Recycle, Reduce, Reuse—and Repurpose

You’ve heard it before—reduce, reuse and recycle—yet there are so many others. Sure, my other Rs probably could fit under the original three, but, hey, I like the idea of expanding the sustainability. Three words get old pretty fast.

It was just last weekend that our family was in a technological dilemma when our somewhat old and traditional television decided to die on us. It is heavier than newer flat screens and most certainly uses more energy, but we tend to use things until they pretty much keel over or the cost of repair outweighs the cost of buying something new.

Not wanting to give anything up, we had an old and even bigger Sony Trinitron downstairs that we got from my grandmother’s house. So up the stairs came the 180-pound behemoth. Even if it didn’t fit in our current entertainment center, that lovely piece of furniture would fit perfectly in our master bedroom. Just a little rearranging, some pulled muscles and there you go—new television, repurposed furniture and not one cent spent in the process.

Repurposing furniture and using it elsewhere in the house can be a great way to breathe new life into some old wood. Sometimes it can take something as simple as some baskets or a refinish, and you have a new piece of furniture for your home with very little cost (and environmentally friendly refinishing products are abundant and affordable).

When you refuse to buy something new for the sake of just getting the latest and greatest, you are actually doing something good for the planet as well. One popular option now is to reupholster furniture rather than buying brand new. When I spoke to Fred Curiel of Restoration Reupholstery in Laguna Hills, he told me that business was booming and that many high-end customers were forgoing new furniture and having their expensive furniture reupholstered.

“You are saving more money than when you buy new,” Curiel said.

Aliso Viejo has Home Creation Designs, which also provides reupholstery services.

You even have recycling options when you just can’t stand the sight of something any more. There are online groups that allow you to pass on items to others who may find them useful. The leather couches that my husband and I bought when we first moved in together were still in good shape, but we didn’t have the money to reupholster them, and we were simply trading them for family furniture we had inherited. That didn’t matter to the family that had just lost a home and needed something for an apartment; family members were grateful for the couches that we had grown weary of. Our trash was their newfound treasure.

Resources:

• restorationreupholstery.com/
• homecreationsdesign.net/index.html