Replacing single use plastics workshop

COURTESY
CAVENDISH — It wasn’t until 1985 that single use plastic bags became routinely used in grocery stores. Very quickly, they took on other uses: totes for other objects, liners for trashcans and a useful tool in cleaning up after the dog. Note that the first “Pooper Scooper” law went into effect in 1978, almost 10 years before the high volume of plastic bags became available.

With a ban on single-use plastics in Vermont, starting July 2020, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) is offering a special workshop to help prepare for the change ahead.

If this seems like an odd workshop for a historical society to offer, keep in mind that these organizations are good repositories of how people once lived. Sometimes we need to draw on that knowledge to help people adjust to changes that are more reflective of past eras.

On Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. the Cavendish Historical Society Museum will offer “Replacing Plastics,” a hands on workshop that provides participants a chance to: make their own tote bags from old T-shirts; using the Japanese fabric wrapping Furoshiki, fold a beach towel so it doubles as a pillow and a carrying case; see a demonstration of converting a milk jug into a “pooper scooper”; and receive a handout on options for replacing single use plastics.

This workshop is free and open to the public. Please bring an old T-shirt. While there will be beach towels available for people to try folding, you may prefer to bring your own.

The museum is located at 1958 Main St. Cavendish VT. For more information about the workshop, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield @icloud.com