In the last couple of decades cardboard has been...

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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

Lee Sachs, writer, user experience consultant, filmmaker, New York, NY

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

* * *

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

You are so invited to join in the Unconsumption wiki. Do it!

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

12:48 pm - Mon, Nov 14, 2011: 53 notes

In the last couple of decades cardboard has been rediscovered as an architectural material because it is light yet load-resistant, recyclable, nature-friendly, and warm — just like wood, from which it is derived.
Treatment with different chemical solutions and production techniques allows for higher fire and moisture resistance, greater strength, and flexibility. Some of the buildings shown [in the slideshow linked to below], made entirely or partly of cardboard, boost a life-expectancy of approximately 20 years.
However, cardboard’s real popularity can be observed in interior design, where creativity is mostly unlimited by structural and safety requirements. The recent environmental trend of recycling various objects has really led us out of the cardboard box with imaginative, witty, and cheap designs.

See the slideshow here: Out of the (Cardboard) Box: Using the Recyclable Material in Design - OpenBuildings - Life - The Atlantic

High-Res

In the last couple of decades cardboard has been rediscovered as an architectural material because it is light yet load-resistant, recyclable, nature-friendly, and warm — just like wood, from which it is derived.

Treatment with different chemical solutions and production techniques allows for higher fire and moisture resistance, greater strength, and flexibility. Some of the buildings shown [in the slideshow linked to below], made entirely or partly of cardboard, boost a life-expectancy of approximately 20 years.

However, cardboard’s real popularity can be observed in interior design, where creativity is mostly unlimited by structural and safety requirements. The recent environmental trend of recycling various objects has really led us out of the cardboard box with imaginative, witty, and cheap designs.

See the slideshow here: Out of the (Cardboard) Box: Using the Recyclable Material in Design - OpenBuildings - Life - The Atlantic