Christmas songs constantly remind us that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but no one ever sings about the chaos and stress that buying gifts can put on us all. We can easily get drawn into the madness, mindlessly trying to tick things off of our to-do lists. The pressure to buy the right gifts for family and friends means that even less attention goes towards shopping sustainably. There are so many amazing eco-friendly gifts on the market at the minute so it’s important that we all try and shop a little greener.
Gráinne O’Malley, the Development Manager and Co-Founder of Green Shoes Events, speaks to The University Times over the phone about the upcoming All that Glitters can be Green event. Featuring a panel of speakers, workshops and refreshments, this free event is a sort of “festive fashion forum”, where guests will be able to buy eco-friendly gifts. “With this event we’re trying to show that it’s quite easy to make more sustainable and eco-friendly choices”, explains O’Malley.
The event will be co-hosted with Small Changes, an eco-friendly whole food store, and sponsored by White & Green, which creates luxury and organic bedlinen and scarves. “They’re helping us cover the cost, so that we can allow it to be a free event”, O’Malley explains. “We’re trying to remove as many barriers as we can.” Due to limited space on the night, she recommends booking a ticket online.
Among the speakers on the night will be Emma Gleeson, the owner of a home de-cluttering service, who will be speaking about the environmental and economic effects of fast fashion in her talk “The Devil Wears Primark”. Founder of Sustain Sister Catriona Lynch will be giving a talk around building a sustainable wardrobe in a fast-fashion world. “You might invest in pieces that last longer, rather than having loads of pieces that fall apart”, suggests O’Malley. “From an economic perspective, they’re cheap for a reason, so it’s having an effect on fairtrade as well”.
The event will not only offer information, but will include upcycling workshops, demonstrating how to reinvent pieces you already own. A choir from the Independent Theatre Workshop will be singing carols in aid of Focus Ireland, and a glass of organic mulled wine will be offered on arrival. You can even get your Christmas shopping done on the night, which will showcase local and sustainable Irish designers.
“It’s not a case of completely changing your lifestyle”, she concludes. “It’s just about making a tiny change in your life. Ifeverybody makes a small change, well, it is going to make a big impact.”
