Like many others in today's society,
I am passionate about reducing my carbon footprint.
Everywhere you look these days, recycling is an important part of life.
Mainstream media e.g. tv, newspaper, radio and magazines direct us with articles on doing our bit.
We know to -
* look at the labels on items to see if they can be recycled
* use the right garbage bins to get rid of our household waste
* head to our recycling plant to drop off metal, batteries, phones, etc
That's great!!!!
But.....
there isn't so much information in mainstream media about -
* upcycling
* refashioning
* repurposing
This is the kind of info you get from alternative media sources, which is where I spend my time.
This post will be about providing you with some basic knowledge on -
* the different terms associated with recycling and upcyling
* examples of items you can use to create amazing new things
* the benefits of not just recycling
* other sites you can go to for further info
I am fairly certain, you will start to see the plethora of opportunities and fun you can have when you start playing around with your trash.
Everything from toilet rolls to cans,
from plastic bags to bread tags.
All that is required from you, is a small injection of creativity and time.
Nothing else.
So, I am going to kick off with the lingo.
1/ REFASHION
The Miriam-Webster Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to remake or alter.
For example, turning jeans into a cushion cover.
They state the term originated in 1628, which I looked into, however, it was not related to the way we regard the term today. More along the lines of, I will refashion that outdated proposal into a contemporary one.
The British Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to give a new form to something.
They state the origin of the word arrived in 1788, but once again, was not in line with the definition that I am using it today.
Lastly, the Oxford Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to fashion something again or differently.
Personally, I like this one.
FIVE REASONS TO REFASHION -
1/ cheap
2/ fun
3/ creative
4/ OOAK
5/ Reduce landfill
6/ Lesser carbon footprint
FIVE REASONS WHY WE DISCARD CLOTHES -
1/ don't fit anymore
2/ sick of them
3/ no longer fashionable
4/ bad memories
5/ don't fit with your life/style anymore
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH UNWANTED CLOTHING -
1/ my first choice is to refashion them into another garment. It will save you buying something else new and this will be a OOAK.
2/ second choice is to donate them to a charity, opshop, Freecycle or under the Freebies tab on Gumtree
3/ make some money and sell them on Ebay, Gumtree, have a garage sale
4/ get your friends together and they all bring their unwanted clothes and do a swap
5/ barter them for something you do want, maybe fresh eggs
INTERESTING REFASHION SITES -
1/ 'Refashionista'
http://refashionista.net
2/ Recycled Fashion
http://www.recycled-fashion.com/
This is a great site where you sign up and list your blog.
One rule! You must refashion clothing or furniture.
http://www.cottonandcurls.com/refashion-nation/
2/ REPURPOSE or REUSE
The Miriam Webster dictionary defines 'repurpose' as -
change something so that it can be used for a different purpose.
and...
Miriam defines 'reuse' as -
to use again in a different way or after reclaiming or reprocessing something again
For example, to turn a bike wheel into a pot rack
They state the origin of REPURPOSE only dates back to 1984.
Ken Greenworld from the Word Wizard investigated where the word REPURPOSE had been used. He cites the following as the earliest entry -
1984 “Visage products will allow developers to ‘REPURPOSE’ video discs—that is, use one video disc to produce many different video programs without pressing a new disc.”—‘PR Newswire’ (Nexis), 28 March
I couldn’t find anything on the origin of the word reuse in the newest sense of the word.
What I did find was -
SOME GREAT DIY REPURPOSING SITES
i/ http://www.diyinspired.com/tag/repurposing-ideas/
ii/ http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/smart-moneysaving-creative-reuse-ideas-122566
REASONS TO REPURPOSE/REUSE -
1/ cheap
2/ fun
3/ creative
4/ OOAK
5/ Reduce landfill
So...
I hope you have found this a useful post where you can save a buck, hone your creativity and increase your esteem by upcycling, refashioning, repurposing and reusing.
If you have created or repurposed something from 'junk',
I would love to hear about it in the comments.
