Reflecting on this project of reshaping a laundry basket deemed “useless” by it’s previous owner into a communal tool for sustainability, my project “Bag it Forward” began with an examination of our perceptions of usefulness and the potential for reimagining everyday objects. It all starts with the discarded laundry basket, deemed useless as the owner preferred using plastic bags to carry laundry due to its convenience. This actually made me think about whether this is a case of “useless behavior” or “useless object.” It made me think about how our behaviors and preferences are able to shape the utility of the objects around us, whether making it more valuable or rendering it useless.
Going into the concept of shaping behavior, I read some studies, like the one from UBC, which underscore the significant impact of convenience on recycling behaviors. This piece of research laid the groundwork for my hypothesis: that by making sustainable practices more convenient, we could encourage greater engagement in sustainability.
With this in mind, I reimagined the laundry basket as a “Bag it Forward” station, a communal bag swap point designed to tap into the power of convenience. Placing it in accessible locations aimed to bridge the gap between intention and action in sustainability, making it easier for people to engage and participate.
The project’s potential impact was gauged through community feedback, collected via surveys. The responses were mostly positive, revealing that people were willing to embrace positive change, but it also highlighted some concerns about cleanliness and accountability, which went over my head when I was first working on this. I’m glad the survey brought about feedback about potential issues. If I were to do a reiteration on this, there will be an emphasis on the need for clear guidelines and maintenance of the bag swap point to ensure everyone’s accountability and the sustainability of this “Bag it Forward” station.
In conclusion, this project opened my eyes on the transformative potential of shifting perspectives, helping me give new life to a discarded object.
Link to presentation deck:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OhPvVPCX172AKUXvP_QLVHaHn6coifC2/view?usp=sharing