Sunny Jar Eco Hub: D*I*S: Do It Sustainably workshops

The Sunny Jar team is back with their Do It Sustainably online series! These interactive sessions focus on their low waste ethos.

Workshops: 

Sunday 12 July – Plant Propagation & Upcycled Macrame Pot Hanger

Sunday 23 August – Bees Wax Wraps

Sunday 20 September – DIY Unisex Natural Beauty Products

Ticket options:

Tickets are £5 with a £15 option which includes a material kit being sent to you before the session with all of the items you’ll need for your workshop (note, this option is only available up to 1 week before the workshop to give time for delivery). Please provide your delivery address when booking your ticket.

Please note, these workshops will be held virtually on Zoom. You will be emailed the Zoom log in details once you have booked your slot(s) and given all the information you’ll need before the session.

See below for full details of each workshop. If you have any questions, please email info@poplarunion.com.

Sunday 12 July | 2pm-3.30pm:

Plant Propagation & Upcycled Macramé Pot Hanger

Are you interested in starting an urban jungle without spending a penny? Join the Sunny Jar team and learn how to grow and propagate plants from cuttings. They will also teach you how to make a stylish macramé style plant hanger.

A healthy home environment is vital to our well-being, and houseplants can contribute more than you might think. Their main benefit is acting as a natural air purifier, absorbing many air pollutants present in our homes. Some of these harmful compounds have been linked to adverse health effects, like headaches, dizziness, eye irritation, to name a few. In addition, looking after plants can be extremely rewarding, helping you to relax and cultivate mindfulness.

What to expect

Buying plants can be costly but there are plants you can easily propagate to create your own indoor jungle and improve your air quality without spending a penny. In this workshop, you will be shown  how to successfully propagate a few common plants and even grow from food waste.

To display your new plantlets in style, you will also learn how to create a beautiful macramé style pot hanger. Macramé is a textile craft based on knots. You will learn a few basic knots and techniques and how to make your own pot hanger from start to finish.

If you want to make the plant hanger on the day you will need:

-4 x 2 m cords or 3 cm wide strips of material like Jersey or Lycra
-2 x 50 cm cords or 3 cm wide strips for the wrap knots at the top and bottom, you can use the same material or a different one, if you are using a thinner cord or wool double or triple its length
-1 x wooden or metal ring (upcycle a curtain ring or even a key ring)

Tools:
1 x ruler
1 x scissors
1 x S hook (or equivalent)

Material Kit (for £15)

• 4 x 2m upcycled lycra strips in pastel pink, pale blue or cream
• 2 x 50cm cords for the wrap knots at the top and bottom, assorted colour
• 1 x Natural wooden ring
• 1 x S hook
• Printed instructions

Sunday 23 August | 2pm-3pm:

Bees Wax Wraps  

Join Sunny Jar Eco Hub to learn about low waste living and how to make your own beeswax wraps, a plastic-free alternative to clingfilm.

Beeswax wraps are a natural eco-friendly alternative to cling film for wrapping food or covering bowls and jars. They help keep food fresh, are naturally anti-bacterial, can be reused, refreshed and are compostable. If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce waste to landfill and reduce your use of plastics, then this workshop is for you.

Our experienced facilitator will guide you step-by-step through choosing your fabric, application of the wax, setting, and maintenance. You’ll make a set of three beeswax wraps suitable for a sandwich wrap, snack bag and salad bowl cover.

If you want to make the beeswax wraps on the day you will need:

-1x 30cm/30cm and 2 x 20cm/20cm pieces of light weight cotton.
NOTE: It’s important that your fabric is 100% cotton as we find that other materials even mostly made from cotton won’t work as well. Upcycle old cotton shirts or bedding material. If using new fabric, make sure to wash it a few times- this will help increase it’s absorbency to the wax.
-50g of beeswax pellets or grated
-10g of pine resin
-1 teaspoon of olive or vegetable oil
– 2x 35cm/50cm pieces of baking paper
-Some masking tape
-An iron and iron board
-An old towel to protect your iron board

Material Kit (for £15)

• 1 x 30cm/30cm pieces of light weight cotton
• 2 x 20cm/20cm pieces of light weight cotton
• 2 ready to be grated wax bar (containing beeswax, pine resin and almond oil)
• 2 x 35cm/50cm pieces of baking paper
• Printed instructions

Sunday 20 September | 2pm-3pm:

DIY Unisex Natural Beauty Products  

Want to be kind to the planet, your skin and your wallet? Join our natural beauty products workshop for a sustainable pampering experience.

Making your own beauty products will save you money, reduce packaging waste and is less harmful for your health and the environment.

In this family friendly workshop you will learn how to make a body scrub out of coffee waste, an all-natural deodorant, a customisable, soothing bath soak and a fun and nourishing banana face mask. Our experienced facilitator will guide you step-by-step through the recipes and share her low waste beauty routine essentials and tips.

If you want to make the recipe on the day you will need:

For the coffee scrub:
-5 Tbsp of coffee grounds (fresh or dry)
-5 Tbsp oil (olive, sunflower, coconut oil)
-2 Tbsp of sugar optional
-a small jar with a lid to mix and store your scrub

For the bath soak:
-2 Tbsp of oats
-1 Tbsp of citruses peels, dried or fresh ( lemon or orange or grapefruit) or herbs dried or fresh (eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender)
– a few drops of essential oils (orange, or eucalyptus or lavender) optional
– a square piece of muslin or thin cotton fabric, an odd sock or a small jar

For the deodorant:
-3 tbsp coconut oil
-1 tbsp of bicarbonate of soda
-1 tbsp of corn flour
– a small jar with a lid to mix and store your Deodorant

For the banana face mask:
– 1 banana
– 1 tbsp of milk or yogurt (dairy or vegan)
– 1 tsp of honey optional
– 1 tsp of lemon or orange juice optional
– a bowl and fork to mix

About Sunny Jar Eco Hub

Sunny Jar is an idea that was conceived by two local residents, Maud and Linda. With the growing problem of plastic in our oceans and streets, we wanted to encourage others to live more thoughtfully; making a positive contribution to our local area and the environment. Our name represents our vision. ‘Sunny’ because we want to create a bright, happy and optimistic place for people to connect. ‘Jar’ symbolizes the concepts of recycling, reusing, crafting and resilience- in contrast to the throwaway lifestyle.

They need to rally as many people as they can to join their new venture that could change how we all think and live; will impact our future.

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