On March 26, the AS Sustainability Center hosted its second Refill and Repair event of the spring semester, near Magnolia and Citrus Hall, at Matador Square.
Refill and Repair encourages sustainability, which is the ability to meet the needs of the present, without depleting natural resources for the future.
“At the end of the day, it just feels so good to be promoting such a good message,” said Kailey Tooch, the CSUN Sustainability Coordinator for Associated Students. “We’re reaching so many people and that’s always a good feeling.”
Students brought empty bottles and jars to refill with free shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hand soap. Students also had the opportunity to bring damaged clothes for professional tailors to repair at no cost.
Each Refill and Repair has a different theme. For this event it was Eco-Glow, which focused on the use of sustainable skincare. For student event planner Nicole Burgess, it was important to introduce students to eco-friendly companies.
“The cosmetics industry is one of the number one sellers for excessive packing,” Burgess explained. “Students don’t need to pay an obsessive price for packing.”
Given the theme was Eco-Glow, students were offered free Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics samples to take home. Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics is a vegetarian and animal cruelty-free cosmetic company that produces and sells personal care items such as lotions, shampoos and shower gels. Retrieving the samples was not easy for Burgess.
“I had to drive over three hours to go to all the Lush stores and pick them up personally,” Burgess said. “I emailed every single one in Southern California… so, I’m really proud that I was able to get three [stores to donate samples]. They actually gave me a bunch and so I was really glad that I was able to provide for all the students here.”
Aside from Lush products, attendees were also provided with do-it-yourself skincare activities that correlated to the event’s theme. Students were able to make body scrubs and toners using natural ingredients such as coffee, sugar, aloe vera, and rose water, among others.
The AS Sustainability Center will host the final Refill and Repair event of the semester in April. According to Tooch, the upcoming event will offer other beneficial resources to Matadors.
“We haven’t secured all the details, but it is going to fall in April, during Earth month, and one subject that we want to touch on is Eco-Anxiety,” Tooch said. “So, it will be incorporating different resources for mental health and possibly a meditation aspect. That’s what we’re aiming to do.”
The upcoming event will be the sixth Refill and Repair of the academic year. While details for the next school year are unconfirmed, the AS Sustainability Center plans to bring the event back in the fall semester. For Tooch, she hopes the Refill and Repair event will keep growing in years to come.
“I hope that more and more students continue to attend,” Tooch said. “If the students need change, then we’ll cater to that. We’re open to any feedback and we’re always wanting to do the best we can.