Posts Tagged ‘Upcycle’

In this internet day and age, there really is no use for phone books. They keep showing up though on millions of American doorsteps despite the fact that no one ever orders them. The environmental impact of these books is huge when you think about it: 5 million trees a year are used to produce them and only about 15% are ever recycled.

Some actions have been taken to tackle the phone book issue. There are some states that have created opt-in/out programs where you can sign up either to get a phone book or not get a phone book. Local recycling bins created just for the creation of collecting unwanted phone books have also been used. There is even a “Ban the Phone Book” initiative created by White Pages in an effort to get more states to adopt the opt-in/out  and recycling options. The majority of states do have the local telephone companies under legal obligation to provide phone books to every customer in there area, which is why so many of us get them without asking.

So, what can you as an individual do about helping to stop the waste that has become of obsolete phone books? Plenty.

• You can check to see if your local phone company has an opt-in/out program. Give them a call to find out it’s that 800 number at the top every monthly bill.
• Recycle the phone book collection you currently have instead of throwing them away. You can learn more at Recycle Your Phone Books by Keep American Beautiful Works, Yellow Pages and AT&T.
• Upcycle your phone book or books by creating another use for them around the house.  For some ideas you can check out DIYLife’s New Uses for Phone Books or you can just get crafty and come with an idea on your own.  If you do come up with something, let us know by contacting laura dot ecoexistent.com and we’ll feature you and your upcycle snazziness in an online interview.
• You can also check out the banthephonebook.org and sign the petition to stop having them printed up in the first place.

Also, take a look at the Say No to Phone Books blog to learn more and have a laugh at the same time.

Technorati Tags: diy, phone books, recycle, Upcycle

Yes, today we are going beyond the turkey to focus on the decorations. Centerpieces, napkin holders, table runners…you know homey little touches that can bring an Autumn feel to the house.

The difference in what we are going to look at here is that all of our Thanksgiving decorations are going to be upcycled. Now, for those who do not know what that means I’ll explain it. Upcycling and Upcycle are terms that was coined by German chemist Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough in their book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

In order to “Upcycle” something you would take something that you already have and re-purpose it for another use. To really get into upcycling information read the “What’s Upcycling all About?” post.

1.  Upcycle some old newspaper around the house to create an autumn leaf garland.

You can check out the full instructions at the Life With Little Ones blog Newspaper Leaves post.

2.  Upcycle some old clothes and you can create a ton of craft projects. Things like tablecloths, napkins, chair covers, table runners, throw pillows and hand towels.

Featured to the left here is a fabric wreath with autumn appeal. For full instruction on how to make that wreath and other upcycled/recycled crafts click through to the Autumn Fabric Wreath by Recycled Crafts.

3.  Upcycle some natural items from outside for a snazzy centerpiece. Collect fall leaves, pine cones, twigs and even some fall flowers like Chrysanthemum. Clean out an old coffee can or other good sized container and create your own Thanksgiving centerpiece. For some ideas on how others have done this check out the following links:

About.com’s Fall and Thanksgiving Centerpieces You Can Make Yourself

Chica and Jo’s Natural Centerpieces

Craft: Magazine Modern Centerpiece with Natural Materials

Sierra Club’s The Green Life: Green Gatherings Decorations

EcoChild’s Play: Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Technorati Tags: green thanksgivng, recycle crafts, thanksgiving crafts, thanksgiving decorations, Upcycle

The web site Upcycle Art’s goal is to create more awareness for upcycling methods while showcasing some creative ways that people have begun to upcycle.

One of the neat things about the site, is that each art project that is featured also comes with DIY instructions so that you can get creative and work on your own upcycle art projects.

Some of the projects currently featured are the Milk Carton CD Case and the Soda Bottle Lamps. You can learn more about Upcycle Art and the many projects they have featured through their main web site at: Upcycle Art

Technorati Tags: Upcycle, upcycle art, upcycle art projects

Upcycled Bunny by Tom Deininger

Upcycling is term that was coined by German chemist Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough in their book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

The main theme of the book is about restructuring human industry and its affects on the environment by creating things through ecologically intelligent design.

Since the book came out in 2002, the term upcycling has spread through the global green movement. All over the world people have begun to upcycle instead of just recycling and in many ways the term is synonymous with “repurpose”. Though upcycle just rolls off the tongue better.

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: recycle, repurpose, Upcycle, upcycle art, upcycle ideas