Why recycle when you can upcycle?
According to the newest eco store in town, Reworks Upcycle Shop, upcycling is the “process of converting waste materials or useless products into new material or products of better quality of a higher environmental value.”
In short, it’s making new products out of old ones, without using the massive amounts of energy that is often required to proccess products for recycling.
Reworks Upcycle Shop’s owner, Solita Work, has tracked down upcycled furniture, lighting systems, jewelery and accessories from top notch artisans and small-scale manufacturers to provide Calgarians with products that are friendly to the environment and totally unique.
Quantities of all products are limited, so there are new things all the time, but here are a few upcycled products that Reworks has at their store right now:
These transit chairs by well-known American artist Boris Ballytransform recycled street signs into one-of-a-kind, handmade seating. The stainless steel hardware is rust proof, and recycled champagne corks are inserted on the bottom of the legs to protect floors.
Shovel chair by artist Nathan Smith (Nelson, B.C.)