Reuse is Sexy

I started on the creative reuse road a few years ago because I thought it was an amazing collision of things I love. It encourages stewardship of the earth, nurtures creativity, creates community, and on a more tangible level, gives me the high of finding a good deal. That list generally motivates me in the process of operating a creative reuse center, but sometimes I have my doubts. At the conference one of the speakers threw out the following stat in the first session: Garbage is only 1-2% of our environmental impact. I have yet to fact check that, however, it made me question how much of an environmental impact creative reuse really makes. I shared my doubts with a fellow conference goer while eating trail mix out in the hallway (yes, trail mix...we fully embraced our crunchy identity) and she reminded me that maybe our purpose in this whole movement of reuse is to be a catalyst, a culture changer, a voice in the desert crying “Reuse is Sexy!”.  

And there it was, the mantra for the rest of the conference. We dropped the word “sexy” like fifteen year old girls Googling Ryan Gosling pictures.  Even this very morning I received an email from a conference attendee who said she requested a t-shirt for Christmas saying “Reuse is Sexy”. And I can’t help but recognize the truth in the sentiment.  My interest level in a guy increases significantly if he tells me his entire outfit is thrifted and, of course, I want my house to look like your “Upcycled Home Decor” Pinterest board.  Even big retail stores use the sexiness of reuse to get people through their doors.  Urban Outfitters window displays--so cool. Anthropologie shabby chic dresses that look like something I could have made from pieces of fabric laying around the house, but didn’t have the time or the skills so I bought theirs for $200--sexy!  (Confession: I haven’t actually purchased a single thing from Anthropologie...I’m trying to channel people who do)

Maybe it’s the uniqueness we like about it or the cleverness, the ingenuity.  Perhaps it’s accomplishing the challenge of re-assembling the chaos of leftover materials back into some sort of stylish order. Or maybe it’s the greater characteristics behind reuse that are attractive: responsible, conscientious, resourceful, creative.  Whatever the reason, let us be silent no more.  We need to share widely that reuse is “in”. Our mission at SCRAP is to “inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior”. That word “inspire” cuts right to the core. Let’s inspire people to rethink consumption, let’s tell them it’s not dorky to reuse, let’s close the cultural divide between what’s “green” and what’s “normal”.  Creative reuse centers do make an environmental impact. We divert literally TONS of materials from the waste stream every year.  But I think more than that we make an environmental impact through making a cultural impact.  We validate people in their choice to reuse and create a culture that celebrates reuse as a preferred way of consuming. We tell the world that reuse is sexy because it really is.

So who else wants a “Reuse is Sexy” t-shirt for Christmas? It just made my list.