The Upxchange is a pilot program running in St.Louis for products that have been created through reusing and repurposing materials. The idea is that customers can receive incentives, such as discounts on products or other perks, when they collect and donate materials that crafters use to create handmade merchandise.
Project co-ordinator AutumnWiggins says,
“A lot of perfectly useful raw materials get thrown in the trash every day. Reclaiming items after they have fulfilled their usefulness has never been a factor in design until now. The idea is for our customers put new intentions on belongings, and we can give them motivation to do so. The cradle to cradle philosophy suggests that all man-made materials should be circulated through one of two closed systems in a world without waste. It involves rethinking the way things are assembled, so they may be disassembled … ”
She also talks about plans to open source the project so other communities can model after the Upxchange’s success
By encouraging cradle to cradle production methods from all makers, Upxchange is not only helping produce better products, but also facilitating the demand for such things by providing incentives and building a massive network around the makers to help them source materials.
PS – On Saturday some of Green Thing’s team headed to a Christmas Crafternoon, where everyone that attends brings along unwanted or waste materials to share and make things together in the pub. See what I made:
The Crafternoon Tea Club runs every few months.
Katherine Hui is currently the Social site editor at Green Thing, a web-based public service in London that inspires people to lead greener lives through creative content.
Before this, she worked as the Development Manager at Social Innovation Camp, an organization that encourages people to use web and mobile-based technology to mobilise social change. She oversaw 300 ideas submission and helped build 20 prototypes – five of which have gone on to get further funding or investment.
Katherine’s came over to the UK form Canada in 2007 for an MSc program at the London School of Economics. Before arriving in London, she managed a small environmental start-up in Vancouver called the Canadian Climate Change Alliance.
Katherine is football mad. She is a loyal supporter of Arsenal FC, plays for Islington Borough Ladies FC and coaches for Gunners in Islington in her spare time. Her second favourite hobby is kite surfing and she can sometimes be found chasing the wind.
