From The Green Room: Upcycling Your Peels, Prada & Proust

It is insurmountably disturbing the amount of waste that happens in the US on a daily basis. Our landfills are packed to the brim and although many have caught on to recycling, there is still much more to be done...

HERE are a few stylishly beneficial ways to divert waste from our landfills:

1) “WASTE NOT WANT NOT”

START A COMPOST:

Nearly 40% of our average daily waste can be composted. Do you compost at home? If you live in an apartment, like me, and you don’t have a personal garden, farm, or yard to put some rich compost to use, like me.... that’s no excuse... you can compost in small quantities 1-2x per week at a community garden!

Composting is easy.  Here’s what you need:

-A large (or small) bin (even a rubbermaid trashcan) 

-Soil (gardening soil does the trick)

-Food scraps (nothing with fat-- no meat or dairy)

Check out this link for step-by-step directions: http://gatheringinlight.com/2007/10/15/how-to-start-a-compost-bin-in-the-city-with-little-money/

2)“ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE”

UPCYCLE:

There are various ways to upcycle. Whether it is turning an old pair of jeans into a quilted satchel or old wine bottles into flower vases and candlestick holders...

Here are some of my favorite ideas:

“THERE ONCE WAS A PLANT WHO LIVED IN A SHOE”

WAIT!!! Don’t throw out that old, unmatched boot. Use it as a planter. These look really great mounted

on walls or even on picket fences. The sky is the limit here. You can use tennis shoes, boots, heels, whatever!

MAKE-SHIFT COFFEE TABLES...

I work in the furniture industry and if you are looking to buy a rad coffee table (that is NOT from IKEA or TARGET-- blah!) then you're probably going to be spending a pretty penny. 

Why not make your own? All you need is a solid piece 

of glass (tempered) that is beveled on the ends.  Then you can be really creative with the “legs” or “base”. Options that I love are vintage books or old amps. 

IN THE KITCHEN-- a few easy tips.

1. cut your kitchen sponges in half
2. dilute your dish soap
3. reuse condiment/spaghetti sauce jars
4. rinse and re-use ziplock bags 
5. use cloth rags not paper towels.

In closing, I would just like to acknowledge the fact that my Grandmother was probably one of the “greenest” gals I know... Not because it was hip but because she grew up in the Great Depression, when wasting was abhorred.  Take a peek into your family history to find out just how thrift-savvy your loved ones were -- take away a tip or two!

xoxo,

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