In a plastic-laden, consumerist world, we have big dreams about teaching skilled hands to create with natural materials. We aim to be a catalyst for the community that re-connects the disconnect. We are committed to creating a safe, educational, and inspiring learning space for both children and adults using safe materials and practices. Here are some specific ways that we are helping out our planet: We say no to plastic glitter. Why? Don’t worry, there are alternatives. Also, check out the following articles: Good on You, National Geographic, Newsweek, and The Guardian. We upcycle and recycle in our studio and the community! See below for some recent Community Give-Back Projects. Our Garden Program uses clean sawdust from our woodshop as mulch in the garden, which saves it from going into the landfill as waste. We work to find homes for donations we don’t have a need for. We look to other places in the community such as the BuyNothing Project, local schools, and The Goodwill. We teach children to recycle and reuse in our camps and workshops — we lead by example! Our projects are made with the intention that they will last for years to come and/or can be easily recycled. We use old broken furniture for many projects such as cutting it up and making needed shelves or re-using solid lumber in our workshops. Community Give-Back Projects! We often receive donations of displays and single-use items from corporations. One example is from the San Diego Convention Center in 2022. We received several large plant walls that were part of a display at a convention. They were filled with houseplants that would have just gone into a dumpster. So we hung them in our back lot and sent out messages to the community via social media. Over 75 community members came to adopt houseplants and put them in their homes. No dumpster needed AND those community members are now breathing cleaner air at home. Yippee! Our most current project is upcycling a giant sweater (The World’s Largest Ugly Christmas Sweater!) from Tipsy Elves, a San Diego-based company that recently celebrated 10 years of ugly sweater-making. We’re currently in the process of creating blankets for animal shelters and other organizations that can use them. We’re also creating a couple of fun tunnels for children utilizing the sweater sleeves. Children will be able to climb through them as a sensory experience. Follow us on social media to see what we make!