SecondHand Sunday 19 March
Welcome everyone! As volunteers we play a major part in ensuring that SHS is an event that is safe,
positive, enjoyable and enriching. Safety is our number one priority, first for yourselves and then for
others.
It’s also almost International Water Day – 22 March 2023
This year the focus of this UN observance is accelerating change to solve water and
sanitation. Its purpose is to bring attention to the way we use, consume, and manage water,
and the 2 billion people around the world who live without access to safe water.
It’s also almost International Water Day – 22 March 2023
This year the focus of this UN observance is accelerating change to solve water and
sanitation. Its purpose is to bring attention to the way we use, consume, and manage water,
and the 2 billion people around the world who live without access to safe water.
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You will each be provided with a kit with green shirt (to be returned at the end of your shift),
water bottle (yours to keep) name badge and site map. Sunscreen will be available. The
weather forecast so far is for a hot, sunny day. We strongly recommend that you wear a hat
and please wear closed, comfy shoes
● First aid responder is Katherine – First Aid is situated at the information booth. Emergency
numbers will be provided.
● Fire extinguishers and fire blankets are available at the first aid/information booth. Ring 000 or local fire brigade if a fire looks to be out of control and inform
Katherine in the Information Stall
● Stay Hydrated. It’s very important, especially on a hot day. Bubblers are located near Jones
St and the Harris Centre side of Bulwara Rd for easy refills. ● Toilets (including accessible toilets) are located at the Wolseley Hotel, The Uniting Harris
Community Centre and Ultimo Community Centre (within minutes of the event site)
● Any allergies or medical issue: Please notify Karen or Katherine of any allergies or medical
issues we need to be aware of.
- There is free parking on Wattle Street and around Wentworth park, in most places. Make sure you read the signs.
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your shift. If arriving after 8:30 Go to the Information Stall where you’ll meet Suzanne O’Connor and receive your kit, other volunteers, and instructions.
- Wear closed toe shoes, a hat. Sunscreen is available. Bring a snack. Water bottles are part of your volunteer kit. So is a sight map.
- Secondhandsunday.au will have information on the day, including a site map
- For those working 2 or more hours, lunch tickets will be available. You can use them at African Food Feast, the P & C Sausage Sizzle. You can get a free Sno-Cone at the Harris Centre Stall.
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● The purpose of SHS (It’s been going on since 2001)
SHS can be writ large, medium and/or small.
● It’s a community-wide market that highlights the value of swapping/selling secondhand
goods to reduce the amount of waste we create that winds up in landfill, and to focus on
where and how to change habits to encourage us all to reduce, reuse, recycle. ● It’s learning about a broad application of sustainability to include not just environmental issues, but social and economic as well – equity, inclusivity, learning from and about cultures with respect and openness, mutual support, building relationships.
● It’s about the questions we need to ask – where our clothes come from for example, what the standards are that should be followed. Are the clothes manufactured in relatively unregulated countries? What are the actual conditions under which they are made, (what are health consequences for the workers) the materials they are made from, and what happens to them when they are no longer wanted? 1 conventional cotton T shirt required 2700 liters of water. What happens to the thousands of microfibers that are produced each time we wash our synthetic clothes, and those fibers are washed down the drain along with the wastewater ending up in our waterways.
● It’s about learning to distinguish between green marketing and greenwashing.
● It’s pushing for policy changes at all levels of government to hold individuals and corporations responsible all along supply chains for their environmental and human impact.
● And simply it’s about celebrating this community
Supporters
a. Uniting Harris Community Centre
b. Mustard Seed Uniting Church
c. Heartdancers
d. UTS
- It’s a vehicle to begin a conversation about the effects of Fast Fashion on the environment and those people in the supply chain manufacturing the clothes and textiles. We worked hard to find a T-Shirt that is affordable (as compared to cheap), equitably manufactured and sustainable. It takes 2700 litres of water to produce 1 conventional cotton T-shirt, and then there’s the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizer. And that’s just the environmental cost.
- Our T-shirts, made of organic cotton, require about 274 litres of water, and produced without toxic pesticides or fertilisers. The website, goodonyou.eco rated Stanley/Stella, a Belgian company that manufactures the shirts as “great” according to its rating criteria. goodonyou.eco considers sustainability – greenhouse gas emissions, water use as well as worker safety and pay, and the transparency of it all. Yet, as it turns out, in some instances, the integrity of the classification of organic cotton has been called into question.
- We’ve recently learned the preferable fabric to use among cottons is recycled cotton. And that’s a whole other story. The bottom line in all of this is to get the message across that one needs to ask the questions and do the research.
Volunteering Basics
- see attached excel file for assignments, general responsibilities – more info will be provided on the day o Suzanne O’Connor is overall supervisor of volunteers. She, or someone covering, will be found in the Information Booth throughout the day.
- Please arrive 15 minutes before your shift begins. Go to the Information Stall to meet Suzanne, get your kit, meet your fellow volunteers, and team leader.
- If you’re assisting Bumping in/Bumping Out – hand trucks etc. will be available.
- At the End of SHS – Clean up does NOT begin until 3:00. (don’t want people packing up until the end. Volunteers will assist stall holders with packing up and moving their items to their cars/trucks.
- Nothing is to be left on the verandah for the Op-Shop.
- Some items may be ok to leave in the well-marked boxes at the end, separating clothing, shoes, household, books. Pyrmont Cares will be carting this stuff to Salvos. We’ll let you know towards the end of the afternoon.
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Despite seemingly obvious, knowing what rubbish/recycling goes can be confusing, compounded by
what company’s bins they are. We’re using three: Red for non-recyclable rubbish, yellow for mixed
recycling, and blue for paper and cardboard. Used paper coffee cups are the test. Red or yellow?
Bins will be well-marked with what goes in them. Briefly:
- #1, #2 and #5 plastics go in yellow.
- Aluminium and steel cans, glass, go in yellow.
- Red bin – hard to recycle – waxed cardboard, strapping ties, food containers, and tissues paper
- Blue Bin – clean office paper and cardboard
There will be two well-marked boxes for Planet Earth sports shoes. Remember that they must be:
- Clean
- Good soles
- No holes
- Tied together
Bicycles for Recycling go to Revolve ReCYCLING Stall.
Remember to click on the workshop button under “More to Know” to sign up for your workshop
spot(s).
Bush to Bowl
- Children’s Workshop 11:30-12:10
- Adult Workshop 1:30-2:30
Electrical Repair Café
- Repair slots run every 30 minutes from 12:30-2:30
- Sign up by clicking on the workshop button under “More to Know”.
- Remember to include what item you’re bringing and the problem so that the repair guys are better prepared.
Revolve ReCYCLING
- Assessment and Tune-up slots run every 15 minutes (except for the first one)
- You do NOT need to sign up to recycle a bike(s).
- The Mending Shop is open from 11:00-2:30. Registering for a specific time isn’t necessary though it would be helpful to gauge interest so that your mending project will get the attention you need.