…when wrapped in plastic.

Matting Change is a community-based creative project that upcycles single-use plastic bags to make adult-size sleeping mats for people who are experiencing homelessness. The project was first conducted 2018 by a local high school student in Watertown, MA, who wanted to raise awareness for the teenage unhoused population in Boston. She donated 13 mats.

The goals for the project evolved thereafter, to include intergenerational interaction, and raising awareness of the environmental impact of single-use plastic. Within that time there have been many more images shared of our polluted oceans, as have we learned more about global waste management and it’s valuation. This Sierra Club Article speaks to these concerns closely as experienced in Massachusetts. You can click below for a working list of plastic bans recently in other parts of the world.

In the midst of the Covid outbreak, unsure of contamination, we paused on workshops where we produced these sleeping mats using the single-use plastic bags. We also paused the distribution of these mats. We had concerns about contamination and increased micro-plastics in the environment from use.

…Those experiencing homelessness:

• A barrier from the hard surfaces they sleep on

• Insulation to combat hypothermia in the winter

• Lightweight and mobile for ease of use 

…Those creating the mats:

• Reimagining the use of everyday items

• Developing skills to reengineer 

• Reliance on teamwork to make a dream work

Whether an act of service, giving of a gift, spending quality time, physical touch or words of affirmation - Matting Change offers love.