The Shipping Container House
320 square feet may seem a bit small for a home. Hell, some Hollywood starlets have closets bigger than that! But 320 square feet is sure better than a cardboard refrigerator box under a freeway underpass, and after a business trip to Juarez Mexico, Brian McCarthy knew it. That's why he co-founded PFNC Global Communities a company that is converting old shipping containers into new mini-homes. Busily at work on the prototypes, PFNC plans for the tiny domiciles to have a kitchen, bathroom with sink, toilet and shower, two sleeping areas and hook-ups for air conditioning, ventilation, electrical and water systems all for $8000 or less to keep them affordable to impoverished Mexican workers. Recycling rusted containers into new homes, a great example of the reconomy at work!
Recycled Toddlers (OK, No Toddlers, Just Toddler Stuff)
Handmedowns.com is kind of like a Craigslist for babies. Or at least for parents of babies. With regional sites, like Craigslist, it list baby and kid-related items for sale, and even for free. So, let's say you need a stroller, but you don't want to pay those inflated new stroller prices that make the cost comparable to a small, domestic car. Head on down to cybertown (i.e. the Internet) and check out what's available locally on Handmedowns.
There are clothes, bottles, toys, rocking chairs, books, potty chairs, and pretty much anything a young one needs. So save some money, do your green duty, and get them in the recycle habit early with handmedowns.com
Recycled Fashion
Wearing used clothing isn't just for college kids, artists, and us assorted poor folk anymore. Enter fashion model Tyra Banks in clothes she's purchased from thrift stores, rummage sales and flea markets. As her stylist, Yaniece Piper Thomas puts it, "It's one way that Tyra is going green and giving back -- by wearing recycled clothes." So, next time you spot Tyra on the TV or on the runway, look closely. She just might be wearing that blouse that you shrunk up in the dryer and passed along to Goodwill!
Have a Party!
You've got way too much stuff -- you know you do! And your friends all have way too much stuff, too. I'm not asking you to go cold turkey and get rid of it all, I'm just suggesting that you begin with one little baby step.
Here's how it works. Choose one item that you no longer need, want or use. Choose something nice, not a half-eaten box of saltines or some old, stained sweat pant. You know, choose something that you bought once, and thought you really wanted but then never used. Or something somebody else thought you'd really like but just really isn't your style.
Next, invite a bunch of friends over and ask them to each bring one item that fits the same criteria for them. Mix in a little food, a little drink, perhaps some music and a bit of gossip, and you've got one friggin' fine party. If anyone really wants anything that anyone else brought, they take it. All the stuff that's not wanted gets donated to charity, or sold in your next yard sale to help pay for the food and wine.
We're not talking swap meet here, we're talking about a Simplifying Party or a Recycling Party. A fun way to get rid of, and recycle, nice stuff that you don't want.
Here's how it works. Choose one item that you no longer need, want or use. Choose something nice, not a half-eaten box of saltines or some old, stained sweat pant. You know, choose something that you bought once, and thought you really wanted but then never used. Or something somebody else thought you'd really like but just really isn't your style.
Next, invite a bunch of friends over and ask them to each bring one item that fits the same criteria for them. Mix in a little food, a little drink, perhaps some music and a bit of gossip, and you've got one friggin' fine party. If anyone really wants anything that anyone else brought, they take it. All the stuff that's not wanted gets donated to charity, or sold in your next yard sale to help pay for the food and wine.
We're not talking swap meet here, we're talking about a Simplifying Party or a Recycling Party. A fun way to get rid of, and recycle, nice stuff that you don't want.
Roadkill Stew -- It's Hmm, Hmm Good!
Recycling "strikes" the animal kingdom in the form of eating what the Chevys and Toyotas leave behind. You might want to clean it and cook it first, but you've got to admit, it's a really cheap way to get your protein. And it's a way to use resources that would otherwise just go to waste.
Personally, I'm a vegetarian, and so roadkill is off limits. Other foraged foods, though, like wild blackberries, mushrooms, apples, etc., are fair game. They're getting harder and harder to find, especially in a city, but one man, Fergus Drennan, a.k.a. Fergus the Forager, has undertaken a unique personal challenge. On April 1, 2008, he began eating nothing but foraged foods, including roadkill, for a full year.
