Treasure Town 2023 - Celebrating the Circular Economy

 So what is the Circular Economy? 

(Image by Freepik)

Put simply, it's based around the idea that we move from a linear model of production and consumption, where we produce, buy, use and discard, to a more circular and sustainable process where we reuse, repair, share, and essentially try to extend the lifespan of products.

The move towards a more circular economy involves lots of different parts of society, like industry, technology, business, etc. but it's also something that we can all incorporate into our own lives. And that's where Treasure Town comes in! 

Our aim is to show all the 'treasure' that is around us in our local area and to encourage people to think of reusing and repairing, or swapping and sharing, rather than buying completely new products.  There are lots of reasons to try and reduce the amount of new things we buy - every product that is completely new has incorporated materials and resources (like water or energy usage) which contribute to carbon emissions. Products generally come encased in packaging which use yet more resources, and then both packaging and item will end up in landfill unless we try to recycle, which creates more carbon emissions.  And although recycling is a step up from throwing in the bin, it's ultimately still an unsustainable practice because it uses more resources and unfortunately many recyclables end up being incinerated or exported to other countries, creating environmental problems there.

Some of the ways we can be more 'circular' as individuals and communities are things we often do without realising, for example:

• Buying from, or donating to charity shops.
• Sharing books.
• Reparing household appliances or clothes.
• Growing our own food.
• Seed or plant swapping.
• Bringing a reusable coffee cup or water bottle when you're away from home.
• Reducing food waste.

Our Treasure Town Event will be on the 18th June in Kilcullen Community Centre and we will have a big jumble sale with climate pledges as the 'prices'.  We will have a plant swap table, information on energy usage at home, activities for kids and much more.  Best of all, the event is completely free. Coffee and teas and snacks will be available from the Coffee Hatch but we would love if you could bring your resuable cup so that we can reduce even more waste.

We welcome donations of good quality home goods/clothes and also plants - email kilcullen4climateaction@gmail.com for further details.

We would like to acknowledge Kildare County Council who have provided funding to enable us to host this event.