GreenClusta

06/20/2026

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Sewing.

For generations, sewing has been more than a practical skill.

It’s how clothes were repaired instead of thrown away.
It’s how fabric scraps became quilts, bags, potholders, and treasured family keepsakes.
It’s how creativity, resourcefulness, and self-reliance were passed from one generation to the next.

Many of us learned to sew from a parent, grandparent, aunt, neighbor, teacher, or friend. Others have always wanted to learn but never had the opportunity.

At Upcycle CHQ we’ve been amazed by how many people in our community sew, how many beautiful things they create, and how many people have told us they would love to learn.

That’s why we’re celebrating the people who keep this skill alive.

- If you sew, show us something you’ve made. We’d love to see your work.

- If you’d be willing to teach someone how to sew, let us know in the comments.

- If you’d like to learn how to sew, please comment too and check out the comments to connect with someone who might be willing to help you.

One of the most valuable things we can pass on isn’t just a finished product—it’s the knowledge and confidence to create something with our own hands.

Let’s celebrate the sewists in our community and see if we can help connect those who know with those who want to learn.

06/19/2026

🇺🇸America250: We want to share 250 Stories of Ordinary Americans and the Skills That Hold Our Communities Together.

Over the past few months, something unexpected has happened at UpcycleCHQ.

What started as conversations about reuse, repair, gardening, canning, making, and creativity has introduced us to some incredible people.

We’ve met gardeners growing food in small backyards.

We’ve met families preserving hundreds of jars of food each year.

We’ve met makers turning discarded materials into beautiful products.

We’ve met repairers extending the life of furniture, clothing, and everyday items.

We’ve met people quietly sharing skills that have been passed down through generations.

And it got us thinking…

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, what if we took the time to recognize the people whose skills continue to strengthen our communities every day?

Not famous people.

Not celebrities.

Ordinary Americans.

The gardeners.
The canners.
The makers.
The repairers.
The artists.
The farmers.
The sewists.
The woodworkers.
The bakers.
The homesteaders.

The people whose skills help hold our communities together.

So over the coming months, we’re setting out to share:

250 Stories of Ordinary Americans and the Skills That Hold Our Communities Together.

In many ways, we’ve already started.

Now we’re simply putting a name to it.

And we’d love your help.

As we continue sharing these stories, tell us about the people and skills we should know about.

Tell us about yourself.

Tell us about a neighbor.

Tell us about a family member.

What skill do they have?
How did they learn it?
Why does it matter?

Share in the comments, send us a message, or email us on ([email protected]).

Let’s celebrate the people whose knowledge, creativity, hard work, and skills continue to shape our communities.

We want to share your story like we have shared of other people so reach out , comment your skills, products and what you have been making👇

06/19/2026

06/18/2026

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Gardening.

Long before grocery stores, people grew food in their backyards, shared seeds with neighbors, saved harvests for winter, and passed gardening knowledge from one generation to the next.

For many of us, gardening isn’t just about growing food.

It’s about memories.

Memories of parents and grandparents tending gardens, teaching us when to plant, how to w**d, how to save seeds, and the satisfaction of harvesting something we grew ourselves.

Gardening is also one of the most creative forms of reuse. Gardeners are known for finding new purposes for old materials—using containers as planters, composting food scraps, repurposing pallets, saving seeds, reusing pots, collecting rainwater, and finding countless ways to make the most of what they have.

It’s a skill that teaches patience, resourcefulness, self-reliance, and stewardship.

Today, gardening remains one of the most practical skills we can have. It helps us grow food, reduce waste, support pollinators, and build stronger, more resilient communities.

And what are you growing this year?

What’s the best gardening advice you have ever received?

Share your knowledge, photos(if you have some) and experiences with the community.

Let’s celebrate the gardeners who help grow food, beautify our communities, support pollinators, and pass valuable skills on to others.

Michelle Vullo Shari Kay Penn State Master Gardeners of Warren County Penn State Master Gardeners of Clarion County Heather Hilyer Gray Sarah Hatfield Stacey Rae Thrasher

06/16/2026

Through the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program, we’re discovering that some of the most valuable assets for economic development may already exist within our communities.

