Re-used & Reclaimed: Carbon Conversations Meeting 3

Our third meeting in the current Carbon Conversations series was all about exploring and reducing our carbon footprint in the things we purchase. That’s a big topic which ranged from ‘why do we buy stuff anyway?’ to re-use and ‘upcycling’.
Richard is a participant and has been researching an apect of consumption: re-using building materials, He recommends a couple of interesting projects below:

Hi all, I’m researching ways we can enable re-use of materials that come out of domestic scale renovation/extension work. This is something dear to my heart having been involved in making projects with Transition Town Tooting and at home using reclaimed timber – you guys will remember the water catchment project, (which was all reclaimed except for 5 lengths of timber that needed to be longer than the available) and the cold frame project that was 100% reclaimed materials.

Re-upholstered chair with funky echeverias.

Anyway, during my research I’ve found some really cool initiatives from around the world, and I thought I’d share them with you.

Have a look at the vimeo clip from the Portland, Oregon based organisation called “The Rebuilding Center” and tell me if you give it an English chuckle or join in with the tears at the end!

The Rebuilding Center also has done projects using bicycles to transport the materials they salvage form demolition jobs – hardcore! They also have lots of project ideas.

Handmade cable drum chair

Yooz is up in Scotland and integrates re-training in its business model.

Ok, there’s two. Hope you like ’em and it inspires how we can better re-use the copious amounts of useful material going into skips up and down the land.

Richard

And thanks a lot, Richard! For more about this meeting series, click on CARBON CONVERSATIONS at the top of this blog page. All welcome to the next series we run.
And maybe you have ideas for Made in Tooting re-use and reclamation?
Do get in touch.