Designers Rikkert Paauw and Jet van Zwieten, from...

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

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We welcome your tips, suggestions, and feedback. Contact: unconsumption@gmail.com

[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.

8:40 am - Thu, Jun 21, 2012: 84 notes

Designers Rikkert Paauw and Jet van Zwieten, from the Netherlands, wanted to do something exciting and quirky with abandoned material found around the neighborhood. They created the FOUNDation project where collected garbage is used to build a pop-up store, such as a cafe or bar.
Furthermore, the foundation for these compact stores is actually a trash container … . The small shops provide a casual meeting spot for the community, where locals can also donate unwanted building items.
Three of these ‘dumpsterhouses’ were built for a small festival in Utrecht, and were exhibited for a week during the event.

Interesting pictures here: Dumpsters Transformed Into Cafes Made From Recycled Materials [Pics] - PSFK

High-Res

Designers Rikkert Paauw and Jet van Zwieten, from the Netherlands, wanted to do something exciting and quirky with abandoned material found around the neighborhood. They created the FOUNDation project where collected garbage is used to build a pop-up store, such as a cafe or bar.

Furthermore, the foundation for these compact stores is actually a trash container … . The small shops provide a casual meeting spot for the community, where locals can also donate unwanted building items.

Three of these ‘dumpsterhouses’ were built for a small festival in Utrecht, and were exhibited for a week during the event.

Interesting pictures here: Dumpsters Transformed Into Cafes Made From Recycled Materials [Pics] - PSFK