Experts in repair, reuse and everyday invention met at the Estonian National Museum | Eesti rahva muuseum
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Steven J. Jackson's presentation | Photo: Anu Ansu

Experts in repair, reuse and everyday invention met at the Estonian National Museum

Thursday, 05. dec 2024

Keynote presentations are now available to watch online!

From 30 October to 2 November, the Estonian National Museum hosted the international conference ‘Sustainability in Practice: DIY Repair, Reuse and Innovation’.
The conference emphasised the importance of the repair and DIY culture in ecological sustainability, shedding light on repairing, reusing and daily invention in the past as well as the present.

The conference dealt with traditional sustainable practices and new community-based initiatives based on the principles of cultural heritage and the circular economy. In the context of the climate crisis, the conference looked at examples and solutions of sustainable practices, shaped by culture and history that could play a role in the creation of a more sustainable future.

One of the keynote speakers of the conference was Steven J. Jackson, Professor at Cornell University, USA, who suggested in his keynote presentation that, given we live in a broken world, we should rethink the meaning of hope. He argues that hope can be found in practical activities and should be understood as an active process: ‘I think hope is a practice. Hope is a way of life.’

In their keynote presentation, Andrés Bello University Professor Tomás Errázuriz and San Sebastián University Professor Ricardo Greene from Chile said that in the recent history of Estonia and Chile, there were periods when frugality resulted from scarcity and shortages. ‘That is why the themes of sustainability are unappealing to many, because they are associated with poverty and scarcity.’ They expressed hope that, over time, we will be able to not only reuse but also redefine – both commodities and our relationship with objects but also our way of life in general.

Lilian Pungas ja Bianka Plüschke-Altof, having made a presentation on urban gardens, observed a tendency to prioritise the new over the old. ‘It seems to me that everything new, exotic and fashionable, or what is called innovative, is automatically appealing. At the same time, everything that has actually been traditional knowledge for decades is not,’ said Pungas, referring to ‘fashionable’ community gardens and ‘obsolete’ dacha gardening.

The conference ‘Sustainability in Practice: DIY Repair, Reuse and Innovation’ was an important step in exploring the potential and role of cultural heritage in ecological sustainability and sustainable ways of life with a view towards both the present and the future. Thank you to all the speakers and participants who filled the four days of the conference with meaningful and essential discussions.
 
Keynote presentations from the conference are now available to watch:


Conference webpage: https://enmconferences.ee/sustainability-2024
Exhibition: https://www.erm.ee/et/-igapaevane-kasutus

The conference was organised by the Estonian National Museum in collaboration with the exhibition project ‘Washing Machine Made of Beetroot’, curated by the Estonian Road Museum, the Estonian Agricultural Museum and the Tartu City Museum. The conference and the exhibition are part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 programme.