Free Store McMaster
Mission Statement
- Support waste diversion practices by emphasizing and encouraging eco-friendly and sustainable waste management behaviours that resists norms of a “throw-away” society.
- Prompt the McMaster and Hamilton community in re-evaluating existing definitions of ‘waste’
- Challenge capitalist and consumerist frameworks by re-defining what constitutes as ‘valuable’.
- Build a culture of skill sharing and exchange.
- Support students in accessing resources which may otherwise be inaccessible for students experiencing financial barriers.
- Educating students about the politics of waste diversion and the intersectionality of sustainable living.
Our Core Values
- Refuse: practicing conscious consumerism by purchasing items and engaging in buying processes which reduce the negative impacts of consumption of the world. For instance, by purchasing locally or buying pre-loved items.
- Repair & Reuse: investing in the repair of owned items rather than buying new ones to replace them. This may also include upcycling items to give them a new function and life.
- Reduce: purchasing thoughtfully and resisting the urge to buy.
- Recycle: minimizing carbon footprints by recycling materials and items appropriately.
- Intersectionality:
acknowledging that an individual’s ability to live sustainability is impacted deeply by a number of factors, including existing power structures, historical legacies, socioeconomic status, race, culture, gender, and etcetera. As such, respecting that ‘sustainable living’ may manifest itself differently across different lives.
Our Initiatives
- Monthly Free Stores: a free-of-cost market aimed to connect students with a number of items, such as sporting equipment, books, home goods, clothing and etcetera, that have been donated by other students on campus.
- Free Repair Sessions: repair shops which provide students the opportunity to have their clothing repaired free of cost by student and community volunteers, as well as to learn how to repair their own clothing and other items.
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Workshops: workshops aimed to expand student knowledge and skills on waste diversion.
Yoga in the Garden!
This Monday, June 12th, we are hosting our first Yoga in the Garden class. All are invited to join for an all-levels Yoga class. The class will be held from 5:30-6:30 and we will meet just outside the garden gates. The class will be taught by a certified yoga instructor and member of the garden team, Sydney. Bring your own mat or towel if [...]
Resource Centre Drop-In Hours
Resource Centre Returning to Life The OPIRG Resource Centre in McMaster's University Centre Room 229 is starting to establish regular hours on a limited basis as we respond to the changing dynamic of an ongoing pandemic. Check out our Resources page to see what OPIRG has to offer students looking to take action on important social and environmental issues. From meeting space to [...]
McMaster climate activists push for divestment
This article first appeared in the Hamilton Spectator: https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2023/03/22/mcmaster-climate-activists-push-for-divestment.html McMaster climate activists push for divestment Divestment from fossil fuels and termination of McMaster’s natural gas peak shaver project are crucial steps if the university is to uphold its promise to create a brighter world, McMaster Divestment Project members write. The McMaster Divestment Project began a hunger strike on Monday, March 20 [...]
Municipal Governance in Hamilton – What you should know
Municipal Governance in Hamilton – What you should know By Josh Tony, OPIRG McMaster Defining municipal governance As students, hearing the words “municipal governance” may sound like a distant or clouded topic that we don’t have much insight into. However, this topic is not all that difficult to understand. In simplest terms, municipal governance refers to a local form of government that [...]
Book Giveaway Continues
Low Intensity Giveaway! We continue our book giveaway as we transform OPIRG's Resource Centre in MUSC 229; our collection of books cover a wide range of topics related to social change, so we hope these books go to a good home! We are leaving some books in the hallway outside the Resource Centre on the second floor of the McMaster University Student Centre [...]
Climate Rally, Dec 1
Climate rally. Keep Cootes Green. Thursday, December 1st, 1:00 pm, BSB field McMaster University "Climate rally. Keep Cootes Green. December 1st, 1:00 pm, BSB field. Help us stop the installation of fossil fuel-powered generators on Cootes Drive! Demands: Board of Governors: Stop the generator installation! City of Hamilton: Deny installation permits! Dundas Valley residents: Speak up! McMaster community: condemn the project!" [...]
