Re-purposing

[patchoo78]

Looking around the net the past few days I have come across some really cool ways of re-using old resources.

The latest one I came across was this:

A company called Above+Below have teamed up with the London underground to make these shoes. The fabric is from old subway seats that have been recovered.  Each train line has it's own fabric so you can even pick your own favourite train line to wear as shoes.. 

They are sweat shop free, made with European labour. The uppers are made of restored London Underground seat covers and the trim is 100% recycled or re-purposed leather. The soles are recycled rubber tires.

What an awesome way to recycle!

What are some ideas for re-purposing you have seen? Share your pics 🙂

[toon_town_nutter]

I love looking!

Did you see Better Homes & Gardens last friday? They featured a man who has built a house for 50k using recycled materials. It was really interesting. 

[toon_town_nutter]

For your browsing oogling pleasure

http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=repurpose

http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=upcycled

http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=recycle

[patchoo78]

Check out this house made out of glass bottles

[toon_town_nutter]

That is slightly tacky :^O

I love this. I'm so going to do it. Once I get around the second hand shops

[chuk_77]

i thought it was up-cycling. Or is that different?

[azureline**]

I think it is the same Chuk. 🙂

[toon_town_nutter]

Same IMO

Though I did see a comment on something recently along the lines of "that's not upcycling that's recycling" It was a book case painted up. Not sure what the issue was myself.

[patchoo78]

Up-cycling or re-purposing is using something you can't use for it's intended purpose, as something else.. Like the suitcases in Az's pic. Giving it a new purpose as it were.. 

re·pur·pose  (r-pûrps)tr.v. re·pur·posed, re·pur·pos·ing, re·pur·pos·esTo use or convert for use in another format or product:

Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value

So I guess that repurposing and upcycling are the same 

If a bookcase has just been repainted and used again as a bookcase, I think that's just reusing or recycling

[toon_town_nutter]

Yeah I guess so now you explained it like that.

Doesn't matter. If it's cool it's cool.

[patchoo78]

Ah I just found this: Unlike upcycling, repurposing means that the original object is not modified (or very slightly modified, re-painted...)

I also found this link to a tumblr page about repurposing

http://repurposing.tumblr.com/