Blessings,
Rusty
I am passionate about reducing my carbon footprint.
Everywhere you look these days, recycling is an important part of life.
Mainstream media e.g. tv, newspaper, radio and magazines direct us with articles on doing our bit.
We know to -
* look at the labels on items to see if they can be recycled
* use the right garbage bins to get rid of our household waste
* head to our recycling plant to drop off metal, batteries, phones, etc
That's great!!!!
But.....
there isn't so much information in mainstream media about -
* upcycling
* refashioning
* repurposing
This is the kind of info you get from alternative media sources, which is where I spend my time.
This post will be about providing you with some basic knowledge on -
* the different terms associated with recycling and upcyling
* examples of items you can use to create amazing new things
* the benefits of not just recycling
* other sites you can go to for further info
I am fairly certain, you will start to see the plethora of opportunities and fun you can have when you start playing around with your trash.
Everything from toilet rolls to cans,
from plastic bags to bread tags.
All that is required from you, is a small injection of creativity and time.
Nothing else.
So, I am going to kick off with the lingo.
1/ REFASHION
The Miriam-Webster Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to remake or alter.
For example, turning jeans into a cushion cover.
They state the term originated in 1628, which I looked into, however, it was not related to the way we regard the term today. More along the lines of, I will refashion that outdated proposal into a contemporary one.
The British Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to give a new form to something.
They state the origin of the word arrived in 1788, but once again, was not in line with the definition that I am using it today.
Lastly, the Oxford Dictionary -
defines 'refashion' as to fashion something again or differently.
Personally, I like this one.
FIVE REASONS TO REFASHION -
1/ cheap
2/ fun
3/ creative
4/ OOAK
5/ Reduce landfill
6/ Lesser carbon footprint
FIVE REASONS WHY WE DISCARD CLOTHES -
1/ don't fit anymore
2/ sick of them
3/ no longer fashionable
4/ bad memories
5/ don't fit with your life/style anymore
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH UNWANTED CLOTHING -
1/ my first choice is to refashion them into another garment. It will save you buying something else new and this will be a OOAK.
2/ second choice is to donate them to a charity, opshop, Freecycle or under the Freebies tab on Gumtree
3/ make some money and sell them on Ebay, Gumtree, have a garage sale
4/ get your friends together and they all bring their unwanted clothes and do a swap
5/ barter them for something you do want, maybe fresh eggs
INTERESTING REFASHION SITES -
1/ 'Refashionista'
http://refashionista.net
2/ Recycled Fashion
http://www.recycled-fashion.com/
This is a great site where you sign up and list your blog.
One rule! You must refashion clothing or furniture.
http://www.cottonandcurls.com/refashion-nation/
2/ REPURPOSE or REUSE
The Miriam Webster dictionary defines 'repurpose' as -
change something so that it can be used for a different purpose.
and...
Miriam defines 'reuse' as -
to use again in a different way or after reclaiming or reprocessing something again
For example, to turn a bike wheel into a pot rack
They state the origin of REPURPOSE only dates back to 1984.
Ken Greenworld from the Word Wizard investigated where the word REPURPOSE had been used. He cites the following as the earliest entry -
1984 “Visage products will allow developers to ‘REPURPOSE’ video discs—that is, use one video disc to produce many different video programs without pressing a new disc.”—‘PR Newswire’ (Nexis), 28 March
I couldn’t find anything on the origin of the word reuse in the newest sense of the word.
What I did find was -
SOME GREAT DIY REPURPOSING SITES
i/ http://www.diyinspired.com/tag/repurposing-ideas/
ii/ http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/smart-moneysaving-creative-reuse-ideas-122566
REASONS TO REPURPOSE/REUSE -
1/ cheap
2/ fun
3/ creative
4/ OOAK
5/ Reduce landfill
So...
I hope you have found this a useful post where you can save a buck, hone your creativity and increase your esteem by upcycling, refashioning, repurposing and reusing.
If you have created or repurposed something from 'junk',
I would love to hear about it in the comments.
Blessings,
Rusty
