Rescue that Trash!

Have you ever found a "junked" item on the berm or in the back of a thrift shop, and found a cool new use for it? If you happen to have a rediscovery or reuse story, send it our way, and we'll feature your story on our blog!

Here's my trash rescue story:

On by walk home one day, I noticed a neighbor had set a huge, ornate, gilt style frame out with the trash. The corners were crumbling, and some of the carved decoration had chipped away. It could have been crushed down in the garbage truck, but I saw potential, so I grabbed it and brought it to my backyard. With a can of spray paint, I painted the entire frame glossy black, so it had a sort of sleek, modern look to it. I then placed an ad for the frame on Craigslist, and within a week, I sold it for $50!

Sometimes it pays not to pass up trash!

If you have a story of a way you reused or recycled a found object, let us know, and we'll post your story on our blog!

Crafty Fun at Greenlight Bookstore!

Get ready to ReMake it this Saturday at our book signing event at Greenlight Bookstore! Author Tiffany Threadgould will be signing books, talking trash, and teaching a recycling craft project that you can make and take. So if you're in the New York City area this weekend, stop by and get your hands on a copy of ReMake It!

When: Saturday May 28, 2011 11AM-12PM

Where: The Greenlight Bookstore

686 Fulton Street (at South Portland) Brooklyn, NY

See you there!

Another addition to the Unconsumption Uncollection

Since just about any type of trash can be made into jewelry, the Uncollection un-assignment didn't seem like real project without some sort of jewelry addition making an appearance.

These earrings are made from #6 plastic and then shrinky dinked with the Mr. (and Ms.) Cart logo.

You can get the brief how-to make recycled shrinky dink jewelry all on your own. You can find #6 plastic in things like deli lids and other take-out containers.

And then challenge yourself with an un-project. Add something to the Uncollection and post your photo. It's a great way to unconsume and still be really excited about the new-to-you object.

Unbottle your crafting skills this weekend!

Get ready for some upcycling fun this weekend with GrowNYC! In order to raise recycling awareness and promote our high quality NYC tap water, you can take part in a plastic bottle sculpture project this Saturday! So unbottle your creative side, and drop by for some hands on fun!

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 11-3PM

Where: DEP Visitor Center

329 Greenpoint Ave & Humboldt St (G train to Greenpoint Ave)

Brooklyn, NY

Please note, you must be 18 or older to attend this event. Don't miss this exciting twist on recycling!

Design Values

Image courtesy TerraCycle

TerraCycle’s CEO, Tom Szaky and I have had a long-running debate about the intellectual property of design. In an upcycled nutshell, He thinks it’s a fair business play to manufacture a product that is an unprotected design. I think that a designer should be compensated for their design and provide their services to assist in the manufacturing of that product. Tom’s recent New York Times blog post, titled the Quagmire of Design IP, dives into the subject a bit deeper as he shares his views on the subject. I encourage you to read it and comment. Unsure what a quagmire is? You should read it, too.

Join the Uncollection!

The super nice folks over at Unconsumption recently challenged me to reuse their logo and ReMake something from my book. The idea is simple - they are making
"the logo 'available' for anybody who wants to use it on things they already own. The concept in a nutshell: Take an old T-shirt you don’t really wear anymore, print our logo on it — and it becomes, on some level, a brand new T-shirt!"

Right up my recycling alley, right? And that logo of Mr. Cart is just super cute.

Check out the projects I (re)made for yourself. And then give it a try! Share it on their facebook page and spread the Unconsumption word. It's making something old that you already own, new again.

Green for Queens Earth Day Fair!

RePlayGround is spreading eco-crafty fun all over the city, and our next stop is the Green for Queens Earth Day Fair! Great for kids and adults, this fair will include sustainable food tastings, reptiles and more from the Wildlife Children's Theater, a discussion with Anne Lappe on her book Diet for a Hot Planet, cooking for kids, live music, and of course, recycling craft projects brought to you by RePlayGround! So be sure to stop by for your own free project to make and take, and much more!

When: Sunday, May 15, 2011 1-4PM

Where: Central Queens YM & YWHA 67-09 108th Street, Forest Hills NY

Website: click here!

See you there for some trash-tastic fun!