Compost to Color: Turning Food Scraps into Natural Dye

Did you know you can dye fabric with food waste? Join us for an evening of natural color-making and create your own hand-dyed cotton bandana.

​Using ingredients that might otherwise be discarded, we’ll transform everyday food scraps into rich, earthy dyes—honoring the life of what we often overlook and reimagining it as something beautiful, lasting, and shareable. This is a space to slow down, experiment, and reconnect with the materials around us. REGISTER HERE

​Event Schedule
6:30–7:00 PM — Welcome + Social Hour
Arrive, mingle, and enjoy light bites as we gather in community.

​7:00–7:30 PM — Introduction + Dye Bath
Learn about the gift economy and how regenerative art practices invite us into deeper relationships with what we use and discard. You’ll prepare your bandana and place it into your chosen dye bath to begin soaking.

​7:30–8:30 PM — Dyeing + Creative Exploration
Continue the dye process while learning how to create your own food-based dyes at home, along with tips and best practices. We’ll also hear from Ramsey County staff about local efforts to reduce waste and build more regenerative systems.

​Please bring a bag or old t-shirt to carry your wet bandana home safely!

​This event is hosted by Gifting Grove, a nonprofit dedicated to creating tangible opportunities to participate in a gift economy where living becomes inherently sustainable, joyful, and rooted in connection. Through events like this, we invite people to explore a culture where value is measured not by what you consume, but by what you give and share.

​This event is made possible with support from Ramsey County, whose work in reducing food waste and expanding access to composting and creative reuse helps make experiences like this possible.