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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image (c) Pixabay, Public Domain How many times have we seen perfectly good furniture and other household items simply discarded? Well, the trend of upcycling has become increasingly popular among artisans, hobbyists, and others, and that’s a good thing. In mid-October 2015, Zero Waste Scotland launched a social media campaign to inspire upcycling called “Design Doc.” This is cool news, and I’d love to see more programs like this. But what stood out to me was my introduction to the concept of a “circular economy” through the comments of Scotland’s Environmental Minister, Dr. Aileen McLeod:
“The Design Doctor campaign is an ideal fit with the Scottish Government’s approach to creating a more circular economy in Scotland. “The attraction of a more circular approach to our economy – where we keep materials flowing through the economy at as high a value as possible, for as long as possible – is that it tackles a number of economic, environmental, social and moral imperatives.” So what is a circular economy? Wikipedia has a rather technical article about the term ‘circular economy.’ But in essence, it’s all about moving away from a purely consumerist society to one that focuses on reuse and upcycling as a way of life. So how do we get people to stop simply throwing stuff away? You have to give them a reason. Scotland has a system in place already to help people be rid of their unwanted items. Dr. McLeod mentions the Revolve program, which gives second-hand goods sellers a re-use quality standard. She adds: “The pieces destined for upcycling will be sourced from a range of second-hand stores accredited by ‘Revolve’ – a re-use quality standard for shops who sell second hand goods in Scotland. “Scotland’s Revolve programme is a great way to empower people to upcycle household items instead of throwing them away – and this is a concept that makes sense for business, industry, the public sector, and individuals.” This is a really cool thing that Scotland is doing for their country, and I’d love to see more countries adopt this model of thinking. Upcycling has already become quite trendy in the fashion and interior design worlds, and properly supported, it could become an extremely profitable industry that also helps the planet. Imagine a world where you could unload your unwanted furniture and other goods with reusable material or purpose for some extra income. Sure, dumpster diving can be fun, and many upcyclers love the treasure hunt. But think of how much we could keep out of landfills and allow upcyclers an endless source of materials with which to work if more programs were in place to make it easy to be rid of things in a better fashion. The fact is that the world’s resources are finite, and human beings are most definitely creative enough to work with what we’ve already created for the most part. Having a “Revolve” program in place in the US and other countries would minimize waste to a great degree, helping sift out what is truly unusable and basically scrap and what can be actually saved. Such a venture should be able to essentially fund itself, as upcyclers will be happy to pay a minimal amount to not have to dig through landfills and drive around all day searching sidewalks on trash day. Not only does that save gas, but it makes things a lot more convenient and offers even more creative outlets. There are upcycling shops cropping up all over the place, but it would be great to see them showing up in more communities all over America and the world. Our world needs to find ways to be more sustainable, and it’s clear that upcycling is already a profitable business if you know where to source your materials. The easier that sourcing can be made, with a grassroots or perhaps even a government-sponsored program like Scotland’s, the less we’re polluting the planet and the more we’re saving quality goods that just need repurposing or a simple facelift. Of course, what it really comes down to is that people need to change their mindset about what an unwanted or imperfect piece of furniture or older household goods that may still have a little life left in them. Even something that is broken is material for something else. If people can think more like upcyclers, the benefits could help everyone. All I think most people need is to be able to visualize things in a new way and the more upcycling programs we have, the more I believe this will be able to happen. by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  In light of the news about GMO (genetically modified) cotton coming from Argentina, it's more important than ever that we be mindful of what we're putting against our skin. GMO Inside recently shared that almost 100 percent of the GMO cotton in tampons, gauze pads and swabs contains Glyphosate., better known as the herbicide commonly known as Roundup.. Who wants to be putting that against their skin? Fortunately, there is already movement on growing cotton organically. Non-GMO Report recently shared this news about the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. But organic cotton products are still just entering the market.
Organic Essentials offers several organic non-GMO cotton products in cotton balls, cotton rounds, and cotton swabs. Well-known organic brand Seventh Generation offers organic tampons. They're all competitively priced and actually beat out the GMO brands in price on some occasions. Let's hope that more non-GMO organic cotton products become more widely available in the near future! |
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Lyn Lomasi is founder and owner of the Brand Shamans Content Community. Services include ordained soul therapy and healing ministry, business success coaching, business success services, handcrafted healing jewelry, ethereal and anointing oils, altar and spiritual supplies and services, handcrafted healing beauty products, and more!
Lyn is your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superhero to the rescue! While rescuing civilians from boring business practices and energy vampires, this awesomely crazy family conquers evil and creates change. They live among tigers, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and other fantastic energies, teaching others to claim their own power and do the same. By supporting us, you support a dedicated parent, healer, and minority small business that donates to several causes. Profits from our all-inclusive store, Intent-sive Nature support these causes and our beautiful family! HIRE OR SHOP WITH LYN | CONTACT LYN Archives
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