Skip to main content

A Book Review: I can help Recycle Rubbish

I picked up Viv Smith's book, 'I can help recycle rubbish' and felt secretly pleased with myself. I like to recycle a lot of materials to create birthday cards, wrapping paper and make little gifts out of them. I also like to use these materials for my five year old son's school projects


Here's an interesting paragraph from the book:


"The paper you write on was once a tree that stood in a forest. Trees are cut down, taken to a paper mill. The wood is cut up and turned to pulp to make paper. We need to use the earth's resources sensibly so that there is enough left for the people who come after us."


Meaning of Recycling


"To recycle to make something new out of something that has been used before."


What can be Recycled?


Here are somethings I like to recycle:


  • Price tags of clothes are used as bookmarks.
  • Glossy supplements, glossy ads and leaflets are saved either to make b'day cards or to create something that is theme-based for Adi's school projects.
  • Materials like buttons, lace, etc are saved and kept in a box to add 'finishing' touches to b'day cards and other projects.
  • Little jewelry boxes, fancy sachets, all kinds of storable boxes can be used for different things. If you have three round shaped boxes, you can make a snowman out of it.
  • Same with old keychains.


Interestingly, I had read in Vanita magazine a story about a woman who recycles  any kind of cloth material. That really motivated me.  She talked about not wasting even a scrap of material. She would make rugs, hair  bands, bags with collage kind of work and beautiful shawls, sheets and scarves out of any material that lay wasted. She made curtains out of lovely, fading silk sarees and even made kitchen dishcloths out of old cloth scraps. Maybe we should all start doing such creative things to nurture the  'saving' mentality.


Now, would you like to recycle somethings so that it is not wasted?  


Think about it. Please.

Comments

Shilpa Garg said…
Wow!! Wonderful ideas for recycling!!
Price Tags as Book marks is cool, considering some of the brands use such large, sturdy tags with beautiful ribbons too! :P
And yes, a lot is needed for school projects too!!
Harish P I said…
Great ways to keep the world green. Thanks for sharing
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
Hey Shilpa, Glad to hear you found these tips useful!

Thanks Harish! Hope it helps!
Anonymous said…
Hi Swapna,

I write to you on behalf of The Viewspaper regarding a major virtual conference on Twitter, i.e. Tweet-a-thon. We would like to invite you for the event as a panelist. If interested, please contact us at garvitak@theviewspaper.net

Regards,
Garvita
Padhu Sankar said…
Nice ideas! Very useful post

Most LOVED Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences.  [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste.  You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this  new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being bor...

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v...

Power of Hanuman's Work

As you start work - here's a question for you - are you disciplined about how you work and what you do every day? From dawn to dusk, we work - all of us are engaged in some task or another. Many tend to work almost on autopilot. Happens, doesn't it? Sometimes, we engage in activities that may not be of use to us and results in waste of time. Distractions trouble us - it could be a colleague talking loudly in the phone, and we may do the same too, without realising we are distracting others at work.                                        ( Source: Radio Sai.org) Often, we are not conscious of how this impacts the quality of our work and time, not to mention our energy and attitude to work. The way we work reflects in the minds of our children. They watch us and we barely realise what they imbibe. Now life wasn't easy for our elders - in fact, they had none of the comforts that we do today...

Best time to light diya

Want to know when is the best time to light diya or deepam at home? In most Hindu homes, 'deepam' or 'diya' is lit at least twice - once in the morning and then in the evening. For both times, brass is considered to be auspicious for lighting deepam or lamp at home. Clay diyas are also considered auspicious for lighting at home. When lighting diyas on Fridays, it is better to use ghee than oil, if possible. [READ: What Does Deepam Represent , Why Malayalis Light Nilavilakku ] When Should I Start Lighting Diyas? The symbolic shift begins from darkess to light. Therefore, in the evenings, light diya before sunset to usher in divine blessings into your home. Can we light diyas at 4pm? Typically, we don't see sunset at 4 pm. If sunset is at 4 pm, you can light diya. When to light a lamp in the puja room? Every morning at sunrise and every evening before or at sunset. Whatever you do, offer it with sincerity and love in your heart. Our Devatas are watching, they know wh...

Food in Hinduism: The Significance of Offering Food to God

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. – Lord Krishna (Bhagawad Gita) Food brings a sense of warmth, hospitality and loving awareness when it is prepared. In most Indian homes, we place considerable importance to the preparation of food and how it is served.  For the same reason, in most Indian homes, food is served with care and love to a guest. I have found it interesting that food can bridge differences, bring people together rather than divide them. If you have missed my post on 'Three Types of Purity While Preparing Food,' you can read it here.                                                       [Image: Pexels.com] Food in Hinduism: Importance of Naivedyam In Hinduism, food is considered to be an aspect of Brahman (the Absolute and Almighty one). The rationale for this in Hi...