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Four families put in the effort to make the festivities as environmentally-friendly as possible, from wearing old clothes to reducing waste.
Stepping into the home of Zawiya Mohd Thani in Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur, you are quickly drawn into a colourful space with a clever mix of decor. The interiors are all prepped up for Hari Raya but the furnishings are mostly old pieces updated in the creative hands of Zawiya, 52. The senior sales manager does not believe in buying new things every Raya – some of her curtains are over 10 years old, she says.
“I’ve amassed different sets of curtains over the years and they all still look new. So I alternate different sets to keep things fresh for guests. Also, I will change the sheers more than the drapes as sheers are cheaper and easier to wash,” she says. She also buys second-hand pillow cases, duvet covers, rugs and dining chairs from a shop in Ipoh that sells quality stuff discarded by hotels. She says this saves her loads of money while giving a new lease of life to old but usable items.
 Several old baju raya are worn again and again since the traditional outfit never goes out of style.
Most of her furniture have remained unchanged over the years. She gives her old sofa a new look through a change of cushion covers. Some of the covers are nearly five years old but are reused again and again by having them laundered, ironed and neatly stashed away until the next festival season. The decorative flowers adorning corners of her home are old ones, washed and rearranged into different vases. “I also have my favourite dining chairs which I re-upholstered for just RM600. I do that every three to four years. You can do some touch-up at a fraction of the cost of a brand new set. There’s simply no need to get new ones so long as you maintain the old set well. Moreover, rushing with the crowds at shopping complexes each year isn’t appealing for me.” She adds that living in a condominium that has limited storage space for the past 20 years has taught her to limit her purchases. Growing up in a big family, she was taught from young to be prudent and to use things until they are broken. “My mother was the ultimate recycler. She would use the same things but because the things were well taken care of, they look new. There’s no shame in recycling and repurposing old materials so as long as they are still clean. By doing this, we are helping the environment. If your lifestyle changes, your mindset would, too. Then you start recycling even without realising it.
 These drapes may look new but they are actually old ones which Zawiya has kept in good condition all this time.
“Even if you have a lot of money, there’s no need to splurge unnecessarily as unneeded stuff only creates waste,” says Zawiya, who prefers spending on things that will last her several years. The only items she buys each year are cookies and even these are kept in recycled cookie jars which have been embellished with decorative ribbons to look new for the festive season. New clothes are also kept to a minimum of one or two each year, worn when she hosts guests during her open house. Many old ones still hang in her wardrobe as she reckons that the traditional outfits will not go out of fashion. “The bulk of my Raya clothing expenses are used on my teenage boys Mohamad Shafri, 18, and Mohamad Ishman, 17, and that’s only because they keep outgrowing their clothes each year,” she says.
Read here: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/E ... o-the-3Rs-for-Raya/
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Post time 29-7-2014 12:44 AM
变色卡
lol