Even if you're not ready to go on the Roadkill Diet, you can find out more about this unique culinary experiment by heading on over to: www.wildmanfood.com
Personally, I'm a vegetarian, and so roadkill is off limits. Other foraged foods, though, like wild blackberries, mushrooms, apples, etc., are fair game. They're getting harder and harder to find, especially in a city, but one man, Fergus Drennan, a.k.a. Fergus the Forager, has undertaken a unique personal challenge. On April 1, 2008, he began eating nothing but foraged foods, including roadkill, for a full year.
Even if you're not ready to go on the Roadkill Diet, you can find out more about this unique culinary experiment by heading on over to: www.wildmanfood.com
Book Bike
Gabe Levinson want people to read. To that end he's put together a giant tricycle stocked with books. Every Saturday, he hops on the Book Bike, pedals it to a Chicago park or two and hands out free books. Built by Haley Trikes of Philadelphia, the Book Bike is complete with display cases that open wide and allow Gabe to display over 100 books. Where does he get them? From publishers, of course. Publishers he's talked into providing him with free books to distribute to the reading public.
To find out more about Gabe, the Book Bike, and his other projects, point your browser to: somethingtoread.net
To order a Book Bike of your own, visit: haleytrikes.com
To find out more about Gabe, the Book Bike, and his other projects, point your browser to: somethingtoread.net
To order a Book Bike of your own, visit: haleytrikes.com
The Reconomy Recommends: Weener Ware
So, I was wandering around an art fair this weekend, and, of course saw plenty of the 3P's -- painting, photography, and pottery. Not that there wasn't high quality work there, it's just that I got a big dose of the old been-there-done-that feeling. Then, I happened upon Weener Ware!
No, it's not what you think -- neither hand made sweaters for dachshunds nor custom cock rings were on display. Weener Ware is miniature art inside recycled bottle caps. The artists, Jeanmarie Petro and Barbara Tinger, have paired the art work with the bottle caps and then turned them into necklaces, earrings, hair clips, and other assorted wearable and unwearable accessories. Weener Ware is funky, unique, and a definite conversation starter. It's one fine example of making art from recycled materials, and so, as you might imagine, it is near and dear to my heart.
But don't wait until serendipity leads you and the Weener Ware women to the same art fair. Check it out online at: www.weenerware.com
No, it's not what you think -- neither hand made sweaters for dachshunds nor custom cock rings were on display. Weener Ware is miniature art inside recycled bottle caps. The artists, Jeanmarie Petro and Barbara Tinger, have paired the art work with the bottle caps and then turned them into necklaces, earrings, hair clips, and other assorted wearable and unwearable accessories. Weener Ware is funky, unique, and a definite conversation starter. It's one fine example of making art from recycled materials, and so, as you might imagine, it is near and dear to my heart.
But don't wait until serendipity leads you and the Weener Ware women to the same art fair. Check it out online at: www.weenerware.com
Architectural Salvage
Every city of any size has at least one architectural salvage store. They run the gamut from junk stores that carry mostly beat up old doors and rusty plumbing fixtures to high end shops that carry everything from mammoth clocks to luxurious bathtubs, from carved teak garage doors to stone gargoyles. The stores, besides be just plain fun, are a great places to haunt if you're building a new home, remodeling an old one or just looking for a piece or two of architectural flair. Prices, as you might expect, are considerably lower than new, with things like solid wood doors going for approximately 25% of the new price. And then there are the one-of-a-kind items that Hope Depot will never have.
Check your local phone book, look on the web, or talk to folks in thrift stores and auctions to find the architectural salvage merchants in your region. Happy hunting!
To take a peek at what one mammoth warehouse in Scranton, PA has in store go to:http://oldegoodthings.com
Check your local phone book, look on the web, or talk to folks in thrift stores and auctions to find the architectural salvage merchants in your region. Happy hunting!
