The first community Re-Fair welcomes diverse partners to Ateneo

Held last 11 to 13 March, Re-Fair encouraged Ateneo students and employees to rethink throw-away culture, refill to curb consumption, recover to avoid waste, and repair and repurpose their things.  Re-Fair, spearheaded by the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS), was a pilot sustainability community event meant to encourage its audience to learn sustainable habits for a more sustainable Loyola Heights campus. The event was made possible by the diverse set of like-minded partners who shared their work and expertise on campus. 

The Ateneo Institute of Sustainability hosted a diverse set of partners with their own path of expertise in sustainability- repairing, refilling, recovering, and rethinking.  Throughout the week, partners interacted with the Ateneo community through their booths set up at the College promenade. AIS’ partners included: 

The Ateneo Management Engineering Association, who gave old clothes a second life through their clothes collection and donation drive.

Play It Forward, who collected old tennis balls to repurpose them for their free tennis clinics for the youth, 

RMC Oil, who collected used cooking-oil and coffee grounds,

And EcoWaste Coalition PH, who collected e-waste.

Paras Alter Station promoted extending the life of old clothes by repairing them to be as good as new,

And Back to Basics ecostore encouraged the community to stock up on packaging-free and environmentally responsible personal care and home care products as part of the ongoing Refill Revolution activities.

Blue Mobility also provided guided bike tours for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Students passing by had the chance to borrow a bike and members of Blue Mobility would guide them through the Red Brick road depending on their skill and required assistance.

Apart from visiting the booths, Ateneo students and employees also learned new skills through the Repair workshops in sewing, recycling, and bike repair and maintenance, hosted by partners Solidarity with Orphans and Widows, Philippine Alliance for Sustainable Solutions, Blue Mobility, and Make It Safer Movement.

On the first day, students were invited to learn the basics of clothes mending with the nanays of Solidarity with Orphans and Widows (SOW), a charity organization that assists the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings. The attendees experienced a more hands-on activity with our sustainability champions on day one, making pouches and learning how to do basic repairs.

The second day of ReFair invited the community to rethink the value of trash as they heard from Philippine Alliance for Sustainable Solutions. Project head for Sentinel Upcycling Technologies, Jonathan Co, gave an inspiring lecture about how the recycling process works and what people can do to make recycling easier like washing out the food waste from plastic containers before disposal.

For the final day of ReFair, Ateneans were invited to learn how to maintain their bicycles with Jeza Rodriguez of the Make It Safer Movement. Together with the Blue Mobility bike lessons, Ateneans received a well-rounded education when it comes to choosing cycling as an alternative mode of transport on campus.

The ReFair was an avenue for curious minds to engage with sustainability champions and other advocates to learn new skills and understand how our behavior as a community can impact the waste we generate from personal items. Rethinking our daily habits can be a proud step towards learning more about what matters most to the community for sustainability as we explore solutions for challenges on and off campus.

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