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Neighborhood Day Camp: Repair, Reuse, and Repurpose recap

2025-08-05 1:39 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

This summer, thanks to a Green Partners grant from Hennepin County, Reuse Minnesota partnered with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to offer two separate weeks of sustainability-focused summer camps for youth ages 8–13. The camps were held at Powderhorn and Beltrami Parks.

Upcycled toile paper tubes, corks, and egg cartons turned into creative designs.Campers explored the many ways reuse can help protect our planet—learning essential skills like sewing and mending, diving into hands-on upcycling projects, and discovering creative ways to reduce waste. Through engaging workshops and activities, students gained the tools and inspiration to become environmental changemakers in their communities.

Highlights from the camp included:

  • Upcycling T-shirts into tote bags, making patches, and assembling mending kits with RETHINK
  • Exploring building material reuse with Hollow Oak Consulting
  • Creating decorative picture frames from reclaimed materials with Loose Parts Laboratory
  • Learning basic repair skills with the Minnesota Tool Library
  • Repurposing scrap wood into bird feeders with Elpis Enterprises
  • Making reclaimed journals and bookmarks with Cami Anderson from Hennepin County Libraries
  • Assembling reusable utensil kits for waste-free meals
  • Watercolor painting using ink made from discarded markers with artist Micah Westby
Denim patch with mending stitches Building creations made out of paper, wooden sticks, and tape Hands taking apart a corded drill

We thank all of our instructors and community partners who helped shape these weeks of camp! It was fun seeing the creativity and engagement from the campers who participated in these camps.

Reuse Minnesota was founded in 2012 and is a member-based nonprofit that supports repair, resale, and rental businesses, bringing visibility to the reuse sector as a means to lower our state's impact on the environment.



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reusemn.org

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