Upcycling is Art

There’s a new (perhaps reinvented) eco trend sweeping the globe and it is gaining popularity everywhere from school rooms to high fashion runways and art portfolios. Upcycling is the process of turning trash into treasure! I’ve seen high schoolers make lovely silver belts from soda tabs and architects build beautiful self-sustainable houses (Earthships) from bottles, jars, cans and tires (http://www.garbagewarrior.com/) that would otherwise end up in the landfill and possibly the oceans.

Upcycling is just one way we can more economically manage our waste streams by creating functionality from refuse.

Many school teachers will accept things like toilet paper tubes, buttons, lids, egg cartons and open ended odds and ends to use in their classrooms; especially for science, art, and any of the STEAM based curriculum.

As you may have guessed, pictured above is one of my pet projects – turning Altoids tins into gift and treasure boxes with just some Mod Podge and decorative paper (Pro tip: you can use almost anything from old wrapping and tissue paper to illustrated tea boxes.) They are fun to make and a great way to get kids involved in creating something they can be proud of! 

Let us know what kinds of upcycled things you’ve seen or even made yourself!