Re·purpose·ment
to use something for a different purpose to the one for which it was originally intended and which improves the thing itself.
Repurpose is a rather broad word in itself, repurposement even more so; when I first heard it, it reminded me of being home sick from school and watching ‘Money for Nothing’ on the BBC where people would go to the dump to find old items and upcycle them into something new. I remember being in utter amazement that a grubby old coffee table could be transformed into arty shelves in the space of 40 minutes.
However, television editing DOES exist, and it did not take 40 minutes because repurposement is often a slow process from a conscious choice to improve ourselves and the world around us. This fresher's issue will divulge the different branches of repurposement and its importance.
Repurposement is a concept as old as civilisation and is simply the use of something for other than the intended purpose, sometimes modifying it to fit a new use. In the current Digital Age, there is an unspoken pressure to have the newest clothes, newest tech, new furniture and basically the newest of everything- yet, this is completely unfeasible on the student budget. There are, however, unlimited ways you can repurpose your current stuff to give it a new lease of life, whilst saving money.
Sustainability and repurposement are two very similar terms, repurposement is a broader term and sustainability places emphasis on conserving our resources to fulfil current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Basically, sustainability is a specific subfactor to the broadness that is repurposement.
Sustainability is a social goal for people on earth to co-exist on earth for a long time, without practicing and promoting sustainable living we will go to ruin. So, to prevent and push back the collapse of civilisation as we know it- EVERYONE can make small changes whilst we are here.
The easiest and most well-known changes we can make are the likes of thinking twice before shopping, ditching fast fashion and animal-based textiles, being water wise, ditching plastic and switching to reusable items and being conscious of how you dispose of goods.
Green living is hard, and sometimes it much easier to crack and shop first hand or to throw out plastics in the wrong bin in a hurry, but by reading this fresher’s issue you will be enlightened about repurposement and how easily everyone can make small sustainable changes to our daily lives.
Written by Eva Milne, Lifestyle Editor for The Magdalen
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