It's The WasteShed's Blue Whale-iversary
It’s our Blue-Whale-iversary
150 tons of materials saved
A blue whale made up of school and art supplies (illustrations by Anna Jo Beck)
After 9+ years, The WasteShed has hit a landmark; we've diverted 150 tons of materials (300,000 lbs) away from the wastestream and back into the community for creative & educational porpoises. After going through rhinoceroses and lesser cetaceans, we have officially run out of currently-extant animals big enough to measure our accomplishments by. We estimate the value of these materials to Chicago's makers and teachers at a staggering $3.2 million.
At the same time, we just passed our 100,000th customer visit. According to a recent customer survey, these can be broken out roughly as follows:
-15,000 teachers,
-50,000 artists,
-25,000 students,
-10,000 therapists/social workers
-100,000 of the raddest & most creative, lovely people you'll ever meet.
In celebration of this hefty victory, we are looking for 150 supporters (1 per ton!) who are willing to donate $10-$25 per month (the price of a sandwich, a streaming service, or 4-10 guppies) in 2024 to sustain our mission of reducing barriers to access for art and education for all Chicagoans.
These recurring donations will help us cover 100% of the cost of staff health insurance for our full time employees, as well as paid sick time. (Have you physically picked up and moved a whale? If so, you may understand the need for rest and healthcare).
If you'd like to donate a larger amount, or just once, that's also a huge help! Just select the One-Time donation option and enter any amount you like.
We’d like to take this moment to offer our gratitude to our community for supporting us through the trials & tribulations of the last few years; many creative reuse centers like The WasteShed never make it this far! Like blue whales, our existence is a challenge to the limits of human imagination. We’re here for the wonder and the exploration, thank you for taking this journey with us.
Love, The WasteShed Team