From Smokehouse® Almonds to Gluten-Free Nut*Thin [ ... ] |
We have been in love with Consonant Skincare from th [ ... ] |
Hero Nutritional Products, LLC, the innovative leade [ ... ] |


A delicious broth is the key to any great soup. Keep this basic broth in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer. By making your own broth, you control the sodium level, making it a healthier choice.
What is Upcycling? |
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But then I started wondering where the term came from and if it was possibly a little more complicated than repurposing things. So I started digging, and this is what I found out about upcycling . . . Upcycling is taking waste and making it into something that has equal or greater use or value. "Isn't that the same as recycling?" I asked myself. As it turns out, no. The term was first used by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. McDonough and Braungart compared upcycling to the "downcycling" of recycling a plastic, for example, into a lesser grade plastic. To put it simply, downcycling reduces the quality of the materials, while upcycling maintains or improves the quality of the materials. Keen entrepreneurs have built successful businesses on upcycling. Marty Stevens-Heebner founded Rebagz to make handbags out of juice packs and nylon rice sacks. Joey Santley and Steve Cox founded ReSurf.org to upcycle broken surfboards into asphalt filler. On a smaller scale, many of the handmade items sold on Etsy.com are made with upcycled items. There are coin purses made from sweaters, earrings cut out of vinyl records and an old travel case made into a clock, to name just a few. And you can upcycle at home or at the office. Make an apron with the fabric from an old dress, turn a leaky rubber boot into a cute planter by adding a few extra holes for drainage, or transform a broken stapler into a modern paperweight with a little low-VOC spray paint.
Have a question about eco-living or climate change? E-mail your questions to Cara at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
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