Keep it Frome – New campaign looking for examples of the circular economy in Frome
By Ben Still
A NEW campaign to boost the idea of a circular economy in Frome is looking for companies, people and organisations to step forward. If you’re a repairer, fixer, waste reducer or sharer of things, then ‘Keep it Frome’ want to hear from you.
the technical term ‘circular economy’ refers to a sustainable and regenerative way to handle and distribute resources. Its key aim is to stop valuable resources leaving the economy, entering landfill, or finding their way into our rivers and oceans.
Circular systems repair, re-use, or regenerate resources, so they keep their value and usefulness, repurposing what might be considered waste and reducing the impact on people and planet.
Ben Still from Loop:Frome is one of the organisers of the project. He said: “Is your business or organisation involved in repairing, reusing, regenerating, or reimagining how to use precious resources? Do you want to be featured in this project for some free publicity and creative collaboration? If so, we’d love to hear from you at info@loopfrome.org.”
“Frome has many examples of this circular economy including textile workers, electronics repairers, food waste champions, composters, sharing groups and more – and this campaign plans to bring them all together with a public artwork, a recognisable symbol and a special listing on the council’s website.”
The story so far
Ben added, “The Keep it Frome project was kickstarted in December last year, when Glimpse and Loop:Frome hosted a creative ideas session at the Rye bakery. They brought together some of Frome’s finest creative minds, business owners, artists, change makers and citizens, with the aim to co-create ideas that support and celebrate the local circular economy. There was a fantastic turnout with over 40 people in attendance, and over 400 individual ideas generated in a matter of hours.
“A recurring theme from the event was the need to know what was on offer in Frome. The town’s eco-system of circular initiatives is vibrant, but public awareness on how to support them, or how to get involved felt very limited for many. Because of this, it was felt that rather than creating an entirely new service, they could better aid the town by promoting and catalysing what was already there.
“This needed to be something with a bit of magic, and that reached as many people as possible, across different platforms and media. Keep it Frome is now working with an exciting local artist to put together an illustration that will feature several local circular initiatives. As well as this, they have been liaising with Frome Town Council, agreeing to build a feature page and directory that will put Frome’s circular economy under one roof. This will improve the visibility of the town’s circulating eco-system, and potentially lead to creative collaborations down the line.”
The Keep it Frome initiative is a new collaboration between two Frome based organisations. Loop:Frome and Glimpse. Loop emerged out of the Edventure start up course in June 2021. They provide a food-waste collection and community composting service for local businesses, which has a focus on building local soil health.
Glimpse is an open collective of creative people who want to use their skills for good. They help creatives apply their skills to projects that are in alignment with their personal beliefs and values, including social justice and fostering a deeper connection with nature. They created the Choose Love stores, helping people shop for much needed products for refugees.
Keep it Frome has more exciting cards up its sleeves… follow the project as it unfolds on the @loopfrome social media or visit www.loopfrome .org.
