The standard phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” should not be the only words when thinking of sustainability — another way to “go green” is to upcycle, which is turning waste material or unwanted products into something useful without chemically altering it.
The University of Idaho Sustainability Center partnered with the Anthropology Graduate Student Committee to create a “Waste not, Want not” event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday in the Idaho Commons Clearwater-Whitewater Room.
Event attendees are eligible to win upcycled products in a raffle, create their own upcycled products and learn about the cultural influence of upcycling throughout history and in contemporary society.
Kali Oliver and Hannah Russell are both anthropology graduate students and part of the AGSC.
Together, they created two media presentations that will casually play throughout the “Waste Not, Want Not” event, while students participate in their own upcycling to make T-shirts into bags, magazines into trash cans and wine corks into coasters.
“Upcycling is really about finding a new use for something, or taking multiple materials and creating something new,” Oliver said. “During the two media presentations, students can learn about the culture and history of upcycling, as well as see pictures of contemporary upcycling in our own Moscow community.”
Oliver said although the two words sound similar, upcycling is different from recycling because it does not chemically alter the material, which is part of the recycling process. Instead she said the product is one altered physically to make something better — finding a new purpose for old materials.
“As consumers who are environmentally conscious, we need to understand and be aware that there is more we can do with our materials than chemically alter them through recycling, and we should try and put forth the effort to reuse those products in some other way,” Oliver said.
Keaghan Caldwell, event coordinator at the Sustainability Center, said through this event he wanted to make students aware of how simple upcycling is despite their busy lifestyles.
“Upcycling is important and can be useful for everyone. Anyone can take something they do not want anymore and make it into something better — really anything has the potential to be upcycled,” Caldwell said. “This is the point of our lives we can make the change for the better to live a sustainable life and make a difference in the world we live in.”
Upcycling is not only an act of sustainability, but also a reflection of the past. Oliver said through historical materials, which are retained through upcycling, we can interpret how a culture progressed, of how culture influenced it.
“Looking at upcycling from an anthropology/archeologist perspective, it is really important for us to be aware of how people are repurposing things in their environment, especially through history during eras like the great depression or wars,” Oliver said. “Basically, it is using a more holistic approach through interpreting the past through cultural materials.”
Upcycling is a process of collaboration between the environment, the culture and the consumer to do what they can to make a difference, Oliver said.
Michelle Gregg can be reached at [email protected]