When we first started, the only thing that got picked up at your curb was garbage. To take care of anything else required a great deal of personal involvement. So to meet our goal, we started by learning what recycling facilities were available to us and what items they would take. In those days, all of the different colors of glass; the metal; and the newspaper had to be sorted. It was a time when a lot of items had no recycling stream, but we started by doing what we could. As we moved forward over time, it got easier. More recycling facilities became available, rather than being at the back of the local dump, and the items that could be recycled increased. Somewhere along the line, "single stream" recycling happened, with all of the items mixed together and picked up at the curb, just like the garbage used to be. This is where we are today, and although we have a recycling container the same size as our garbage container, on a typical pick up day the recycling bin is full to overflowing and there is a small bag of garbage in the other.
So, we have come a long way in our recycling efforts - OK, so what. The leap that I have taken in the last month is in my woodworking. For several years now, there have been articles out about reusing wood. The sources are as varied as you could possibly imagine. Everything from construction waste to pallets that woodworkers and crafters re-purpose. Honestly, I used to think that I was above that. Now I will tell you that I was just being silly.
Last fall, I started a project at home recreating and cleaning up an outdoor space. The first step was to remove some old cedar fencing. I had contacted Habitat for Humanity to see if they would take the wood and they said yes, so I thought I had a plan. However, when I removed the boards, I discovered that they were 7/8" thick and in really good shape. So, at that point, I took everything to the Toybox and put it in the lumber rack.Sometime later, as I was thinking about what I would like to do for Sara for Christmas, I decided that she might like a couple of nice chairs for that same outdoor space at the house. After looking around a bit, I found a great pattern for Adirondack chairs in Wood magazine. At that point, the old fencing came into play, since Cedar is the perfect species for this type of outdoor furniture. I surfaced the lumber to 3/4", removing all of the weather, mold, and bird crap and uncovered boards with a lovely patina from years of aging. I have now completed the project and I must say, they turned out very nice, and the highest compliment was when I told Sara what I had made the chairs out of. She had no idea that it was the same lumber. It was the nicest thing she could have said. I did not want them to look as though they had been "reused". I also created some picture frames for posters to hang at the Toybox from the cedar, and I will tell you, they look great too.
I have probably not reached a point where I will move exclusively to recycled lumber for projects, but I will tell you with certainty, I will always consider the possibility with projects in the future. I guess that it is just one more way that we can recycle and make sure that we are sending less to the landfills.
OK, on another topic, I have to tell you how excited I am about some upcoming wood learning. In May, through Wood magazine, there is an event called Weekend with Wood. It is all about learning new techniques and networking with others in the industry and it happens in Des Moines. I have signed up and registered for my classes, and now that I have done that, I encourage the rest of you to take a look. If you are interested you should come "hang out" for the weekend and see what you can learn. I hope that I might see some of you there.
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