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What is "Re-Purposing"?
Last Updated on:
06/27/2008 11:03 AM |
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Starting
Repurpose before it was Called Repurposing
by Jan Johnson,
Webmaster www.discoversolarenergy.com |
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Of the 3 R's, the one in which I
have the most practice is REUSE. I grew up with a crafting
mother. When I became restless as a child, Mom took down a
box from the top shelf in her closet. Inside the box
was all kinds of good stuff - ribbon, beads, odd puzzle pieces,
used strings, paper, broken things, bits of this-and-that.
She would hand me the box and ask me to make her something.
My Dad gave me scrap lumber and invited me to make something.
So I was blessed to grow up in a home where I was encouraged to
see new uses for items. |
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Of course I didn't think of this
in terms of repurposing, but that is exactly what I did. I
picked flowers and put them in a mayo jar. I turned wooded
yardsticks into the most delightful little boxes. As
I recalled I lined them with fabric scraps from Mom's sewing
projects. I made purses from old pairs of jeans. I
make chip bowls, which became Christmas gifts, out of
vinyl record albums. The list goes on and on. |
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My parents always found treasure
in somebody's trash. They looked for old furniture that
Dad could redesign, remake and refinish into the most marvelous
pieces. This hobby turned into a cottage business for him. |
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Repurposing, just to clarify, is
reusing something in a different way than it was originally
intended. Repurposing is good for the environment.
It certainly saves money and the amount of items in the
landfill. |
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Repurposing is a way of thinking.
Before tossing something ask yourself, "How else can it be
use?" Before buying something ask yourself, "Do I already have
something that can meet the need?" Before buying
something new, shop the thrift stores. |
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Here is a
list of Repurpose ideas |
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Examples of
Repurposing |
Backyard Shed turned into Office Space - with the basic structure in
place, there was still plenty of work to be done before I
could move in. The first order of business was ensuring that I
had all the power and connectivity (CATV, phone, Ethernet)
that I would need for my office.
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Read More |
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Swetsville Zoo
- Bill Swets used to be a farmer. Now he's a zookeeper -- except
that his zoo has no living creatures. The animals in the
"Swetsville Zoo" were all built by Bill -- from car parts, farm
machinery, and scrap metal.
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Read More |
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Bowl from Magazines - This project took me so
much longer than I thought it would. I may not be finished yet
(I'll explain in a minute) but I want to move on to other ideas
so I decided to post about it now. I certainly didn't reinvent
the wheel with this one but it was something fun and super easy
to make.
....
Read More |
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Denim Pocket Purses -
ATrash to Treasure craft project!
Recycle your old jeans into miniature denim pocket purses. Best
selling bazaar craft! ....
Read More
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| Blue Jean
Lunch Bag - Show off chic cafeteria style with
this easy-to-make -- and easy-to-wash -- lunch bag. ....
Read More |
| 40 Things to
do with Old Socks -- Lucky for us,
Deborah Ng
make another list…behold 40 things to do with your old socks.
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Read More |
Reuse,
Repurpose, Recycle Fabrics
- A favorite piece of clothing, which may be hopelessly
out of style, can gain a second life as a completely new item.
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Read More
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