What is Upcycling?

By Cara Smusiak on June 07, 2014

 

 

I know a lot of people who are interested in eco-living, and every time I mention upcycling they ask me: "What's upcycling?" My response: "It's taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else."

But then I started wondering where the term came from and if it was possibly a little more complicated than repurposing things. So I started digging, and this is what I found out about upcycling.

Upcycling is taking waste and making it into something that has equal or greater use or value. "Isn't that the same as recycling?" I asked myself. As it turns out, no. The term was first used by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things". McDonough and Braungart compared upcycling to the "downcycling" of recycling a plastic, for example, into a lesser grade plastic. To put it simply, downcycling reduces the quality of the materials, while upcycling maintains or improves the quality of the materials.

Keen entrepreneurs have built successful businesses on upcycling. Marty Stevens-Heebner founded Rebagz to make handbags out of juice packs and nylon rice sacks. Joey Santley and Steve Cox founded ReSurf.org to upcycle broken surfboards into asphalt filler.

On a smaller scale, many of the handmade items sold on Etsy.com are made with upcycled items. There are coin purses made from sweaters, earrings cut out of vinyl records and an old travel case made into a clock, to name just a few.

And you can upcycle at home or at the office. Make an apron with the fabric from an old dress, turn a leaky rubber boot into a cute planter by adding a few extra holes for drainage, or transform a broken stapler into a modern paperweight with a little low-VOC spray paint.

 

 

 

 

 

http://naturallysavvy.com/live/what-is-upcycling

 

 

 

 

 

Green Exercise: No-Gym-Required Workout in the Park

Save money and get outside – it’s a win-win plan!

This article was written from a woman's perspective (hence the bikini-body comments) but I feel this concept would be just as effective for men.

Green Exercise: No-Gym-Required Workout in the Park

Yes, bikini-bodies are part of the summertime equation, but you can fit into beach form with a green exercise routine that requires no equipment other than a park bench and swing.

By Laurel House
Santa Monica, CA, USA | Jul 22  2009
Green your exercise by taking full advantage of the summer and take your exercise outside. Utilizing your environment is one of the best ways to instantly green an exercise routine. Not only is it the eco way to exercise, but it's just as effective and much more efficient than taking the time to head to the gym. Do it with eco fitness shoes and a bamboo or organic cotton shirt and shorts (or if you're feeling really bold—a green bikini) to make your workout even more environmentally sound. Jennifer Cohen, founder of NGR/No Gym Required, has an "Anytime. Anywhere. No excuses." Attitude when it comes to exercise.

Try Jennifer's 20-minute NGR circuit workout that you can do just by going to the park in your neighborhood. Repeat this cardio and strength circuit 3 times for calorie-blasting results.

Park Bench Dips

Sit on a park bench, palms on the edge of the bench, fingers facing, elbows straight. Lift your body weight up and out just so that your butt is hovering just in front of the seat with your palms firmly planted on the bench to hold you up. Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the ground. Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle and then straighten to dip down and up. Be sure not to rock back and forth away from and back to the bench. Instead, keep your back very close to the bench during the entire movement and limit the movement to up and down. Do 12-15 reps.

Park Bench Split Lunge

This one's great for your butt! Begin by standing about 3 feet in front of the bench (with your back to the bench) with your hands on your hips. Place your right foot on the bench behind you. Make sure your left leg is still straight in alignment with your upper body and bend down to a 90 degree angle so the your elevated knee almost touches the ground. Repeat this 12-15 times then switch to other leg.

Speed Skating

Standing with your feet hip-width apart, bend your body from the waist. Put weight on your right leg, keeping your right knee slightly bent and your abs pulling in. Swing your arms to the right, then quickly push off your right foot shifting your body weight and your arms to the left. Once you have the motion, you can jump it—shifting from one foot to the other. Repeat this skater-like motion for 30 seconds and work your way up to 1 minute and so on.

Decline Push-ups with Swing

I love this one because it works every muscle group in your entire body, forcing you to stabilize! Start by placing the tops of your feet in the swing seat and your hands flat on ground about shoulder width apart (this is the top of a push-up position, but your feet are elevated instead of being on the ground so that your entire torso and legs are parallel to the ground). Your body should be perfectly straight.
Just holding yourself in this position can be a challenge if you are just starting a workout program.
Now slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground (without arching your back and bending your waist). Then push back up to the starting position. Be sure to breathe out as you push your body up. Do 10-12 reps.
If this is way too challenging you can place your feet on the park bench instead and then work your way up to using the swing.

Crunches with Swing

Lay on your back on the ground with a distance the length of your legs in front of the swing set. Lift your legs and put the back of your feet in the swing seat. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the sides. Lift your head and shoulders off the ground and simultaneously pull your legs in towards your chest. This movement should not coming from your neck, but you are using your abs to power the sit up. Make sure that your chin is off your chest. Breathe. Do 12-15 reps.

