The idea for the collaboration came to light when a youth company from Greåker Upper Secondary School applied to the municipality for financial support for the implementation of an awareness campaign. FreeFix UB is a youth company consisting of 61 students in the Science program at Greåker Upper Secondary School. FreeFix UB aims to carry out an awareness campaign to encourage Fredrikstad society to become more circular. The first step in plan for the awareness campaign is to purchase a box trailer. The trailer will contain various tools and other aids to repair different things. There will also be people present who have knowledge and skills in repairing. The purpose is to communicate and create an understanding of why it is good to repair instead of throwing away and buying new.
At the same time, Fredrikstad municipality will, through the EU-funded circular economy project TREASoURcE, find and develop various demonstration cases for good circular practice. The focus is to provide support for citizens and local communities to implement and increase climate-friendly circular economy practices. This will be done by encouraging public bodies, citizens, schools, small and medium-sized businesses and designers to develop new reuse concepts. This can include, for example, conducting co-creative activities, local fixing workshops, reuse and repair “showrooms”, but also seminars. The goal is to facilitate even more focus on reuse and circular economy in the education system.
Based on this, Fredrikstad municipality and Greåker Upper Secondary School intend to collaborate on developing and implementing a “Circular Festival” on June 2nd and 3rd as a “kick start” of the awareness campaign. During the festival, FreeFix will host various activities and entertainment around the box trailer to attract people, as well as invite some local businesses focusing on repair. Simultaneously, Fredrikstad municipality will arrange a stand with information material related to the collection and further treatment of plastic and food waste. The collaboration is primarily about conducting the festival in Fredrikstad, but it’s also about the process leading up to the festival.
In the aftermath of the festival, the box trailer will be placed around in different districts within Fredrikstad municipality, where it can serve as a meeting place for repairs and which helps to raise awareness of the importance of Fredrikstad society becoming more circular.
20.3.2023 | Trond Åge Langvik (Fredrikstad), trolan@fredrikstad.kommune.no