Plastics and leather from wasted meat
Israeli designer Shahar Livne creates old plastic and industrial slaughterhouse waste into sustainable materials to be exploited.
upcycling
Clunker cars are choking Africa
Re-using and finding new homes for second hand bikes is one thing, but when it comes to old cars, it's another. America, Japan and Europe are shipping non-road worthy cars to Africa where they are creating an enormous amount of air pollution, greenhouse gases and dangers for those driving them.
Do good by selling the old cell phone
You can hand down your phone to a person or company that can use it or recycle it. Here's how. If you are like me you have at least 5 old cell phones rattling around in the drawer. I was waiting for peak junk to happen but so far… it never did.
Arab souk in Amman is treasure chests for do-it-yourselfer! Here’s my journey
Turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse (or silk scarves into a brilliant curtain) with upcycled materials sourced from your local souk. Make this patchwork curtain in under an hour and for about $10 – a little more work could turn it into a shower curtain or duvet cover. Get jiggy with junk! Here […]
Syrian refugee children upcycle Jordan’s litter into kites
Syria’s war has killed 150,000 people and forced more than three million from their homes. About a million of these refugees live in Jordan and as many as 200,000 have lived in the Zaatari refugee camp near Jordan’s Syrian border. This Green Prophet visited nearby Zaatari village where another 500 refugees live.
Wow-alicious green gifts upcycled by Ex Libris Anonymous
Jacob Deatherage founded a clever company that saved my skin many times over a decade of holidays – letting me serve up clever gifts that are useful, affordable and green.
Broken trees from epic storm sprout public art at Jordan University
If a tree falls in the woods, it will be immortalized as amazingly clever artwork if Fu’ad Khasawneh is anywhere nearby. The Assistant Dean and his colleagues at the University of Jordan transformed the detritus of a powerful winter storm into a remarkable display of public art.
The Ultimate Upcycle: Saving Syrian Children’s Lives in Jordan, With Hats
In Ireland we know about cold bones. This is a story about how we started collecting hats in Ireland for cold kids in a Syrian refugee camp.
Pedro Reyes’ Disarm Morphs Weapons Into A Mechanized Orchestra
Artist Pedro Reyes is waging a war on weapons, transforming guns into musical instruments and constructing a fully mechanized orchestra. In collaboration with Cocolab, a media studio in Mexico City, and in concert with an electronic music producer and other musicians, he built eight fully functional new “instruments”.
Refutrees Scratches Eco and Social Itches with Refugee Projects
Today is World Refugee Day. Some good news for a change: Refutrees is a new non-profit that’s turning the traditional aid-centric model of development on its head. These self-described “creativity agents” place particular focus on people displaced over the long-term. They’re currently working on projects for Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Lebanon.
Ali Lamu Upcycles Weathered Dhow Sails into Inspiring Art
“This is not a romance story,” Daniella told me during a recent interview. I met the petite woman at her home on Lamu Island in northern Kenya to speak with her husband, Ali Lamu, whose name is synonymous with a brand of upcycled dhow sails or tangas that are now distributed throughout the world. Daniella […]
Green Prophet Upcycles Jordan’s Politicians Into Hip Handbags
Laurie recycles a Jordanian political poster into a handbag. Here’s how she does it. Voting is underway for Jordan’s Parliament. I’m not running, but I have this one in the bag! Hundreds of posters are hanging along Amman roadways; a somber assemblage of Middle Eastern manhood, mostly mustachioed. No wonder there’s tension in the lead-up […]
Recycle Art Workshops @Darb 1718 This October
If you are in Cairo, don’t miss these fun and fabulous recycling and upcycling workshops at Darb 1718 Following what looks like a very successful Recycling Art festival at the end of August, Darb 1718 are hosting a set of four recycling workshops this month. With sessions on the 9, 10, 16 and 17 of […]
Turn Disposable Water Bottle into Pencil Case: Upcycling Tutorial
Now that the kids are back at school, time to go green and continue the celebrations with this back-to-school tutorial. Parents will need to help with this one. This time of year with kids returning to school, many go on shopping spree spending lots of money on branded notebooks, agendas, and bags. But why not […]
A Sustainable Postcard from Turkey: You’ll Wish You Were Here
This Green Prophet tours Turkey and sees a mosaic of eco-sensibility. Little Eid, a Muslim holiday, is a great time for a getaway. So I reeled in my family from disparate zip codes for a week spent touring someplace new. Years back, plump thighs on my enormous babies tagged the kids as “turkey legs”. It feels […]