I received a link from a friend recently about Rachel Botsman and the ‘rise of collaborative consumption’ called “What’s mine is Yours”. She has collaborated to write a book about recycling and reusing on a truly global level. This is a theme that has been on the rise, and gaining speed. Pass the link on, it is really inspirational. Retailers won’t like it because it will reduce sales. But this is about waste and re use, not creating more waste and consumerism.

Rachel is a compelling speaker, and her talk on TED.com is great. This is well worth the watch.

Ted.com  is about ‘ideas worth spreading’ and a site worthy of frequent visits for tangible content, not fluff and gossip.

Enjoy!

Villa Welpeloo in Enschede, the Netherlands, was designed by

Architects Jan Jongert and Jeroen Bergsma. It doesn’t look like a recycled building. The architects reversed the typical order of the design process (first home, then materials) and began scouting the local area for items to recycle. “Reused materials account for 60% of the structure” says Jongert. “And that goes up to as much as 90% when it comes to the interior.”

They created a ‘Harvest Map’ for an inventory of possible materials to use within a 9 mile radius. They even used Google Earth seeking abandoned buildings for telltale signs of defunct industry and possible scrap materials.

Follow link here: