The sustainable toy shop, Jiminy Eco Toys has partnered with the Rediscovery Centre to launch its Big Toy Swap, a campaign to educate and empower children across Ireland to think and play more sustainably.
Under the partnership, the pair will run 100 workshops in primary schools and youth groups across Ireland, to educate and empower children to host their own toy swaps. The activity will culminate by celebrating a national Big Toy Swap on June 5th this year.
An advocate and ambassador for sustainable toys, play, and practices in Ireland, Jiminy Eco Toys has to date introduced a number of campaigns and initiatives to promote toy repair, reuse, and re-play among young audiences, including establishing a national learning/action group to start toy collections at local public libraries.
Now, through its partnership with the Rediscovery Centre and partial funding under the Irish Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Enterprise programme – a government of Ireland initiative – Jiminy is about to embark “on one of its biggest dreams about toy reuse.”
“We could not be more excited,” said Sharon Kielthy, environmental activist and founder of Jiminy Eco Toys. “We’ll collect numbers from all the swaps, aiming for a total of 10,000 pre-loved toys re-homed. Schools will be equipped with comprehensive resources to host their own ‘Big toy Swap’, including how-to guides on toy swap and repair, event organisation, and curriculum integration.
“The goal is to provide a fun and sustainable way for families to refresh their toy collections without spending money on new toys, and at the same time to reduce waste by giving unwanted toys a new home.”
The Rediscovery Centre is part of the National Centre for the Circular Economy and acts as an innovation hub to deliver education, provide research, and enable policy, citizen engagement, and collaboration to support community action.
“The toys we sell are as sustainable as it gets for new toys – they’re climate kind and minimal waste, being made in Europe from natural or recycled materials,” said Sharon. “But the most sustainable toy is one that’s not new, but reused. One found in granny’s attic, passed on by friends, picked up at a charity shop, borrowed from your local library, or swapped for at a toy swap!”
The campaign is now up and running with toy swap workshops now available to book across schools and youth centres in Ireland. Visit the Jiminy Eco Toys website for more information on how to get involved.
