Most people would look at an old copper fireplace...

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Your daily source of inspiration for creative reuse and mindful consumption.

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[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

8:16 am - Fri, Sep 30, 2011: 39 notes

Most people would look at an old copper fireplace coal bin — if they bothered to notice it at all — and see something ready for the junk heap. Brian Carlisle [of GadgetSponge.com] saw a birdhouse.
“It just spoke to me when I looked at and I could envision a bird hole in front and a roof on top,” he told TreeHugger in an email. “From there, I saw lots of opportunities with many other metal items that most folks throw away or keep for no reason.” The quirky, whimsical results are both retro and futuristic, and strangely beautiful.
Scouring Thrift Stores For Supplies
Carlisle gathers his birdhouse-making supplies — percolators, flour sifters, tea pots, hard hats, license plates, galvanized gas cans, sugar canisters, trophies, watering cans, even a metal space heater — at flea markets, thrift shops, and antique stores, or through donations from family and friends.

Read the rest: One-of-a-Kind Birdhouses Made from Scrap Metal : TreeHugger
Check out Brian’s range of birdhouses available from his Etsy store here.

Most people would look at an old copper fireplace coal bin — if they bothered to notice it at all — and see something ready for the junk heap. Brian Carlisle [of GadgetSponge.com] saw a birdhouse.

“It just spoke to me when I looked at and I could envision a bird hole in front and a roof on top,” he told TreeHugger in an email. “From there, I saw lots of opportunities with many other metal items that most folks throw away or keep for no reason.” The quirky, whimsical results are both retro and futuristic, and strangely beautiful.

Scouring Thrift Stores For Supplies

Carlisle gathers his birdhouse-making supplies — percolators, flour sifters, tea pots, hard hats, license plates, galvanized gas cans, sugar canisters, trophies, watering cans, even a metal space heater — at flea markets, thrift shops, and antique stores, or through donations from family and friends.

Read the rest: One-of-a-Kind Birdhouses Made from Scrap Metal : TreeHugger

Check out Brian’s range of birdhouses available from his Etsy store here.