Recap: Goodwill Virtual Sustainability Show

Back in August with the help of Zoom, Goodwill held its first-ever LIVE Goodwill Virtual Fashion Show and it was a smashing success! Following this show, Goodwill hosted it’s second LIVE Virtual Show – but this time with a sustainability twist!

Wrapping up waste reduction week, Goodwill Industries of Alberta hosted its first-ever Goodwill Virtual Sustainability Show, featuring 6 local thrifting artisans, environmental entrepreneurs and upcycling crafters.

The Goodwill Virtual Sustainability Show focused on showcasing businesses and people that take thrifted items and recycled waste materials found at Goodwill and at Goodwill’s Amazing Edmonton Impact Centre and transforming them into works of art, creating functional items and giving them a second chance at life; rather than ending up in one of Alberta’s landfills.

The 6 participants in the show were:

Corey – [ReWaste]

Reusable Snack bags made from an old singular use strawberry bag? A plastic coaster made from an old diaper genie? These are just a few of the many recycled and repurposed goods from Edmonton’s own [Re]Waste

Started by Environmental entrepreneur Corey, [Re] Waste is committed to diverting plastics and other reusable “wastes” from landfills, oceans and incinerators, by repurposing the plastic/wastes into practical pieces like coasters, bags, and everything in between.

Instagram: @rewaste.ca

Facebook: [Re]Waste

Coasters/Tiles made from recycled plastic flakes

Photo courtesy of [Re]Waste

Laura – Reverie Crafts & Creations

From Macramé key chains and wall hangings

to upcycled furniture masterpieces to homemade masks, Laura from Reverie Crafts & Creations is also a very familiar face to the Goodwill Family!

Laura works at one of our Calgary Goodwill stores and recently started her own small business now called Reverie Crafts & Creations just a few short weeks ago.

Instagram: @reverie_crrafts_creations.yyc

Facebook: Reverie Crafts & Creations

An upcycled end table, lovingly restored by Reverie Crafts and Creations

Photo Courtesy of Reverie Crafts & Creations

Jonathan – Full Circle Plastics

Located near Lethbridge, Alberta Full Circle Plastics creates long-lasting, durable products using recycled plastic materials and extrusion.

Full Circle Plastics loves the creativity of taking items that are odten seen as waste, and recycling them into products that can last a lifetime. Some of their products include fence boards, plastic lumber, parking curbs and park benches!

Instagram: @fullcircleplastics

Facebook: Full Circle Plastics Ltd.

Website: www.fullcircleplastics.ca

Believe it or not, this bench is made from recycled plastic chips!

Photo Courtesy of Full Circle Plastics

Lee – Urban Squirrel Designs

Lee from Urban Squirrel Creations in Calgary describes herself was a city dwelling quilling artist living in a repurposed universe, who breathes new life into various paper mediums and prevents them from ending up in our landfills.

She chooses mediums like books that are bound for the trash – ranging from Atlases, comic books, sheet music and even damaged bibles. All pieces are created to be unique, creative, elegant and thought provoking – things that buyers would be proud to keep or give as a gift.

Instagram: @urban_squirrel_designs

Facebook: Urban Squirrel Designs

Website: https://urbansquirrelcreations.webs.com/

Hand quilled paper art created from upcycled books like damaged bibles and atlases that would otherwise end up in the landfill

Photo Courtesy of Urban Squirrel Designs

Nicole – BOOM Bags #YEG

Locally based in Edmonton, Boomerang Bags #YEG has been formed to get folks together to make reusable shopping and produce bags in a fun and social setting. The bags are made from DONATED material.

Every fabric Boom Bags YEG can keep approximately 700 plastic bags out of our landfill. The bags are given away FREE to our friends, families, and folks we don’t even know!! as a plastic bag alternative that can be used and reused or passed on to others. The only requisite to receiving one of our FREE shopping bags, is that the receiver PLEDGES to use it! If they cannot, they promise to pass along to someone else.

Instagram: @boombagsyeg

Facebook: Boomerang Bags YEG

Website: https://boomerangbags.org/listings/edmonton-ab-canada-boombagsyeg/

The amazing volunteers behind BOOM Bags #YEG

Photo Courtesy of BOOM Bags #YEG

Johnson – Commercial Services, Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Located out of the Amazing Edmonton Goodwill Impact Centre, the Commercial Services team is comprised of individuals with disabilities who take discarded items and make them new again. The team makes cleaning cloths out of discarded t-shirts and towels, works with Suncor on a nuts and bolts program, creates outstanding upcycle furniture among others.

Johnson the leader of the Goodwill @ Work program is here to talk about the amazing opportunities this team has created at Goodwill.

Website: www.goodwill.ab.ca/commercialservices/

Goodwill's famous cleaning cloths- made from recycled t-shirts and towels

Photo Courtesy of Commercial Services, Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Be sure to follow these amazing businesses! Not only are you supporting Albertans but also supporting sustainability champions!

For those who missed the live show, a recorded version can be found and viewed below.

We’ll be adding more themed shows to this series… so stay tuned for our next Virtual Goodwill Show!