And as we work with makers, farmers, repairers, artists, sewists, quilters, woodworkers, gardeners, bakers, crafters, photographers, musicians, mechanics, and countless others through UpcycleCHQ, we’ve started to notice something important.

Many of the assets needed to create economic opportunity already exist within our communities.

The skills.
The knowledge.
The creativity.
The experience.
The tools.
The materials.
The people.

For generations, local economies were built on people who knew how to grow, repair, build, make, sew, cook, create, teach, and solve problems. Today, many of those skills still exist. They may be practiced in homes, garages, workshops, farms, studios, kitchens, community centers, and maker spaces—but they remain valuable.

One of the reasons we launched the UpcycleCHQ Maker Pilot Program was to test a simple idea:

What happens when you connect local skills, reusable materials, community support, and market opportunities?

What we are discovering is that there is incredible untapped potential in our communities. The pilot has brought together 25 makers with different skills, experiences, stories, and products. Along the way, we are uncovering something bigger than a maker program—we are identifying assets that can contribute to micro-enterprise development and local economic growth.

Many participants already have the skills, passion, and creativity. What is often missing is access to materials, visibility, connections, support, and opportunities to reach customers.

Through UpcycleCHQ and the MADE IN CHQ initiative, we are exploring how local skills can become products, products can become income, and makers can become micro-enterprises.

Perhaps economic development isn’t only about attracting new businesses.

Perhaps it’s also about identifying, connecting, supporting, and activating the talent that already exists within our communities.

That’s the journey we’re on, and we’re excited by what we’re discovering.

Are you interested in supporting this work?

We are actively seeking partners, sponsors, organizations, educational institutions, economic development agencies, and community leaders who believe in the potential of local skills, makers, and micro-enterprise development.

Learn more about the UpcycleCHQ Maker Pilot Program and partnership opportunities through our Partnership & Sponsorship Brochure:

https://upcyclechq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/UPCYCLECHQ-MAKER-PILOT-PROGRAM-Updated.pdf

Reach out to us via: [email protected]

The opportunity is already here. Together, we can help unlock it.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency- CCIDA Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth Chautauqua County Planning & Development Chautauqua Opportunities for Development, Inc Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

06/16/2026

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Canning.

For generations, canning helped families preserve harvests, reduce waste, save money, and keep food on the table throughout the year.

Many people learned it from their parents or grandparents. Today, fewer people know how to do it, yet it’s a skill that many believe is needed now more than ever.

Canning is more than preserving food.

It’s self-reliance.
It’s resourcefulness.
It’s making the most of what you grow.
It’s knowledge passed from one generation to the next.

Do you know how to can?

What have you canned over the years? Tomatoes? Peaches? Pickles? Salsa? Jam? Something else?

Share a photo if you have one and tell us who taught you.

Let’s celebrate this timeless skill and the people helping to keep it alive.

Jay DeVlieger Melissa DeVlieger Rebecca Joy EnJoyABle Acres LLC Miller's Apples Browns homestead Emily Brown Canticle Farm Maggitti Farms Colette Harrison Shari Kay Scott's Farm and Greenhouse Roo Haven Farm

06/15/2026

Did you know quilting is a skill that has been practiced for thousands of years?

For generations, people around the world have stitched layers of fabric together to create warmth, comfort, beauty, and practical items for everyday life. Long before the word “upcycling” existed, people were saving fabric scraps and turning them into quilts that could last for decades.

Quilting is more than sewing.

It’s creativity, craftsmanship, resourcefulness, storytelling, and tradition passed from one generation to the next.

Today, we’re celebrating the skill of quilting and the talented people who continue to keep this remarkable tradition alive.

What have you made using quilting?

Share a photo and tell us a little about it. We’d love to showcase the creativity, skill, and stories behind your work.

Let’s celebrate one of the world’s oldest and most enduring maker skills.

06/13/2026

This beautiful bag was created by Nanette Bartkowiak one of the makers participating in the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program, using reused denim jeans.

Would you use a bag like this?

If yes, what would you use it for?

Farmers markets? Everyday errands? Craft supplies? Books? Travel? Shopping? Other things?

We’d love to hear your thoughts as our makers continue developing products through the pilot program.