“Thank you for Upcycling! “
Upcycling has taken over the green DIY world and it’s easy to see why.
In fact, a quick search of “upcycled recycled repurposed” on the Etsy marketplace yields
an amazing 32,069 results!
And thousands of upcycled and repurposed creations can be found on Pinterest!
It’s not surprising.
The idea of taking would-be garbage and reimagining, reusing and reinventing its
significance is so good and green!
It’s a tremendous way to reduce waste.
The term “upcycling” was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braugart in their
groundbreaking book on ecologically-intelligent design, Cradle to Cradle, published in 2002.
“In the simplest terms, upcycling is the practice of taking something that is
disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value.
It’s a question of designing new products that are intended to be reused again and again
and yet again with a minimal amount of harmful byproducts, effectively
working as a “cradle-to-cradle” model of production.”
In fact, it’s one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of an eco-friendly lifestyle.
When you find another use for something, you are recycling it in a sense, but better!
Upcycling gives old items a new life or a new purpose–keeping more trash out of the
waste stream and landfills.
“RE-THINK
BEFORE
YOU TOSS!”
Reusing items is a great way to recycle, and it can be a big money-saver as well.
It’s important that reuse and upcycling become a central commitment in our eco-concious
homes.
After all, saving the planet does begin at home.
Ready to Turn Trash to Treasure?
The wonderful infographic below examines the benefits of upcycling and showcases some simple and
stylish upcycling projects that anyone new to DIY can master.
Remember: Re-think before you toss!
Which upcycled projects are you going to make?
Have you upcycled, reused or repurposed items items in your home?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
Lovely post. It is like a round up and informational all rolled into one. I really do believe it helps keep people imagination active when it comes to reusing and re purposing older items. Some things aren’t build/made the way they use to be made and it is a true treasure when they can be saved and brought back to life. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Such great tips! I try and upcycle as much as possible, but this is giving me a ton of new ideas. I especially love the wine box turned shoe rack =)
Great info graphic! Upcycling can be key to living frugally.
Thanks for sharing at Waste Not Want Not Wednesday!