University of Illinois Sustainable e-Waste Design Competition

Kudos to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) professor William Bullock, for offering a two-semester course sequence that examines the problem of electronic waste. In Fall 2008, students in the sequence studied all aspects of the e-waste problem and produced a collaborative report on their findings. This semester, students are focusing on sustainable product design, and will be participating in a competition to produce new or recycled products from discarded electronic components. The competition is actually open to all UIUC students, not only those enrolled in Bullock's course. Materials for use in the competition were collected on campus in February from local citizens. Also, students participating in the competition were encouraged to donate an old computer as an entry "fee."

Registration for the competition is currently closed, and the competition itself will take place in April. The finalists and winner will be displayed on the competition web site, www.ewaste.illinois.edu. Any leftover e-waste not used by participants will be responsibly recycled by PC Rebuilders and Recyclers in Chicago, an organization that refurbishes donated computer equipment and sells the results at reasonable prices to schools, non-profits and individuals that might not otherwise be able to access such equipment. They recycle any components that are unusable.

To read more about the competition, visit the competition web site listed above or see the competition flyer. Criteria for judging of entries is available here.

Make Your Fashion Statement Front Page News

An article from the February 21, 2009 edition of the Terre Haute (IN) Tribune Star describes the "Print to Apparel" contest, in which the general public is invited to submit wearable items made almost entirely of newspaper (at least 85 percent).

In addition to being mostly made of newspaper, submissions must be able to be displayed on a typical clothes hanger, resemble wearable art (i.e. it doesn't need to be able to actually be worn by someone, but should look as if it's meant to be worn), and can be assembled with glue, other adhesives, or even by sewing sheets of newspaper together. There is a $5 entry fee for each piece and an individual cannot submit more than two items. Submissions are to be turned in to a local Unitarian Universalist church by March 21st. Full instructions and details on the cash prizes and display event (scheduled for March 27) are available in the article.

Unfortunately the article doesn't specify which non-profit organization is sponsoring this event, but whoever thought of this is pretty clever, in my book. What a neat idea! If you live in Terre Haute, consider entering. Check out these cool Google Image results for "newspaper fashion" for inspiration.

Will You Green My Valentine?

Hey all, sorry it's been so long since I've posted to this blog. I've been preoccupied with the toddlers and other writing. But, I'm back to share with you a few products and tips that could green your Valentine's Day through reuse or recycling.

Recycled Elephant Poop Roses. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...even if it's made out of recycled elephant dung. I've heard of The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company before, but I just saw this link to their special Elephant Poo Paper Roses on Great Green Goods today. Made from a unique paper handmade from elephant poo (now that's a dirty job), these lovely flowers are odor free and sustainable. Check out the poo paper making process on the company's web site.

ABC News provides some simple tips for homemade Valentine's Gift items, including things made by reusing items you already have around the house.

Check out Etsy.com for unique, handmade cards and gifts to give to your sweetie. Many of the items on Etsy are made from reused/repurposed materials--try typing "reuse" into their site search box for a few examples. Type "valentines" into their search box for items that might be used to show your love. It's also worth noting that Etsy is partnering with Citymeals-on-Wheels this year for a project called Special Delivery. Folks could get involved by making cards to include with nutritious meals to be delivered to needy elderly New Yorkers. Unfortunately, the deadline has passed for making the cards and submitting them for this project, but I'm going to keep it in mind for next year, since I love to make cards and envelopes from reused materials.

It's too late to order cards for your kids to share at classroom Valentine's Day parties (sorry), but check out Stubby Pencil Studio's neat, color-your-own cards and consider bookmarking them for next year. Their cards feature cute black-and-white drawings on 100% recycled card stock that your little one can color before handing out to friends. While checking out their Valentine's cards, notice that they have cards for other occasions as well.

Read this article by Amber S. on Associated Content on How to Recycle and Reuse Your Valentines Day Candy Boxes.

For more green Valentine tips (not necessarily related to reuse) check out my "Be My Green Valentine" and "Red Roses, Green Hearts" posts from past years over on the GLRPPR Blog.

Reusing Baby Food Jars

My two kids are past the baby food stage, but I still have a collection of glass baby food jars that I like to reuse for making container candles. Cheers to Earth's Best Baby Food for holding a contest to collect people's ideas for how to reuse glass baby food jars. Check out their web site for the winning ideas. Ideas relevant to the holidays include the jar Christmas tree, hot cocoa holiday gift kit, and place cards for dinner parties.

Deck the Halls With Reused Materials

It's the holiday season, so for the next few weeks, I'll focus on reuse as it applies to our winter holiday celebrations. Have a look at the Wrap Art web site, which provides some unique suggestions for wrapping gifts using a variety of materials. Their "repurposing materials" section features some eye-catching packages wrapped up in bits of reused materials such as junk mail, calendar photos, a wine bottle mesh, foil and strings from shopping bags, and bits of ribbon among other things. It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who saves little bits of this and that in crow-like fashion just knowing that someday I'll find a nice way to reuse them. The "recycling commerce" section is cool too. I especially like the use of stickers found in junk mail (which I either give to my kids to play with or use to decorate my filing cabinet); I'm going to have to try that one!

It takes time and creativity to wrap your gift in a way like those displayed on the Wrap Art site, and that puts all the more "thought" into the "thought that counts." Even if the gift inside goes over like a lead balloon, the recipient will surely feel special if you put so much energy into presenting them with a one-of-a-kind package. And when you reuse materials before you recycle them, the Earth gets a gift too.

UW-Stout Holds Reuse Art Competition

The University of Wisconsin-Stout is hosting the 2nd Annual Recyclable Art Competition on November 11 at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center. As Tasha Sookochoff writes in her article on the subject from the 10/30/08 edition of the Stoutonia,

"The purpose of the competition is to celebrate America Recycles Day and to reward members of the Menomonie community for creatively reusing their recyclables. The event will also feature live music and environmental games for all ages...The Recyclable Art Competition has grown in the last year and features many categories for people of all ages and skills to showcase their artistic talents. Entries will be judged by both UW-Stout art instructors and a popular vote. The only requirement for the artwork is that it be made from recycled materials. Prizes from numerous local businesses will be awarded to the winners of the competition."

I only read about this today, so if you're just reading this post and you're in the UW-Stout area, I'm afraid you've missed the deadline to register for the competition (it was Nov. 1). However, it sounds like a neat event, and I encourage to attend if you have the chance and check out the creativity of your local reuse artists (even though the focus is on recycling, what is really happening in many entries is reuse of materials which could then be recycled). Attendees will have a chance to cast votes for the work they like the best; winners are chosen based on the popular vote and the votes of judges, which include UW-Stout art instructors. See the registration page for more information on the location, including a link to a map.

It should be noted that although the event is being held on November 11, America Recycles Day is November 15 each year. See the National Recycling Coalition web site for more information on America Recycles Day.

Call For Submissions: 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse

Check out the Extreme Craft website describing a new book being compiled of "examples of craft, art and design made out of repurposed, reused and recycled materials." The author, Garth Johnson, is requesting submissions for examples of paper craft; art; jewelry and accessories; clothing; fiber and fabric; housewares and furnishings; houses, interiors and environments; "geekcraft" and "mancraft;" and other sorts of projects deemed "unclassifiable." Descriptions of these categories are given on the Extreme Craft website. The deadline for submissions is January 5, 2009. Compensation is limited to the chance to see your work and web address in print, along with business that may be generated as a result and participation in the reuse art community that will come together to submit items for consideration. For details on exactly how to submit ideas, see the official call for submissions.