Consumerism is a major part of Western culture all year, but there is no day more iconic for shopping and spending than Black Friday. Unfortunately, those deals at the mall have pretty serious impacts on the climate. For socially conscious consumers hoping to reduce their impact, there is another option: MAKE SMTHNG Week. This global event is a celebration of creating and reusing instead of buying new. Greenpeace organizers write on their website: “We believe that if you made something, you will buy more consciously next time, whether it’s food, fashion or mobile phones.”
After a two-year hiatus because of COVID, MAKE SMTHNG Week has relaunched with the support of Greenpeace Germany. Like many things that are refinding their way back, this year’s events are part of a soft re-launch that is aiming to expand beyond Germany to become a global campaign again next year. You can find all scheduled 2022 events here.
And don’t let the name fool you, MAKE SMTHNG events extend out across several weeks to increase the opportunities for impact. “We’ve seen that the shared experience of making things with others can lead to lasting change in both the lifestyle choices of participants and in the way that they engage with their communities,” says Shareable’s Tom Llewellyn. “We’re proud to be collaborating with Greenpeace and other partners to support communities to host events where people can opt-in to an alternative way of celebrating the holidays while forging new relationships and behaviors that will last throughout the year.”
There are many ways to be involved in MAKE SMTHNG Week 2022. Participants can attend an event, but the organizers also suggest planning an event of your own and sharing about the movement on social media. And you don’t even need to make your event public to participate. It’s the action that matters, so whether you’re making things with friends and family or going it alone, the most important thing is to just MAKE SMTHNG.
The spirit of MAKE SMTHNG can apply to all sorts of activities: whether it is cooking food instead of buying, using food scraps to make a broth, upcycling clothing or other materials, or reusing pieces of broken items to make new DIYs, creativity can play a huge part in sustainability. As we continue to work toward creating a more just, more eco-friendly world, we will have to work together to coordinate the best ways to use resources that are respectful to the planet. MAKE SMTHNG Week is a fun way that everyone can participate in sustainability, just by creating something at home. Use hashtags #MakeChangeNow, #MakeSMTHNG, #BuyNothing, and #MakersforClimate when you participate.
Editor’s note: this article has been updated and repurposed from an original post in 2019.
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