SuperForest

Hello SuperForesters! I’d like to share with you my very first D.I.Y. project! I have to admit that this is not a unique idea; you know what they say about there being “no original ideas”, however I didn’t let that stop me from doing the project! The first thing you will need is an abundance of corks. I amassed mine from my family’s passion for good wine, but you can also visit a local restaurant or wine bar and ask them to save the corks for you, they just might do it!

After you’ve collected many corks, get yourself a basic frame. I found mine at a craft store, but it would be even better if you could reclaim some wood and make your own frame.

Take some time and practice patience when arranging the corks within the frame. Because the corks are not all the same size and some may be slightly warped, it will take a calm, creative eye to arrange them so they all fit nicely.

When you are ready, pick the corks up two by two, and glue underneath them, gently pressing them into the glue as you put them back in place. This will keep your design together while you glue the corks down.

After all of the corks have been glued to the frame, place some heavy books on top to help the glue set and adhere the corks securely. Leave the books on overnight or for a few hours.

Ta-da! The frame is now complete and ready to hang on your wall! I am going to use mine as a “vision board” to keep myself mindful of my goals and intentions on a daily basis.

What do you think, SuperForesters? Should I leave my frame minimalist or should I paint it?

Yours in recycled crafting,

SuperForester Heather

Hey SuperForest! The other day I received this lovely hand-painted plate as a gift from my 87 year old Great Aunt Flo! It was hanging around her house and she felt that I might enjoy it more than she would so she decided to “re-gift” it. This made me ask myself: “When did “re-gifting” get a bad (w)rap?” (couldn’t resist the pun…)

I suppose most of us think of re-gifting as a thoughtless, perhaps lazy way to impart a useful or beautiful object to someone in celebration of an occasion or event. I would like to challenge all of you SuperForesters to “rethink the re-gift!”

Re-gifting is green! Passing something on to someone else who may appreciate it or use it more than you might is a very environmentally sound practice. If you even go as far as to use the same gift wrapping it came in, then you are really performing a green deed! (Just make sure it’s not ripped and the gift tag with your name on it is removed!) The one flaw in this plan is of course trying not to offend the original “gifter”, so I suppose we need to consider the re-gift on a case by case basis.

I am not suggesting we disregard the generosity of others who give us wonderful gifts, but if there is something in your possession that you do not need or no longer appreciate, perhaps someone else would give it a new life! That is what my Aunt has done for me with this beautiful plate that is a work of art on its own but will also be the vessel for many lovely food items in the future!

By re-gifting something that you may not use instead of buying something new, you are also making a conscious choice not to consume, not to purchase a needless gift simply because a certain holiday requires you to do so. Having said all of this, of course there are gifts that are purely meant for you and you should keep them and enjoy them! However, sometimes we receive gifts and we are grateful for them but we see someone in our lives that could use this object more, so I think it is a thoughtful, “green” thing to do to pass it on to that individual. You can even take it one step further and be completely transparent about your re-gifting by hosting a Clothing Swap! (I am attending one this Saturday and will share my experience with all of you soon!)

What do you think, SuperForest?

Yours in recycled gifting,

SuperForester Heather

Good Morning Soul-Siblings!

Both Seuss-ical and Oz-ish these three-dimensional textile collages strike me as beautiful (albeit sometimes creepy), thought-provoking and visually arresting.

Created by Guerra de la Paz two Cuban-born, Miami-based artists—Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz—they recover landfill-bound clothing and render them into socially conscious art installations. Controversial clothing? Possibly - because they are meant to bring attention the artists ongoing commentary on consumerism, disposability, and environmental issues.

Relics that once defined an individuals personality –  these discarded items of daily life now serve as a kind of ‘archaeology’; their work engages with the history inherent in common debris and its possibility for recycled usage.

You can check out more of the exhibit here

I still keep waiting for a Lorax to pop out somewhere though~

One shirt two shirt red shirt blue shirt?…..Oh me! Oh my!
Oh me! Oh my!
What alot of funny things go by~

with gratitude, sheri

Hi SuperForest,

The folks over at Electronic Recyclers United have put together this incredibly eye-opening video that shows us what happens to our e-waste. On one level, it features a bunch of guys in suits wearing green ties walking around warehouses telling us how “green” their “cradle to cradle” method of handling waste is. Pretty cool. But on a deeper level, it shows us how incredibly huge and menacing our consumption levels are. And in order to have a really green effect on our planet, we should start by thinking about what we are consuming in the first place.

Check it out, it’s some rad stuff:

(via.)

My dearest SuperForesters,

Embrace the little one inside you and have a quick play of this online recycling game, created by the folks behind Clean Up Australia Day.

This is a great way to get kids talking about recycling, something I wish I’d been more encouraged to learn about as a youngster. In this game, you’re travelling up a river, navigating your way using the arrow keys, and you earn points for rolling over the rubbish and lose them for going over the fish. If you can pass this link onto any little ones, do so! I’ve had a play and it is nothing short of, wait for it … AWESOME!

