In every class I took in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas, we were taught about the responsibility of incorporating sustainable or adaptive resuse products into our designs. I am really glad to see that this philosophy is quickly becoming a part of our everyday culture.

Turn on the TV at any given time and you're bound to see commercials for pretty traditional companies touting their environment-friendly redesigned products. From Johnson & Johnson to Target and even the wicked Wal-Mart, everyone is jumping on the recycle and reuse bandwagon.

We are no different at Reparapy. All of our products are as organic and natural as we can find. Our containers are either already recycled glass or plastic that can be recycled. We use natural fibers like cotton, bamboo, and hemp and try to find the least chemically treated fabrics we can. Our shipping materials are bio-degradable and we resuse the leftover batting and fabric as part of our zero waste policy.

We all understand the idea of adaptive resuse, such as taking wood from an old house and using it to make picture frames. But I am really intrigued with the idea of taking something old and making it better than it originally was, thus the term upcycling. Our Chief Design Officer, Connie Jensen, has a shop on Etsy that features some of the products that she has upcycled. The photo at the top of this blog shows some super cool credit card holders that she made from old leather products. You can see more of her products by clicking here.

Well, I decided to take a look at some other upcycled projects so here are a few of my favorites that I found on Etsy...

Take a look at this beauty from the shop Pen Felt. In her words, "This giant American Flag is made of ironed-together plastic grocery bags. It was made by LeBrie Rich and Bill Will for an installation called "New Economy" in 2007. In the installation the flag was inflatable controlled by a coin-op mechanism connected to a squirrel cage fan hidden in a pedestal. Viewers put in a quarter and the flag inflated and lifted off the wall for about 20 seconds."

At $5,000, it's definitely the most expensive upcycled project at Etsy. But as artists around the world know, the price collectors pay is equal to the value they feel they are getting in the piece. You can see more pictures of it at her shop here.

Here's another interesting idea...take old rubber and turn it into a one-of-a-kind haute couture dress. Rezoom did just that and you can have it for $350.Besides being a cool upcycled product, Rezoom chose to promote her concern for endangered bird species through the use of her bird pattern cutouts in the rubber. So, not only is she upcycling, but she's upcycling with a good environmental message. Check out the details here.

Lastly, we go the other end of the spectrum with these clever little guitar picks made from Subway cards. What a wonderful way to keep all those expired or non-used plastic pieces from filling up our already over-burdened landfills. The seller shop is interesting as well as it is sort of a "pay it forward" kind of deal. You can learn more about this shop by clicking here.

So, in closing for the day, I have been inspired to look around me and see what I might be able to upcycle. I challenge all of you to do the same and I would love to see what you come up with. I'll share my ideas as well.

Always remember, good work can be good fun, too!

Cheers,
Zara Kramer
CEO