offers immense opportunity for communitybased initiatives . Obviously , scarecrows will not work in urban environments and the challenge is to find the right project for a community starting with the values of the circular economy and building in the values of the community to ensure engagement and success .
As a final point it is worth noting that while values are not the typical domain of economists , it is increasingly important that applied economists adopt a behavioural economics framework to understand the economic and psychological based motivations of citizens . Increasingly consumers are being motivated by nonmonetary factors and if we are to achieve the economic and social outcomes we strive for , we need a holistic understanding of behaviour . This point is highly relevant when we turn our attention to circular economy solutions to resource allocations .
( see for example Riley , Corkhill & Morris , 2013 and Mason , 2005 ). Art therapy is an accepted practice . At a time when residents of this highly social community were dealing with the challenges of lockdown , a craft-based intervention has allowed an opportunity to reap the positive wellness rewards from making and being creative . These wellness benefits were strengthened by the ability to share the endeavours of this work with the local community , through placing the scarecrow in their front yards . As you moved around the streets of Hurstbridge you saw outdoor chairs were placed next to the scarecrows as residents ( known locally the merrymakers ) sat proudly by their creations and enjoyed a quick ( masked ) conversation with neighbours out of their daily exercise . Even the term ‘ merrymakers ’ is a direct recognition of the mental health benefits of making . Further enhancing this case , was the positive psychological benefits known to be associated with recycling ( see , for example , Young , 1986 ). Finally , spill over mental health benefits were obtained from those who may not have built a scarecrow but obtained pleasure from walking around the village during the lockdown period and spotting all the scarecrows as they appeared .
CONCLUSIONS The 5km radius of Hurstbridge village has been far from a sleepy rural community in the slumber of lockdown in August 2020 . It was alive with scarecrows all carefully crafted from a raft of recycled materials . This was a call to action routed in the values of the circular economy ( recycle and reuse ) but was a success because it also reflected the broader values of the community of creative expression , organic living , spirituality and wellness .
So , what lessons can we learn from the scarecrow initiative ? Well one lesson that stands out clear from the Merrymakers Scarecrow Village case study is that a successfully community-based call to action works well if it reflects the identity and values of that community . The case study shows us that community level calls to action do not have to be resource intensive to be successful . Circular economy principles can be applied and be highly successful . Crafting is central to the ideas of reusing and recycling and
REFERENCES
Mason , R . ( 2005 ). The meaning and value of homebased craft . International Journal of Art & Design Education , 24 ( 3 ), 261-268 .
Riley , J ., Corkhill , B ., & Morris , C . ( 2013 ). The benefits of knitting for personal and social wellbeing in adulthood : Findings from an international survey . British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 76 ( 2 ), 50-57 .
De Young , R . ( 1986 ). Some psychological aspects of recycling : the structure of conservation-satisfactions . Environment and behavior , 18 ( 4 ), 435-449 .
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