At the start, you’ll be ask to select your Grade and State, choose any to proceed.

Curious? Play the online game here.

Hi SuperForest!

We –  Earth inhabitants, or  temporary containers (as Jackson  described it), are here only for a while using the kindness of Mother Earth. Thus, we should take care of  it the best we can.  Our existance  should be harmless and creative!  We should make Earth be  proud of having us!

Here are a few tips on how you can make that happen:

1. Reduce your waste. Don’t use plastic bottles!
2. Reuse things. Be creative.  Play with things. Dirty hands are fun!
3. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
4. Wear eco friendly clothes.
5. Set up your own garden ( yes to permaculture)  Play with food, make it fun!
6. Support the Save-A-Seed Coalition on SF Heather’s blog
7. Read SuperForest. Read the Humanifesto. Spread positive energy!
8. Treat nature and animals with respect- admire them.

via

Love, E.

P.S. While writing this post I came across this recycling guide . It is simple, clear and fun, and very suitable for teaching children!

Guess what!  I have an idea!

My workplace has a bad habit of being wasteful.  Working at a hotel, you can see how willing people are to throw things away.  If you walk into a guest room, you may find every light on.  The radio may be blaring.  The water may even be running… all while the guest is just out getting dinner.  I know!  Its crazy!  Unfortunately, from experience, I can tell you it is very very common.

Working here, I personally try to save things as much as I can.  Every day I receive incoming mail.  I open it and reuse the envelopes that seal (the return evelopes) so I can to return cash to my cashiers.  This works perfectly.  I keep some envelopes out of the wastebasket and reuse them.  Still… the envelopes that I had to open still must be tossed.

I decided one day to start collecting them.

I thought perhaps someday I would find a way to reuse them.  Look at all of them!

Well, I DO have an idea… but I don’t want to tell you what it is yet.  Why?  I have a hunch that you guys can help me come up with something better.  Please, give me your ideas on what to do with these discarded envelopes.

I know they’re not sexy, interesting, or expensive.  But nothing in this world is of any value until we decide it is valuable.

Some facts about the potential project:

1.  I don’t want to spend much money on other supplies for the project.

2.  I have envelopes that fill two grocery bags.

3.  They have stamps (often printed stamps) and addresses written on them.

4.  Some of them have little plastic windows.

5.  All of them have potential!

So what do you say, guys?  Can you lend me your ideas?  Perhaps I can build something great with these things.  Then all of your junk-mail at home will be useful once again!  No need to send it out to be recycled… skip the middle man!

Comment below with your suggestions.  I’m so excited!

jaell

My bestie, SuperForester Michelle, recently spotted a … hold on, I’ll let your read her account of how it went down:

“I was on the balcony, gazing lovingly into someone’s front yard, when I spotted an unwanted ironing board. It’s one of those situations where you don’t really need an ironing board, but what if the situation were to arise, and there was a National Ironing Board Championship shortage, and you held the only surviving ironing board – the ironing board would be worth squillions! I’ve said ‘ironing board’ too many times now.

I roped my flatmate into coming across the road with me and we hot-footed it back with goodies in tow. It was a little crusty, and I was finding it hard to find a good use for it. Also, it had questionable stains. So I stripped it down and invented the Lappy Stand, slash Cooler 2010! See below.

Not only is it fully adjustable, I’ve found it stupendously versatile! The flatmates have already gathered around it, and we’ve had dinner together on our makeshift dining table! I’ve used it as a hospital-like food tray to watch my laptop in bed! Sliding the legs of the pointy side under my bed, elevates the laptop to a perfect viewing height for watching a Gilmore Girls – I mean, Mad Men marathon.”

Stupendously impressed,
April

Yesterday, I stumbled on Craftster, who had posted a pictorial tutorial on how to make gift bags out of newspaper. Brilliant idea, particularly with Christmas around the corner. This afternoon, after a tasty dinner of brown rice, tuna and sweet baby corn, I endeavoured to make my own. This did not go brilliantly at first. There were three failed attempts before I got something that resembled a gift bag (see below).

I thought you might enjoy my video tutorial to show you how it was done. I tried to follow the Craftster “how to”, which is totally brilliant, so for further clarification, please refer to it here. The bags are pretty nifty, though, being made of paper, they will not hold the weight of a brick. Maybe you can use them for gifts that are pretty light (ie CDs, chocolates, etc). Experiment and see how you go!

Happy holidays!
April

Goood Morning SuperForest!

Dianna Cohen, artist, friend of SuperForest’s, and co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, recently sat down with me, SFJ, to discuss the PPC’s drive to replace single-use plastics with greener alternatives. Yes!

Click Here for the Plastic Pollution Coalition Site

Nice! Since buying my Sigg, my bottled water consumption has dropped significantly, and I stay hydrated, like a koi fish!

Behold! Sigg-ismundo!