Toronto is one of my favorite North American...

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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.

9:41 am - Fri, May 18, 2012: 116 notes

Toronto is one of my favorite North American cities. Even though I haven’t lived in Toronto in more than 15 years, I’ve made several return visits, for business and pleasure, and enjoy keeping tabs on what’s happening there.

Over the past several years, I’ve noticed a handful of examples of creative reuse around town, particularly in restaurants and bars on the west side.

One such restaurant, Parts and Labour, designed by Castor, features lamps made from fire extinguishers (pictured above) and burned-out fluorescent tubes (shown below); bar stool bases are former truck springs. (photos by Lorne Bridgman, via zagat)

North of Parts and Labour, at a more recently opened place called Kitch, the bar’s constructed from wood reclaimed from a 70-year-old bowling alley. Salvaged stereo speakers are also part of the decor. (photo via Toronto Life magazine)

My brief roundup also includes Bar Neon (pictured below), where original ceilings were exposed after sections of drywall were removed during renovation. There, drinks will be served from an old shipping container (still under construction, from what I gather), and bathroom floors are inlaid with pennies. (photos by Gizelle Lau, via Toronto Life magazine)