To take a peek at what one mammoth warehouse in Scranton, PA has in store go to:http://oldegoodthings.com
Recycled Packaging
Michael Brown was out for a bike ride in Jamestown, R.I. when he became disturbed by all the plastic bottles that littered the roadside. There's got to be away to recycle them and use them for something useful, he thought. A few thoughts later Packaging 2.0 LLC was born.
Now Michael's company creates recycled packaging materials from old plastic bottles under the trademarked SmartCycle label. They produce over 5 million packages annually for clients such as Whole Foods and Microsoft. Michael himself is so gung ho that even wears shirts made from old plastic pop bottles! Proving once again that everything can have a new life and be reincarnated rather than buried in the local landfill.
To get find out more about Packaging 2.0 LLC head over to:
http://www.packaging2.com/index.php
Now Michael's company creates recycled packaging materials from old plastic bottles under the trademarked SmartCycle label. They produce over 5 million packages annually for clients such as Whole Foods and Microsoft. Michael himself is so gung ho that even wears shirts made from old plastic pop bottles! Proving once again that everything can have a new life and be reincarnated rather than buried in the local landfill.
To get find out more about Packaging 2.0 LLC head over to:
http://www.packaging2.com/index.php
Deconstructionism
Deconstructionism isn't just for effete Frenchmen anymore! More and more, people who want to remove and old building are deconstructing, rather than destroying, it. Instead of smashing everything to smithereens with a giant wrecking ball, these new (dare I say postmodern?) deconstructionists are meticulously disassembling buildings and recycling the parts and pieces rather than trashing them. Sort of reverse building with the raw materials being returned to reconomic flow.
To find out more check out:
Unbuilding by Brad Guy and Bob Falk or
http://thereusepeople.org
To find out more check out:
Unbuilding by Brad Guy and Bob Falk or
http://thereusepeople.org
Recycling Significant Others
We all know what BYOB stands for, or do we? Giving new life to an old acronym Recycled Date Parties now use BYOB to stand for Bring Your Old Boyfriend. And that's exactly what the women that attend these parties do -- they bring an old boyfriend, introduce him to other women who are in the market for a "new" boyfriend, and let nature take its course. It's a living, breathing, human example of the old saw "one person's trash is another person's treasure." And another simple approach to do-it-yourself recycling (DIYR), recycling that cuts out the middleman.
Why should you pay E-Harmony, It's Just Lunch, or your local singles bar, buckets of money to find a new Mr. Right, or even a new Mr. Right Now? What are friends for, if they can't share their cast aside lovers with you? One caution: Like most used cars, none of these recycled Romeos come with warranties. Recycled Date Parties are strictly caveat emptor.
Now, what I'm waiting to see is the first group of guys who are brave enough to host a BYOG party!
To find out more check out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-used-date-perspective,0,3888939.story
Why should you pay E-Harmony, It's Just Lunch, or your local singles bar, buckets of money to find a new Mr. Right, or even a new Mr. Right Now? What are friends for, if they can't share their cast aside lovers with you? One caution: Like most used cars, none of these recycled Romeos come with warranties. Recycled Date Parties are strictly caveat emptor.
Now, what I'm waiting to see is the first group of guys who are brave enough to host a BYOG party!
To find out more check out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-used-date-perspective,0,3888939.story
Buying Unclaimed Items
The cops have all kinds of items that never get claimed by their owners. From bicycles to computers, from oil paintings to automobiles, from baseball cards to real estate. Now you can bid on used stuff from a bunch of different cop shops all in one place -- PropertyRoom.com.
Property Room is an auction site that's alot like ebay, except that you're only dealing with one seller, who has the items on consignment from various metropolitan law enforcement agencies. I've personally never bought anything on the site, but from what I've read it's highly legit, and, if you know what you're doing, there are some real bargains to be had.
Check it out at www.propertyroom.com
Property Room is an auction site that's alot like ebay, except that you're only dealing with one seller, who has the items on consignment from various metropolitan law enforcement agencies. I've personally never bought anything on the site, but from what I've read it's highly legit, and, if you know what you're doing, there are some real bargains to be had.
