MVEDD Presents Refresh & Reuse Homesteading Workshop

The Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, Inc. (MVEDD), will host a “Refresh & Reuse” Homesteading Workshop on August 27th. Register for this free workshop on the MVEDD website to reserve your seat to learn how to reduce and reuse locally, make your own DIY Goo Gone, and upcycle old jars into beautiful home décor!

MVEDD’s mission is to promote economic growth and community resiliency within the Mohawk Valley. MVEDD will continue supporting businesses through sustainable development that emphasizes job growth, enhances quality of life, and increases regional viability.

Homesteading as self-sufficiency

The term homesteading is defined as a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, including subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and small craft-like trades such as textile working and making common household items within the home. The epitome of homesteading is sustainability and reducing waste as a way of life. There are many homesteader practices that used to be the norm and have in recent decades fallen out of practice. These include simple repair of clothing, saving seeds and growing food at home, composting food waste materials, and using common, simple ingredients to make household cleaning products. These skills are integral to sustainability and pollution prevention at home. Teaching residents these skills can help to foster more sustainable communities by empowering a network of people in those communities to “do it themselves” – together.

MVEDD is able to host this workshop thanks to the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I). Through NYSP2I’s Community Grants Program funded by the Environmental Protection Fund administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), MVEDD was awarded funding for the 2025 -2026 grant cycle. This has allowed MVEDD to host workshops across the Mohawk Valley, teaching residents a variety of homesteading skills and techniques to support the mission of reducing pollution and waste sent to landfills.

MVEDD’s Refresh & Reuse Homesteading Workshop will take place on August 27, 2026, at 5:30pm in the MVEDD office located at 26 W Main St. Mohawk, NY. Please check our website at mvedd.org for announcements and registration links regarding this event.