Fav Eco-Remix Stores
By: DIY City
tags: diy, eco, nyc, remix, surplus, sustainability, thrift, vintage
Category: Map it Out
Eco Remix
While there are hundreds of stores in NYC where one can buy new materials for use in Do-it-Yourself (DIY) projects, there are also other more eco-friendly choices. Many designers in the DIY movement have come to value upcycling. Upcycling, as defined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, is the practice of reclaiming used items or industrial waste and making something of value from them. Many items that may seem to be of no more use can be used to create art, fashion, and household goods.
In the pages that follow you will see only a small handful of thrift stores, vintage stores, and surplus stores where New Yorkers can find eco-friendly resources. Visit our DIY City community at diycityguides.ning.com to find more examples and provide suggested resources that you love.
New York, like communities the world over, have ways for reselling used items - such as through stoop sales or selling items online. Others gift used items to friends and family, or simply by leaving them out for recycling night. Many cities around the world have created recycling nights in which residents place discarded items by the side of the street for trash pickup. Many of the DIYs that we spoke with say that finding items on recycling night is one of their favorite ways of finding eco-friendly materials.
If you are interested in trying out a simple DIY project using found objects, check out Tiffany Threadgould from RePlayGround - she shows us how to make a tote from a discarded umbrella. Also, visit our Eco-Remix section to see more artists who use eco-friendly practices.
This past year, Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade goods, sponsored an Upcycling contest with over a thousand entries. You can read more about the winners on the online magazine, The Storque.
