Creative reuse really isn't anything new. The early settlers were masters of creative
reuse. With them it wasn't so much about care for the environment as it was about making things last and not having the
resources to buy new. If something broke you found a creative way to fix it because
stores and suppliers were few and far between.
These
days mass production has put pretty much everything we need at our fingertips. If it breaks it is just as easy to go
out and buy a newer and better one. But what happens to the old and broken stuff? It usually ends up in a landfill or
scattered as debris on our beaches or landscape.
Though
Americans make up just 5% of the world's population, we produce 30% of its trash.(See study on recycling facts.)
The world is a beautiful place and God has
entrusted us as its managers. We should each do our part to make sure it remains that way so that everyone can enjoy its resources.
Recycling still means that the item will most likely eventually end up in a landfill. Creative reuse on the other hand means
the item will be used. What many of us call junk can actually be reworked into something beautiful. In recent years glass
in particular has become one of Teena Stewart's favorite mediums to work with. She is doing her part to turn this trash
into treasure by making recycled glass jewelry, wine bottle ornaments, broken pottery and glass mirrors and wine bottle candles.
Here is a "for instance" of what becomes
of broken bottles when people have no regard for the environment. Teena gathered some of this glass from Glass Beach when she was living in California. (She even created an attractive border in her California house's bathroom.)
She has reused some of this glass it in some of her jewelry and art work. She also smooths and tumbles her own recycled glass.
More info on Beach Glass and where it is found. For additional info on glass waste and glass recycling facts visit http://www.gpi.org/recycling/glass-recycling-facts
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