India Project

 

Mission

Miguel and I traveled around India (specifically Mumbai, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi) and shared the craft of plastic bag crochet with various NGOs, community groups, and individuals.

The plan was to study India’s plastic bag problem, teach freeform plastic bag crochet, spread the message of plastic bag conservation, and inspire others to recycle single-use plastic bags into fashionable, reusable creations – creations that could possibly provide a revenue stream for impoverished communities. Thanks to all the wonderful people we met along the way, all our goals were accomplished! We held 13 formal workshops, several more informal ones, and I estimate that 600-700 people learned the basics of plastic bag crochet. We also managed to collect enough crochet hooks to give one to each person we taught.

For a complete listing of our events and workshops, check  our Events page.

For a more detailed explanation of the project idea, here’s the Kickstarter page we created prior to our trip.

Implementation

While each workshop was tailored to the specific audience (adults, students, children), all workshops emphasized plastic bag crochet as an art form, as a fashion statement, and as a means to lessen India’s ecological footprint on the earth.

The idea is that through learning a fun craft project that involves plastic bags, individuals will become more environmentally conscious, more mindful of the things they throw into the street, and more respectful of the world around them. And hopefully as a result, they will be actively engaged in influencing the trash tossing behavior of their families and communities.

What Next?

Many of our workshop participants are now capable of performing basic crochet stitches, creating simple bag designs, and transforming waste materials into fashionable, reusable products. The next step is to help them market these products so that they can earn fair wages for their labor. We’re currently in the process of developing a product line, creating a brand web site, and exploring retail opportunities.

Any interesting ideas? Want to buy a bag?

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please contact us.

Learn More About Our Projects (and Receive Updates)

I aim to develop this web site into a platform for posting new designs, sharing tutorials and resources, highlighting interesting news about plastic bag art, and testing ways to construct crochet hooks from materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill (such as old plastic toothbrushes).

I also plan to write about creative plastic projects intended to benefit communities as well as the environment. In addition to posting updates about our India project, I will be highlighting Indian organizations and community groups aimed at recycling plastic or promoting self sufficiency through the sale of eco-friendly handicrafts.

To read recent posts about our India project, visit the “Destination: India” category.

To receive blog updates by email, scroll to the bottom left of this page (where it says email subscription) and hit the “sign me up!” button.

How You Can Help:

Do you know of any like minded groups in India I should interview? Have you started a similar project in another part of the world? Do you know of any eco friendly or fair trade stores that may be interested in carrying these products? Please contact me and we can discuss!

Also… if you want to donate crochet hooks to my cause, I’d love to hear from you as well! I aim to make this skill accessible to as many people as possible.