Die einfachste Form Fahrradschläuche zu upcyceln: einen Gürtel daraus zu machen. Die Bilder sagen mehr als Worte:
Gürtel aus Fahrradschläuchen
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Zauberhafte Momente ganz einfach
Große Seifenblasen sind ganz einfach herzustellen. Ein bisschen Übung braucht es beim Auseinanderziehen des Fadens und beim Mischen der Lösung. So gehts: Zwei Holzstäbe, daran ein Baumwollband an jedem Stabende, viel Spülmittel und ein wenig Wasser in einer Schüssel. Toll für Kindergeburtstag, Festivals oder jedes andere Event.
Vom Buch zum Organiser
Bücher sind großartig, doch nicht alle müssen gelesen werden. Die inhaltlich häßlichen können als schöne Notizhalter wirken. Das Bild zeigt es leider nicht gut, es sieht aber ziemlich originell aus. Aus Büchern kann man auch Wandkunst mit verschiedenen Falttechniken zaubern. Oder eben so einen Organiser. In der einfachsten Variante wird jede Seite in der Mitte gerade gefaltet. Das Buch wird zu einem dicken Fächer in den sich allerlei Notizen stecken lassen.
Auf Fahrradschleuchen sitzend
Auf dem Weg von der Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg nach Hause, fand ich diesen Bambus-Hocker. Ein Loch in seiner Mitte, heimatlos am Straßenrand. Schnell noch in den lokalen Fahrradladen, die Tagesration kaputter Fahrradschleuche mitnehmen, und schon war ein neuer Bezug erdacht. Vom löchrigen Bast befreit, ließ sich der zerschnitten Schlauch leicht um den Bambus wickeln, unten zuknoten und in mehreren Streifen weben – fertig der neue Sitzhocker. Ob man damit wohl sportlich hockern kann? 
Untertopf als Seifenhalter
Meine Mitbewohnerin ist die wahre Upcycling Queen. Ich liebe besonders die Dinge, die einfach umzusetzen sind, aus Materialien die uns ständig umgeben, um dann in etwas praktisches und ungewöhnliches umgewandelt zu werden. Untertöpfe gibt es in unserem grünen Haus immer mal, von gekauften Kräuter, Blumen für den Balkon oder Pflanzen für den Garten. Besonders die kleinen benutzt man selten wieder. Manchmal verschenken wir Ableger darin. Eine außergewöhnlichere Idee: Einfach das untere fünftel gerade abschneiden – und ein Seifenhalter ist geboren. Love it!
From milk carton to book cover
Trying to reduce as much packaging as possible there is still some around. Milk cartons from soy or oat milk for example – when there was no time to make it myself. Instead of throwing them away they are cut at the bottom and rinsed out. Sometimes they get a second life as a storage container for soup that goes in the freezer. In spring they are turned into tubs to grow seedlings for the garden. They also work as a book cover for note books or calendars. The silver inside of the carton is a great contrast to the outside print. With an older tough sewing machine there was no trouble getting through two layers of carton. With one of the newer “plastic” ones I would not recommend this. Instead maybe try hot glue, a staple gun or a hole puncher plus a thick string. For decoration and further attachment options I wrapped a bicycle tyre around the front cover. Inside the book cover is a school calendar. An elastic around the back of the cover allows for the attachment of an additional note book. Here is the story in pictures:
Front with pen holder and tyre deco
Last page. I did a bad sewing job at the top…getting used to the material.
First page inside. The colorful note book on the right is attached via a blue elastic that you can see in the next picture.
Last page with the calender and a drawing booklet inside.
From milk carton…
..to book cover.
Pass it on
Not giving and taking,
tit for tat,
Returning favors,
danke-bitte.
No,
it goes further.
To somebody else,
maybe unknown
maybe not,
not back
but forward.
So it surprises,
is not weigthed.
So it is selfless,
not counting.
So that somebody else’s happiness
Enriches you.
Makes your smile.
Breaks through routines.
All lit by your own
True happiness.
Postcard from Burning Man 2011
Nature is abundance
Gardening is one of the best hobbies. Even with a not so green finger there are enough plants that just love to grow no matter what. One seed into the earth, some care-taking and whoooop hundreds of seeds or leaves or fruits or flowers. Some snapshots of the last season.
Salad from beet root and zucchini with borretsch and nasturtium (Kapuzinerkresse) flowers
Fire beans
Porridge with red currant and blackberry – great jams too.
Sunflower seeds – pure or roasted
Apples and pears in all shapes and tastes.
Blackberries and red currants. Fire beans and tasty wild tomatoes (green & yellow)
white, black and red currant. red and green gooseberry.
herb pesto and nasturtium.
the tastiest radish ever
flowers as gifts, for teas, for bees or just for the eye and nose
From cigarette butts to park benches
The upcycling field is professionalizing. I previously wrote about art galleries and fashion stores in Berlin. Another interesting concept is brought forward by TerraCycle. One of their projects is turning cigarette butts into plastic products like park benches. Smokers, clubs or restaurants can collect and mail their cigarette waste to a collection point. There it is sorted and components like plastics are extracted. The project is funded by tobacco companies (it is assumingly useful for their sustainability report).
TerraCycle is mainly recycling waste that is conventionally not easy to recycle. People can send them their Colgate toothbrush, Nespresso capsules, drink pouches, diapers or electronic waste (ipods, laptops, phones). Each is collected under a different project (“Brigade”) and funded by different companies. The reward for each item send in is either a donation to a non-profit organisation or – for larger scale shipments above e.g. 100 pieces – TerraCycle points can be collected and redeemed for charitable gifts or product bundles.
Shipments are usually free and there are collection points in 9 countries such as US, Australia, Canada and Germany. More info can be found on their website: www.terracycle.eu/#/world
Flower pots from plastic waste
Waste, no its not to waste. It can be resourceful – Just a matter of perspective.
Upcycling means to give higher value to something that has lost its purpose or meaning. It means re-using things and adding value through creativity. Instead of throwing the bags that contained my coffee beans I look for their other possible functions.
One of the things with the shortest lifespan are plastic wrappings and bags. During one of my last workshops I made various flower pots from plastic bags, drink cartons, floppy disks and washing liquid plastic bottle. For the outer layer I used a good looking bag or box, for the inner pot I used a bag or box that I filled with soil and plants. Two drainage holes are cut into the bottom. For convenience the inner pot stands on the cut off bottom of a plastic bottle like in the picture below. 
The workshop table during pot production.
A beautiful plastic bag that once held rice is covering a milk carton with two drainage holes, filled with soil and plants.
And here is how to make germination pots from milk cartons. 
Even better is this vertical garden using milk cartons. When using the same package it looks pretty good! Now you just need to look after the plants 
