Eco

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker used
under creative commons license

I've got this sprout of an idea. Actually, it's becoming a Frankenstein, weed/tree sort of thing (but in a good way) as I graft on ideas while I scavenge the 'net and other people's minds. The seed for the idea started as a vision of a maker/artist supply store and it's been morphing from there.

The idea really took root when I stumbled on The Scrap Exchange, a "nonprofit creative reuse center located in Durham, North Carolina". This is much, much more than retail store for reclaimed industrial discards. They have a gallery for displaying local artists' work and they host community events and workshops. They even do birthday parties and corporate team building, all with a focus on making stuff while diverting waste from the landfill. They accept and actively collect donations of "lean, safe, reusable industrial discards as well as new, finished products that are no longer needed by businesses" to sell in the store. Their artists' marketplace seems like a great showcase and "features products from local artists who are using reclaimed materials in their work."

I'm sure we could make something like this work here in the Region of Waterloo, especially with the movers and shakers over at Kwartzlab gaining steam (and there's DIYode and thinkhaus too) and encouraging the build-it-yourself creative maker attitude. I'm guessing there are piles of would-be-debris that local industries would otherwise send to the landfill… why can't we divert that and put it in the hands of artists, makers, educators and families? I think a store like this would do well and be a great support for our vibrant and growing community of local artists.

I'd like to see something along the lines of The Scrap Exchange, with a possible tech twist. Maybe sell Arduinos ("an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software") and bulk LEDs at cost to encourage projects with a geeky leaning?

So, what do you say? Would you shop at a place like this for your project supplies? Would you hold a eco-conscious maker birthday party for your kids here? Do you or your company have any materials that you would consider donating to the cause? What would make a store like this a great place to shop? Do you want to help out? Have more ideas?

Leave a comment, point your friends here, give it a tweet or a blog post of your own, and help get the discussion going :)

Here's a quick and somewhat silly make. It's the middle of June and my 2 1/2 year old thought that his sippycup of milk was too cold to hold. His older brothers are always wearing out their socks. So I went through the (clean) laundry basket and found a sock that had the heel and toes worn through. I cut it off at the heel and slipped it over the bottom of the cup, pulled up just enough so it would still sit flat.

I took the pledge and was number 31594 on the list! This gift-giving season (or anytime) is a great time to give handmade items. Why?

It's good for people (i.e. your community), good for the environment and the quality is usually better. You can even buy on-line at a site like:

http://www.etsy.com/

So get out there... find a store that sells works from local artisans and support it with your purchasing dollars. Buy something from a church bazaar, can you ever have too many doilies? Ask at your local yarn store for someone that can knit custom sweaters or socks (like these awesome Drupal ones). Better yet, investigate your local arts scene to find items you never knew existed. One-of-a-kind makes a great gift.

Check out the http://www.buyhandmade.org website for a growing list of people that have pledged to buy handmade items!

Updates:
2008/12/04: I stumbled on a link for a store that looks cool. Check out RareFunk at 8 Duke St. E in Kitchener. I've never been there, but with a name like that, how could it not be a great place!?

2008/12/10: The Waterloo Chronicle this week had a short article on the Stitch n Kitsch group. This looks interesting. Quite a few of the members sell their wares on-line at Etsy as well.

2008/12/11: If you're in Toronto, you could attend the "City of Craft" show on Dec 13, 2008. Looks like they'll have lots of interesting vendors.

The MAKE: Blog has an interesting post that points to a project for building a remote power switch controlled by a Linux system. A switch like this (available for server rooms but costing quite a bit) can be used to power things up only when necessary, thus saving money on your electricity bill from the power drain when a device is idle.

This seems like a nice little building block for home automation. You could have several of them to control lights, your entertainment systems or any other vampire device that draws power when idle.