Check it out at www.propertyroom.com
SolesUnited
Got Crocs? Old ones that is. Ones that you don't wear anymore because you've damn near worn them out? Don't throw them out, recycle them. Crocs has started SolesUnited to send special Crocs made of recycled old Crocs to the shoeless around the world. Philadelphia-based charity, Brother's Brother Foundation is heading up distribution of these SolesUnited Crocs to recipients in Africa, Asia and South America.
To find out how you can participate go to: www.solesunited.com
To find out how you can participate go to: www.solesunited.com
Buy More Useless Crap From China!
As I write this, most consumers, and many economic forecasters, are damn near orgasmic over Shrub's tax rebate proposal. Under the plan each taxpayer will receive a check for six hundred smackeroos to do with as he or she pleases. Of course, the Prez, the Fed, and all of corporate America hope consumers will buy more useless crap from China, and thus keep the economic bubble afloat on an updraft of unfounded optimism, for at least awhile longer.
In yesterday's Chicago Tribune there was a series of person-on-the-street interviews in which a reporter asked random passersbys what they plan to do with their mini-windfalls. Then the Trib had economists grade consumer responses based on how much they would be doing to stimulate the economy. The only guy that got an "A" was the one who planned to use all $600 to go to more Cubs games! The people who planned to save their money got a bottom of the barrel "D." As did the woman who was going to use the rebate to help pay for an educational trip overseas.
In other words, let stupidity reign! It's good for the economy. Even though as a nation we are at an all time low savings rate, actually a negative savings rate (i.e., we are spending our savings rather than adding to it), we are encouraged to buy more shit we don't need in order to be patriotic! Talk about a house of cards.
By participating in the reconomy, you are spending less for your wants and needs, and hopefully turning your savings into savings. Also, hopefully, you are living simply and buying smarter, not feeling the need to own every high tech bangle that Silicon Valley has to offer, or to purchase every tres chic item that Madison Avenue parades before your eyes.
Don't get fooled into believing that we can save an overblown economy by spending more money on stuff we don't really need. It's a quick fix that merely hides the real problem -- people are living way beyond their means, chasing happiness through owning rather than being. In the end it's a lose/lose game for all players.
The first step out of this morass is to is to simplify your life. Get rid of all the stuff you have that you don't really need. Stimulate your own personal economy by selling it at a yard sale, on Craigslist, or to a second hand store. Use the reconomy to sell as well as buy.
Then when you need something, think used rather than new. By buying used, trading, bartering and giving/receiving, you are not just saving your money, but also saving planetary resources. Ben Bernacki may not like you, Wall Street may snub you, but your children, your grandchildren, and the Earth itself, will thank you.
In yesterday's Chicago Tribune there was a series of person-on-the-street interviews in which a reporter asked random passersbys what they plan to do with their mini-windfalls. Then the Trib had economists grade consumer responses based on how much they would be doing to stimulate the economy. The only guy that got an "A" was the one who planned to use all $600 to go to more Cubs games! The people who planned to save their money got a bottom of the barrel "D." As did the woman who was going to use the rebate to help pay for an educational trip overseas.
In other words, let stupidity reign! It's good for the economy. Even though as a nation we are at an all time low savings rate, actually a negative savings rate (i.e., we are spending our savings rather than adding to it), we are encouraged to buy more shit we don't need in order to be patriotic! Talk about a house of cards.
By participating in the reconomy, you are spending less for your wants and needs, and hopefully turning your savings into savings. Also, hopefully, you are living simply and buying smarter, not feeling the need to own every high tech bangle that Silicon Valley has to offer, or to purchase every tres chic item that Madison Avenue parades before your eyes.
Don't get fooled into believing that we can save an overblown economy by spending more money on stuff we don't really need. It's a quick fix that merely hides the real problem -- people are living way beyond their means, chasing happiness through owning rather than being. In the end it's a lose/lose game for all players.
The first step out of this morass is to is to simplify your life. Get rid of all the stuff you have that you don't really need. Stimulate your own personal economy by selling it at a yard sale, on Craigslist, or to a second hand store. Use the reconomy to sell as well as buy.
Then when you need something, think used rather than new. By buying used, trading, bartering and giving/receiving, you are not just saving your money, but also saving planetary resources. Ben Bernacki may not like you, Wall Street may snub you, but your children, your grandchildren, and the Earth itself, will thank you.
