Waste-Free Stream
What in the world did Moab do with all its stuff before WabiSabi came on the scene?! Each year, we take in approximately 350 tons worth of donations that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Obviously, WabiSabi fills a necessary role in a community that has a lot to give. But what happens to all that stuff once it comes to us? If it’s not going to the landfill, where does it end up?
Thrift Stores
Of course, the first stop for most everything that comes our way is inside one of our two thrift stores. It’s here that castoffs find new homes in the community while we earn money to support our nonprofit partners in the process. Our thrift stores are turning rags into community riches.
Material Donations to Nonprofit Organizations
After goods get funneled into our Warehouse location, not only are they available for sale to the public, but WabiSabi donates many items to nonprofit organizations. Our nonprofit partners often provide us with wish lists – including items they need for community events or to support the individuals they serve – and we keep an eye out for the goods they require. Whether it’s kitchen equipment for community meals or old trophies to refurbish for new community events, we gift thousands of dollars worth of goods to our nonprofit partners each year.
For one, the Humane Society receives gifts of towels from us to line cages. And many large ice chests donated to us become homes for feral cats in the community.
Furthermore, WabiSabi gives directly to individuals. Through groups like the Multicultural Center and Seekhaven, Moab residents can receive vouchers for items that help them get back on their feet. From curtains and towels that help make a house a home, to shoes and jackets that keep a child warm, WabiSabi is able to meet the needs of many. Click here for more information on our community contributions.
Wabi to the World
When items can’t find a home in our community, other locales are grateful for Moab’s castoffs. For one, we have an association with Salt Lake City’s The Road Home, an organization that helps people overcome homelessness. Volunteers deliver bags of goods to this group regularly. We also have volunteers who take items to Salvation Army in Grand Junction. And then there’s James. As with all good things that come WabiSabi’s way, we didn’t know we needed him until he found us. James is a one-man show who works to support Denver’s homeless. When items have been on our shelves for too long, we bag them up and put them in a trailer especially for James. He visits us on a regular basis to empty the trailer and distribute its contents to Denver’s neediest residents. Thus, Moab’s discards find new life by improving the lives of others.
Items from Moab also travel abroad. From Thailand to Mexico, WabiSabi’s goods are globetrotting with Moab vagabonds who give goods to foreign communities in need. We’ll even pack a suitcase of donations for you!
Fashion Show
Sometimes reusing community items is just plain fun. What might you do with hundreds of castoff mini-blinds, stuffed animals or CDs? Make clothing, of course! Every year, WabiSabi puts on its annual Mardi Gras Fashion Show to raise money for our nonprofit partners. Area fashion designers spend the entire year collecting goods from our stores to make wild and wacky wearables that get auctioned off at the end of the evening. The fashion show is the event of the year for locals who come out to watch models strut their stuff and admire the new line of unique creations…all from Moab’s castoffs. A perennial favorite designer is Alien Child. In 2009, he transformed hundreds of mini-blinds into invasive species ensembles. Russian thistle, tamarisk and goatheads awed the audience, and the costumes were auctioned off for hundreds of dollars…all this from “worthless” mini-blinds!
Workshops
WabiSabi means “beauty in imperfection,” and we’ve gotten good at embodying that ethic. The fashion show is a perfect example. And so are some of the workshops we put on. What to do with bags and bags of rags? Make rugs! And invite the community to join us in learning how to turn discards into decoration. What about typical trash like broken bottles, plates, mugs and vases? Turn it into mosaic! We recently put on several mosaics workshops to instruct the community in this ancient art. In the process, we decorated the Thriftique and found beauty in the broken discards around us.
Trash to Treasure
Here at WabiSabi, we’ve even found ways to sell common trash. Anything to make a few extra bucks for the community and keep that landfill a little less full. From ingredients such as candle wax, wood chips and egg cartons, we’ve crafted firestarter packets – no kindling necessary! Just pile on the logs, light the firestarter, and feel the warmth of that good WabiSabi recycling energy. We also use “junk” to create craft projects at our Kids Art Tent. Children get to make masks, puppets, magnets and other treasures with items that simply require a little love and creativity to be beautiful. And we recently had a Moab artist construct a fashionable, functional windmill for display at our Thriftique. Using skis, bike parts, pots and pans – and a large dose of inspiration - he found a way to embrace the constantly blowing wind with recycled style and grace.
Electronics Recycling
The broken VCR, the TV that won’t turn on, and the clock that only runs sporadically – how can we possibly maintain our waste-free ethic with items like this? Well, thank goodness for Gerrall. We have a special bin for him that holds all electronics past their prime. He comes on a regular basis to clean out the recyclable metal materials contained in these throwaways. Think of him as an electronics vulture, looking for metal entrails. He then takes the metal to Grand Junction and receives a slight monetary reward for his efforts. We’re sure that good karma points are awarded as well.
Recycling Goods
Did you know that your empty ink cartridges could support area schools? It’s true! Bring ‘em down to the WabiSabi Warehouse where Kerry from Desert West Office Supplies will collect them. He mails these cartridges to a recycling center that pays for them. When the check comes in, not only does Kerry give the money to WabiSabi, but Desert West generously matches the donation. This money goes into a WabiSabi fund earmarked specifically for the Grand County School District and Moab Charter School. It’s yet another generous business partnership that supports WabiSabi’s mission while benefiting the community at large.
WabiSabi serves as a drop-off location for other recyclables as well. Bring your phone books and light bulbs to our Warehouse location, and we’ll ensure that they find new life elsewhere. We use your plastic shopping bags to bag up our own items for customers. We’ll also take tattered bedspreads to give away as dog blankets. Torn t-shirts are transformed into rags. Holey jeans are bagged up for craft projects. Stained sheets become drop-cloths for painting. Skis are turned into fencing, bowling balls into garden gazing balls. Broken wooden items are set out in our free woodpile for everyone’s building or burning pleasure. We collect eyeglasses for the Lion’s Club and hearing aids for the audiology clinic. You name the used item, and we’ve probably found a new purpose for it.
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