Crab Walk

Lie on your back face up. Lower your body into a supine position with your hands out to your sides about 10 inches from your shoulders. Push yourself into a "crab" or "bridge" position. Your legs should be bent with feet positioned just below your knees. Walk forward then backwards in this position for as many steps as you can without falling. Do 25 back and another 25 forward.
Repeat the entire circuit 2 more times and you will be on your way to a gorgeous green bikini body

Now get out and exercise! 

Coca Cola’s Bottle Cap Happy Hacks

 

Coca Cola's Bottle Cap Happy Hacks

 

Giving new life to old things is a tremendous feat, and with the amount of plastic ocean-bound trash that we discard year after year, it's something we should do more of. That was the thinking behind Coca Cola's '2nd Lives' campaign, which inspires the children of Vietman, Thailand and Indonesia to transform empty drinks bottles into useful everyday objects and toys.

Powered by Ogilvy & Mather China, the initiative forms part of their global sustainability scheme, which goes by the name 'Live Positively'. The 2nd Lives campaign involves a set of sixteen innovative screw-on caps that can transform waste into something wonderful. like paint brushes, pencil sharpeners, water guns and bubble blowers. Some of the adaptors are more adult-friendly and serve a more practical purpose, like detergent containers, sauce squeezers and plant squirters.

As one of the biggest bottlers on our planet, it is Coca Cola's responsibility to drive changes that reduce their impact and see that their products have a lifecycle that goes beyond the last sip. The initiative joins a handful of equally inventive and inspiring ideas they have unleashed in recent times, including the Happiness Arcade and their Drink2Wear sustainable fashion range. Although only 40,000 bottle cap hack kits will be distributed, it is a positive sign of the times and emblematic of the new world-friendly mindset that corporates are taking on.

 

All images belong to Ogilvy & Mather China

 

Posted by Nick Malster

June 3, 2014

 

 

See the video at http://dothegreenthing.com/blog/growing_happiness_from_recycled_plastic_bottles/

 

 

 

 

Take the Last Straw Challenge

 

Millions of plastic straws pollute our ocean where endangered animals like sea turtles can choke on them. The average American eats out four times a week and almost everyone gets a straw (or two). If we get 25,000 people to skip the straw at restaurants every time, we can keep 5 million plastic straws out of our ocean and landfills in just one year.

Take the Last Straw Challenge: when eating out, ask your waiter or waitress to skip the straw

 

https://secure.oceanconservancy.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=812

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a Pencil Becomes a Plant

We have always been advocates of using your pencils to the end, but Sprout have planned even further ahead. To combat throw-away culture, they have designed an ingenious wooden pencil which can be planted in a pot once it was been worn down to a stub. With a bit of love, water and sunshine, the pencil stub will grow, develop roots, and blossom into a fully-fledged plant that will provide fresh vegetables and herbs.

 

Sprout comes in eleven different varieties, including green peppers, cherry tomatoes, thyme, dill, rosemary and many more. We are told to wait 2-3 weeks before it sprouts and 4-5 weeks before your fresh herbs and veggies are ready to be used for cooking.

 

 

Sprout’s innovative idea is a truly dual-edged blade. On one hand, it cuts our wastage of basic utensils and objects, which get cast into the rubbish bin long before they’ve given all they have to give. On the other, it encourages households to be more self-sustainable when it comes to sourcing fresh ingredients, luring us away from tomatoes which are flown in from Italy.

Stopping stationary waste may only be a microcosm of the colossal waste issue worldwide but it just goes to show that, with a little ingenuity, humankind has the opportunity to reinvent resource systems for the better – regardless of scale.

You can get your hands on Sprout by heading to their website.

 

All images belong to Sprout.

Posted by katee

June 4, 2014

News, Products, Technology

http://dothegreenthing.com/blog/when_trees_die/

 

 

 

 

 

Try a programmable thermostat

If you don’t have one already, you really should get one.  Now they even have ones that you can control with your smartphone!

Try a programmable thermostat

Heating and cooling accounts for almost half your energy bill – about $1,000 a year! A programmable thermostat is one of the easiest ways you can save energy in your home and help reduce carbon pollution. An Energy Star qualified programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home's temperature in both summer and winter - when you are asleep or away.

Learn more about saving energy at home: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_save_energy_at_home
 

Here’s the Consumer Reports buying guide to programmable thermostats - http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/thermostats.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off - June 7

For City of Fort Lauderdale Residents:

Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Drop-Off and Medication Take Back Events Scheduled for June 7   The City of Fort Lauderdale is offering residents a responsible way to dispose of hazardous waste, electronics, and unwanted medications at a combined drop-off event set for 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at Mills Pond Park, 2201 NW 9th Avenue (Powerline Road), in Fort Lauderdale.    The City is also offering free, on-site document shredding at the event. Proof or residence is required (drivers license or utility bill) for shredding and hazardous waste and electronics drop-off. The drop-off events are critical to protecting the environment by reducing the volume of waste in landfills and preventing the contamination of ground water. For drop-off guidelines, visit www.fortlauderdale.gov or contact City of Fort Lauderdale Customer Service at 954-828-8000.       City of Fort Lauderdale 100 N. Andrews Avenue Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 www.fortlauderdale.gov