Upcycling

Image via Liz Lineback

Ever heard of upcycling? I only recently came upon this term when exploring my favorite eco-fashion site, Ecouterre. The fashions that they feature very often highlight designers who “upcycle” non-clothing items and make them into stylish apparel. The online dictionary of sustainable management defines upcycling as “the process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life.”

Upcycling is easier than it sounds. You can start very simply: instead of throwing away or recycling glass bottles, use them as vases for flower arrangements. (Or for a more chic version, check out these designs made from old wine bottles.) Here in the south, it’s also common to use old glass Mason jars as drinking glasses.

If you’re a looking for an easy do-it-yourself upcycling project, try making a bowl out of an old vinyl record. The end result can be used as a chip bowl or fruit bowl, for holding a potted plant or even as wall art.

If you enjoy entertaining, and/or really like wine, here’s a way to use your old corks and make a unique serving tray.

This website gives you great, step-by-step instructions of how to turn things like coffee cans and umbrellas into lighting fixtures for your home.

Here’s one final upcycling idea that, though it’s not something you could use for your own home, is one of the best concepts that I have actually seen in practice. When I went to Africa last spring on a study abroad program, we visited an after-school program that converted donated cargo shipping containers into classrooms (seen at top of post). Philanthropic upcycling? That’s what I call a sustainable idea.