Cool ideas for reusing discarded books and library items - upcycling!
Some of my favorites:
Repurpose a Card Catalogue Into a Mini Bar
Use Old Books as Shelves
Use Paperclips to Organize Your Cables
Use Old CD Cases to Store and Organize Cables
Use Old Books to Create a Desk
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Thinking about next years holiday already? Maybe not but you could start now reusing old or broken decorations or natural items found around your yard. Get creative in the new year and have fun – at your school or public library, host a hands-on program for people to make upcycled/recycled holiday decorations You can even put out a table of goodies, welcoming back college kids to the library, allowing them to get creative and enjoy being back on campus.
The How Do I Recycle This? blog offered a great ideas in 2010 (button wreaths, origami decorations, tin stars, star lights, and other fabulous ideas.) and now offers more for end of 2011 like old newspaper ball ornaments, ornaments from old sweaters, Christmas trees from twigs, paper chains from old maps, and old newspaper wreaths.
Looking for purchasing reusable items for your library or personal life? Check out the Reuseit.com site is the place to go for shopping for reusable items like bamboo utensil sets, water bottles, glass straws, and many types of reusable bags to name a few. The items are filled with user reviews too. Formally know as ReusableBags.com® which initially pushed the idea of reusable shopping bags and raising the awareness of the plastic bag problem in the world, they also give 1% of our sales – more than $180,000 to date – to organizations devoted to the preservation & restoration of our natural environment. Read more about their team. Beyond shopping Reuseit offers places to learn more about our country’s over-consumption problem and how to be a better eco-citizen, with buying guides, myth busters and fact sheets. There is also a take action section with info on DIY, campaigns, getting involved and more.
Are there abandoned phone booths in your area? Ever consider turning one into a mini-community library? Inouye, the head of the Future Studio gallery explains in a few simple steps how she turned a phone booth into a library in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles. Good magazine’s “How To: Turn a Payphone Into a Library,” explains the four simple steps and Tree Hugger has the details.
This web site from Online Colleges lists 80 awesomely, creative ideas for reusing – instead of just discarding – old books. Ideas are categorize into: around the house (yoga block or a book safe – cut hole in center), at work/school (pen holder or book shelf), decorating (a lamp or decoupage tabletop), reusing the pages (wrapping paper, mulch, kitty litter), for crafts (make a gift bag or greeting cards), for kids (leaf press or paper mache), for clothing/jewelry (make a handbag or brooch) and more.
Thanks Alliance Library System’s Going Green Blog for their post that brought this site to my attention!
What a creative DIY project:
Digitized and now getting rid of your library’s old film slides?
Check out this cool idea of making curtains from the old slides.
(thanks to yarnzombie’s flickr photo)
