What is Upcycling??

UPCYCLING IS THE OPPOSITE OF DOWNCYCLING, which is the other part of the recycling process. Downcycling involves converting materials and products into new materials, sometimes of lesser quality. Most recycling involves converting or extracting useful materials from a product and creating a different product or material.

The terms upcycling and downcycling were first used in print in an article in SalvoNEWS by Thornton Kay quoting Reiner Pilz and published in 1994.

We talked about the impending EU Demolition Waste Streams directive. “Recycling,” he said, “I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling, where old products are given more value, not less.” He despairs of the German situation and recalls the supply of a large quantity of reclaimed woodblock from an English supplier for a contract in Nuremberg, while just down the road a load of similar block was scrapped. In the road outside his premises was the result of the Germans’ demolition “waste” recycling. It was a pinky looking aggregate with pieces of handmade brick, old tiles, and discernible parts of useful old items mixed with crushed concrete. Is this the future for Europe?

Upsizing was the title of the German edition of a book about upcycling first published in English in 1998 by Gunter Pauli and given the revised title of Upcycling in 1999. The German edition was adapted to the German language and culture by Johannes F. Hartkemeyer, then Director of the Volkshochschule in Osnabrück. The concept was later incorporated by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. They state that the goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones. This reduces the consumption of new raw materials when creating new products. Reducing the use of new raw materials can result in a reduction of energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and even greenhouse gas emissions.

This is a significant step towards regenerative design culture where the end products are cleaner, healthier, and usually have a better value than the material inputs. For example, during the recycling process of plastics other than those used to create bottles, many different types of plastics are mixed, resulting in a hybrid. This hybrid is used in the manufacturing of plastic lumber applications. However, unlike the engineered polymer ABS which hold properties of several plastics well, recycled plastics suffer phaseseparation that causes structural weakness in the final product.

Article by Wikipedia

Infographic by Terra Lund

How To Clean White Canvas Shoes

Save your white shoes from the wear and tear of machine washing by learning how to clean white canvas shoes by hand. You can give grass and other stubborn stains the extra scrubbing they need and get rid of scuffs. When your Converse All Stars start looking dingy and tired, it’s time to get them looking good and back in the game.

• Remove the shoelaces and wash them by hand in your sink. If they’re worn out, just toss them and buy a fresh pair.

• Remove the insoles and scrub them with water and baking soda, then rinse and let them air dry.

• Use a dry toothbrush to scrub away mud and dirt from the outside of the shoes, the soles, and the tongue.

• Mix baking soda and distilled white vinegar to form a cleaning paste.

• Dip the toothbrush into the paste and scrub the shoes gently to remove dirt and stains.

• Use a damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to buff away scuff marks and stains on the white soles of the shoes.

• Wipe down the shoes with a clean damp cloth and let them air dry.

How To Clean White Leather Shoes

White leather shoes can be easier to clean than some materials because they don’t absorb as much water. But you still have to go easy so you don’t damage the leather. Here’s the best way to clean white shoes made of leather to get them looking new again:

• Remove the shoelaces and the insoles, wash them in the sink with baking soda, rinse, and let them air dry.

• Dampen a white cloth and wipe down the outsides, soles, and tongues to remove dirt and debris.

• Rinse the cloth well and wring it out.

• Use a toothbrush and baking soda to gently scrub away stains.

• Dab your damp cloth on some Ivory soap and gently scrub the outside of the shoes.

• Rinse the cloth and wipe off the sudsy residue.

• Use a damp Magic Eraser to get the soles white and bright, then let your shoes air dry.

How To Clean White Tennis Shoes

They often made running shoes and white tennis shoes with mesh, rubber, foam, and other synthetic materials. Since machine washing can be rough on synthetics, you can often make your shoes last longer and stay whiter by hand washing them.

• Take out the insoles and shoelaces, wash them in the sink, and let them air dry.

• Use a toothbrush to remove excess dirt and mud from the shoes, soles, and tongues.

• Add two tablespoons of clothes detergent to a bowl of warm water.

• Scrub stained areas with baking soda and a toothbrush.

• Dip the toothbrush in the bowl and start scrubbing, but be gentle when you’re scrubbing a mesh area so you don’t rip a thread.

• Scrub off scuffs and stains from the soles with a Magic Eraser.

• Use a clean damp cloth to wipe down the shoes and remove any residue.

Let the shoes air dry and enjoy that new white shoes feeling once again!

If these methods don’t work for you, a never-fail method it to make a solution of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide and spray liberally over shoes that have gone through the above suggested cleaning already.

Wipe them all over and set them in the sun to allow the mixture to activate fully. Repeat until desired whiteness is reached.

For the recipe and to learn how to keep your favourite tee white go to page 23.