Reconomy Recommends: Crossroads Trading Company
Crossroads Trading Co. proves that not all chains are bad. They sell used clothing, shoes and accessories -- hip, fashionable, brand name merchandise for both men and women -- at great savings. And if you're in the selling, rather than buying, mode, they pay you 35% of what they will price the items for, and unlike consignment shops, you get your money immediately on the spot.
Currently, they have stores only in California, Seattle and Chicago. But if you live in any of those locales, or plan to visit soon, check out the Crossroads Trading Co. store near you.
For specific locations and addresses point your browser to www.crossroadstrading.com.
Currently, they have stores only in California, Seattle and Chicago. But if you live in any of those locales, or plan to visit soon, check out the Crossroads Trading Co. store near you.
For specific locations and addresses point your browser to www.crossroadstrading.com.
Have a Holly, Jolly, Reconomic Christmas
Yep, the holiday season is upon us. You can tell that by all the Black Friday video footage on TV of people stampeding into their local big box retailers like the bulls run amuck at Pamplona. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like shoving, pushing and all out greed!
So this year why not try something a bit different. Instead of continuing to fatten the coffers of Best Buy, WallMart, and their ilk, buy your loved ones used items instead. I know what you're thinking "Buy people used stuff for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or Festivus -- are you crazy?!" Sure, I may be crazy, but it has nothing to do with making the sensible, reconomic choice to buy high quality used items rather than flashy, glitzy, made-in-China new ones.
Antiques are used, and they're hardly considered tacky. And there's lots of great "used" art work out there looking for new homes as well. Make a trip to your local used book store, or visit independent online book dealers on Amazon.com, ABE.com or Alibris.com, and you're sure to find a veritable storehouse of like new books that would make fine additions to any personal library. Finally, not all used clothing is of the panhandling, slept-in-it-for-a-week, wino variety. You can find some truly beautiful haberdashery at consignment shops, resale boutiques, and even thrift stores.
On a really tight budget? Why not practice the fine art of "regifting?" You got it (whatever it is) as a wedding, birthday, shower, or even Christmas, present. You never used it, don't need it, don't like it, don't want it, never have, never will, so now's the perfect time to pass it on. Someone out there is just dying to have what you don't want, and regifting is the perfect way to pawn it off on, er, I mean share it with, them.
So take it as a personal challenge, test your creativity, and let your economic freak flag fly by buying everyone on your holiday list a beautiful gently used gift. And while you're at it, reconomic giving is a great way to recycle that hard-as-a-rock fruticake that you got from Aunt Minnie last year. Give to your dentist.
Happy Holidaze!
So this year why not try something a bit different. Instead of continuing to fatten the coffers of Best Buy, WallMart, and their ilk, buy your loved ones used items instead. I know what you're thinking "Buy people used stuff for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or Festivus -- are you crazy?!" Sure, I may be crazy, but it has nothing to do with making the sensible, reconomic choice to buy high quality used items rather than flashy, glitzy, made-in-China new ones.
Antiques are used, and they're hardly considered tacky. And there's lots of great "used" art work out there looking for new homes as well. Make a trip to your local used book store, or visit independent online book dealers on Amazon.com, ABE.com or Alibris.com, and you're sure to find a veritable storehouse of like new books that would make fine additions to any personal library. Finally, not all used clothing is of the panhandling, slept-in-it-for-a-week, wino variety. You can find some truly beautiful haberdashery at consignment shops, resale boutiques, and even thrift stores.
On a really tight budget? Why not practice the fine art of "regifting?" You got it (whatever it is) as a wedding, birthday, shower, or even Christmas, present. You never used it, don't need it, don't like it, don't want it, never have, never will, so now's the perfect time to pass it on. Someone out there is just dying to have what you don't want, and regifting is the perfect way to pawn it off on, er, I mean share it with, them.
So take it as a personal challenge, test your creativity, and let your economic freak flag fly by buying everyone on your holiday list a beautiful gently used gift. And while you're at it, reconomic giving is a great way to recycle that hard-as-a-rock fruticake that you got from Aunt Minnie last year. Give to your dentist.
Happy Holidaze!
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