April 9, 2024, from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the First Presbyterian Church at 90 Morgan Street, Ilion, NY.

You can register here, or by visiting our website www.mvedd.org.

This free workshop will include a sewing demonstration to teach simple repair techniques (sewing on buttons, mending rips) to reduce textile waste. There will also be a demonstration on making homemade household cleaners without toxins found in many commercial brands. A short presentation will be provided to educate attendees on energy conservation and efficiency programs in NYS that can lower utility bills and reduce energy wastage.  

“Many of the household skills that used to be common, and even necessary to daily life, have faded away to modern technology and quick commercialized fixes,” says Samantha Francisco, Clean Energy Specialist for MVEDD. “Less than half of Americans report knowing how to sew on a button, and this loss of skills can often create more household waste, particularly with textiles. We hope that these workshops encourage our communities to be more resilient and less wasteful,” she continued.

In the House Workshop. Photo provided by MVEDD.

About MVEDD

MVEDD is involved in many community based projects across the Mohawk Valley, and has long prioritized pollution prevention through various committees, such as the Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful(KMVB) and Mohawk Valley Farm and Agribusiness Network (MVFAN) initiatives. These workshops, when completed, will be replicable and MVEDD will share the workshop materials with any interested community organization looking to host one of their own.