IMAGINE MAGAZINE FALL 2016 Peace and the Environment | Page 30

Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting . We allow them to disperse because we ’ ve been ignorant of their value .
– R . Buckminster Fuller
effective way to curb the effects of waste delivered to the consumer . Additionally , shifting the industry mind set away from engineering solutions of planned obsolescence could certainly reduce our demand for premature replacement products . As consumers we also need to look at our own purchasing behaviors and eliminate waste , where possible , at the point of purchase . We are seeing more bulk item bins in grocery stores , and if we bring in our own containers and pre-weigh them , we can reuse them for grains and other bulk items again and again . We should also reward manufacturers who implement ecofriendly packaging through our own individual purchase decisions . What we bring home ultimately reduces the volume of items we put into our own personal waste stream .
Reuse is the second tenant to be embraced . Education is at the heart of this initiative . For any number of reasons — whether people are moving , downsizing , dealing with the death of a loved one — products may reach the end of their useful purpose , but not the end of their useful life . Too often people are unaware of their reuse options . We often times think of Goodwill as our only option , when in fact there are many more reuse options available , with more becoming available each day . Waste management and recycling business opportunities can and will provide large sector growth opportunities in the years to come . We just need to change our collective mindset . We need to make it easier to find these alternatives and encourage folks use the more environmentally friendly alternatives .
Craigslist . com and eBay . com have both taken the garage sale model online and made it so much easier to liquidate almost anything with simple tools to far reaching audiences with a simple click of the mouse . But not everyone has the time or inclination to list , sell and ship products , let alone invite strangers into their homes . There are plenty of service providers now operating in the market who will provide such a service for a fee or a percentage of the sale .
In addition , there are creative entrepreneurs and nonprofits popping up everywhere that are not only making recycling options available , but they are also making it both educational and fun . One of my favorites is tinkertopia . com . They operate an alternative art supply and creative reuse center in Tacoma , Washington . Their goal is “ to provide a destination for teachers , students , artists , crafters , inventors , makers , hackers and tinkerers ( of any age ) in search of unusual materials for any creative venture .” Not only are they offering a destination for reuse of usable items , they help educate young and old alike as to the creative possibilities reuse can offer .
A similar kind of operation can be found at repurposeproject . org , a nonprofit community-based effort to divert useful resources from landfills , redirect these items to the public for art and education to inspire creativity and help us all rethink what we throw away .
Another upsurge in reuse is upcycling . Wikipedia defines upcycling , also known as creative reuse , as “ the process of transforming by-products , waste materials , useless , or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value . Upcycling is the opposite of downcycling , which is the other half of the recycling process . Downcycling involves converting materials and products into new materials of lesser quality . Most recycling involves converting or extracting useful materials from a product and creating a different product or material .” If you go to upcyclethat . com , you will find examples of the breadth and range of these types of possibilities , only limited to what the mind can conceive .
Lastly , there is a growing trend and demand for “ funky furniture .” Funky furniture is where old furniture pieces are repaired and painted in fun and interesting ways . As many of us have learned , they don ’ t make furniture they way the used to . Too much of what is on the market today is laminated fiberboard with a limited useful life span . Today there is a movement to restore old furniture and give it a fresh look . The creative options are endless and quite fun . A simple web search for funky furniture images will impress and amaze you ; the furniture is being produced both commercially as well as for fun .
Now this is all well and good for fun and glamorous ways to recycle arts and crafts . However this is just a smattering of what is possible and also a fraction of what ends up in the landfill each day . What can be done about that old mattress , sleeper sofa , barbeque
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