Do you love recycling? So does Peter Blake!
This limited edition I Love Recycling tin plate art print by Sir Peter Blake allows you to indulge your love of modern art and illustrate your eco-credentials in one go. A true collectors’ item at an affordable price, I Love Recycling by Sir Peter Blake is a public declaration by this popular artist, featuring his iconic heart, target, star and rainbow motifs. Sir Peter Blake’s I Love Recycling is printed using a vibrant colour lithographic process onto 56% recycled tinplate. So it isn’t just stating a green intent, it is sticking to it in its production methods! The print is one of only 5,000 produced and is a real investment – and a great celebration of green culture. Sir Peter Blake is often referred to as ‘The Godfather of British Pop Art’ and his work bears clear connections to other greats in that field, while having his own unique style. Influenced by his own Babe Rainbow, which was produced in 1967 and sold in limited numbers (and is now worth up to 800 times its original £1 price!), Peter Blake’s I Love Recycling references the past but looks to the future. And, unbelievably, this limited edition piece actually retails for less than £50, making it a fantastic bargain. So why not wear your heart on your wall, and treat yourself to this beautiful Peter Blake I Love Recycling artwork.
From car tyres to flip flops – reusing rubber to make stylish shoes
Discarded tyres are an eco-menace, taking hundreds of years to decompose, but around the world some manufacturers are recycling these old tyres into fashion statements, by turning them into stylish flip flops. With Brazil often considered the home of the flip flop, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of these companies is based in Rio de Janeiro. With an estimated 20 million tyres a year discarded in Brazil, footwear company Amazon is finding innovative ways to reuse old tyres. It collects, chips and reforms tyres into eco-friendly and fashionable sandals and flip flops, making these some of the greenest shoes around. Combining recycling and fair trade, Rebearth eco-friendly fair trade sandals are made by a collective of workers in Nairobi, Kenya. These workers take old tyres and cut and mould them by hand, combining with locally grown organic cotton and unworn recycled leather to create simple, stylish shoes that are easy on your feet and your conscience.
Of course, it’s not just rubber and leather that can be recycled in this way, and large manufacturers are also getting in on the idea. Take Levi, who now produce affordable, stylish and eco-friendly trainers made from old pairs of Levi jeans. As each pair of shoes differs slightly according to the source material, they are totally unique, so they’re good for the planet and good for your image!
Recycling car parts – from high fashion to life saving products
Handbags made out of licence plates may sound crazy, but company LittleEarth is turning old car parts into eco-fashion. Even with the rise of greener motoring solutions such as the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius, motoring remains one of the least environmentally friendly – but generally most necessary – pastimes. But around the world people are making an eco-virtue of this necessity. LittleEarth was founded in 1993 to recycle old car parts to create beautiful and fashionable bags. They use old American licence plates to create beautiful, stylish metal bags that retail at around £100-200, and are perfect for a night on the town. They come in a range of styles, with some making a design virtue of their origins, while others – such as the ‘More Shoes’, ‘Lace Wallpaper’ or ‘Cocktail Time’ bags – are designed to be more high fashion. Each one comes with a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, so you can be sure your gorgeous handbag really is made from recycled car parts. With party season fast approaching, they are the perfect winter accessory.
If all this sounds too frivolous, it’s good to hear that ethical design collective Design That Matters has been working on a way to use recycled car parts to build neo-natal incubators for developing countries, and has already delivered a prototype for further development. So from fashion to health, the by-products – and waste products – of the motor industry are being reused for eco-friendly purposes, and that’s something we can all get behind.
Wasting Opportunities to Recycle
The various initiatives aimed at encouraging more people to recycle waste materials often fall on deaf ears. Indeed, although the UK’s recycling habits have improved recently, the country as a whole remains some distance from meeting Government targets. Furthermore, a number of the UK’s European neighbours are recycling more than 50% of their waste according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Green Alliance, which published a paper towards the end of 2006 that placed Britain third from bottom on a list of the EU’s recycling nations. This reflects poorly on a country that is said to be capable of recycling up to 60% of all waste.
Thus, comparatively speaking, why is the UK only slowly warming to recycling trends? Why can The Netherlands recycle more than 65% of its waste but the UK is near the bottom of the heap? One leading theory suggests that UK or British consumers do not fully understand what can be recycled. Indeed, many plastic tubs, such as those containing butter, ice-cream and yoghurt, do not include the recycling symbol so many people assume they are unsuitable for recycling. However, the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has recently published findings that suggest most if not all plastic non-bottle containers can be recycled. This includes the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic food packaging, for which there are limited recycling facilities available. Nevertheless, this is due to change for consumers as WRAP is launching a £2 million capital grant competition to improve the recycling supply chain, which ought to provide better opportunities for Brits to recycle more. The growing market in kitchen recycling bins – aimed at helping consumers sort their waste more easily – shows that many people are keen to recycle and would doubtless do more if it was made easier for them to do so.
Environmental Awareness Starts at Home
Helping to reverse the damage caused to the Earth by human life is one of the most difficult challenges facing humanity. Indeed, modern living hinges upon key services and industries such as travel, motoring, transport, tourism and agriculture, all of which are intrinsically damaging to the planet. Cars, vans, lorries, motorbikes, trains and planes all leave a high carbon footprint, which refers to the emission of harmful carbon dioxide gases, into the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, agriculture is a key contributor to the so-called greenhouse gas effect, which describes damage to the planet’s protective o-zone layer caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, even grazing cows are increasing the damage inflicted upon the Earth.
But how can this be reversed?
Every aspect of modern life is potentially harmful to the planet, from flicking on a light switch (if the energy source used to produce electricity is acquired from the burning of fossil fuels) to throwing batteries into the
normal rubbish bin (heavy metal components can prove toxic to the surrounding environment if not disposed of correctly). So, the only viable way of ensuring that this planet has a future for sustaining human life is by teaching children how to lead greener, more eco-friendly lives.
This is why it is crucial that children of a young age are encouraged to consider the effects upon the environment. Recycling is a good starting point for children, who can learn how to distinguish between different types of recyclable materials and why it is important to re-use rather than discard. Ultimately, it is how people think that will change the world.
