwards.

Everyone shall choose one object or image, and observe it as we didn’t really know what it was used for so that we need to invent their function. They can analyse their objects through answering the following questions:

• Describe the object’s physical characteristics : material, size, form, weight, is it new or used, etc. Try to be as precise as possible.
• What might have been the object’s function or functions?
• If there are any specific circumstances to be mentioned about how, when and where it is used, describe it.
• What does the object tell about its user(s), owner(s) such as sex, age, economic, cultural or ethnic background, etc.?
• Describe also what your conclusions are based on, for instance if you compare it to other objects with similar functions. Try to find other objects used for the same purpose by other people, in other cultures, etc.
• What does the object tell about the society, the era, or the geographical zone in which it is used

Ask the participants to write down their answers.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS’ ASSEMBLY (PRESENTATION)

Sit around the table: now you form a scientific committee composed of archeologists. Listen to each other’s presentations about the found objects.

VISUAL STORYTELLING

To expose the object you found in a museum, you will need to show it in a way that best represents its utility. Work in pairs : choose a person who will play the role of the museum curator who you can work with and create a visual presentation of your object choosing one of these methods:

• video storytelling (interview the archeologist and film it. Integrate images into your interview about the object. You can make an edited version of your video using the You Cut application)
• stop motion movie (animate your object by taking sequential photos of it to follow its movement in space)
• narrative photography (take photos of the objects while they used)
• display panel for exhibition (create a layout of photos and texts by using Canva for instance)

Once you’re done, change roles and create a different type of presentation of the objects of the person you are working with.

Share your visual presentations.

Practical application and small guide creation

Building on the foundational knowledge gained, facilitators will guide participants through the process of applying eco-friendly strategies to event planning. This hands-on session will involve:

Brainstorming and sharing ideas for incorporating sustainable practices in different aspects of event management.

Group activities to develop practical skills in creating an eco-friendly events guide.

Discussion on challenges and solutions in implementing sustainable event practices.

Here is a suggested structure for building a mind map on sustainable events:

https://flinga.fi/s/F5L6SU6

BEWARE: you can zoom in and zoom out on the Flinga board but other features have been blocked for view-only accessibility. This is meant to be an open resource available for everyone to take inspiration from. You can create a copy once you login into your Flinga accout: https://flinga.fi/

Feel free to implement this on your own Flinga board or using some posters, sticky notes and post it. If you feel comfortable structuring it, feel free to do so, you can choose customise it to best fit your crowd

Final restitution of group works

Leave sometime at the end for group work restitution and foresee some interactions, like a Q&A session for each group from other participants.

Explore the numerous resources freely available online offered by Julie’s Bicycle, please navigate the resources according to the type of event you are evaluating, and area of sustainability you are approaching.