thegreenurbanist:

From The Oatmeal.

Wasting the work day away - 3 hours down - 5 to go. 

landscapelifescape:

Tote, Scotland

James Graham Vista point (by Maciej landscape.lu)

unconsumption:

If you (or someone you know) have considered building a fence from wooden pallets, check out this post from the blog of John MacDonald (mentioned previously on Unconsumption here).

unconsumption:

pseudoselfaware:

Genius!

This photo, which has been making the rounds here on Tumblr, and on Pinterest and Facebook, shows us a simple plastic jug repurposing idea: Cut off the handle part of a discarded plastic container, and use it as a scoop/shovel/dustpan. (Genius, indeed!) Chances are, you’ve seen it already.

What you probably haven’t seen, though, are other jug uses from the person who initially circulated this photo [actually, these photos (plural)].

I (Molly) dug around online and found this source, a Naver blog, for the above photos. On that Naver blog, I also spotted this post highlighting this shoe storage idea: Maximize shelf space by “stacking” shoes in … plastic jugs! Also genius!

For a more whimsical use of plastic jugs, making toy trucks from them (as featured in this earlier Unconsumption post) still gets high marks from me. 

Tell us if you’ve come across other plastic container-related reuse ideas that you think we should know about.

Deaigned by Robert Stephenson and built in 1849, The High Level Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne - still an iconic part of Tyneside and amazing since its refurbishment in recent years.

Walked across for the first time last week to reprise the ‘Get Carter’ scene.

unconsumption:

Hot among the “DIY” and “craft” items pinned on Pinterest lately are images of this mirror, which many of us might say is pretty attractive. Also making the pin-rounds are photos of this lamp and a pink starburst sort of mirror (pictured below), among other DIY projects. 

What do they have in common, beyond being projects that many of us could possibly make on our own? These items are made from new plastic spoons — new ones. 

The maker of the “chrysanthemum mirror” above says this about her project:

First, I bought six packages of 48 plastic spoons [pictured above], and I cut the handles off of all of them. I bought the absolute cheapest spoons available that cost somewhere around $1.30 per package … .

And about the pink starburst mirror, source Country Living magazine says:

For an 18-inch round mirror, you’ll need a hot-glue gun and about 105 colored plastic spoons ($6.39 for 50; [and includes a link to a retailer]. 

I’d love to read where the makers of such projects actually crafted their objects from used plasticware!

I hope such projects serve as inspiration for people to use used items — to keep them out of landfills — instead of heading, say, to dollar stores to buy new stuff made of plastic.

P.S. to fellow pinners and bloggers: Let’s label such items with something other than “recycled,” as in made from “recycled plastic spoons,” or “project made from recycled stuff,” okay?!    

P.P.S. Unconsumption is on Pinterest. You will not find photos of these particular projects pinned on any of our boards. Just sayin’.

Special note: Plastic cutlery and plates labeled with #6 as the resin ID code are accepted by some, but not all, municipal recycling programs. 

(photos: top and middle, via Addicted2Decorating; bottom, Country Living magazine) 

earth911:

Also check out: 7 More Reused Items to Boost Your Garden

experimentoverde:

I’ve been looking for a way to store my garden seeds but this is a creative way to store them and reuse :D

thegreenurbanist:

motherjones:

greenpeacesemester:

Great article on Mother Jones about “The Origins of Anti-Litter Campaigns”

According to Heather Rogers’ Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, the entire anti-litter movement was initiated by a consortium of industry groups who wanted to divert the nation’s attention away from even more radical legislation to control the amount of waste these companies were putting out. It’s a good story worth retelling.

Oldie but a goodie.

“Cradle to Cradle”

Remember when…. a new Beatles record was released, the excitement. It was an event in itself.

klappersacks:

(via old school paul)