“Reduce Reuse and Recycle”- has been a familiar slogan in schools and among EcoWorriors for about a decade now, but the new buzz word seems to be- “Upcycle”. Type in Upcycle on Pinterest and you’ll see some beautiful, colorful and innovative uses of everyday discarded items. These easy-to-do quirky items are a great way to revamp your personal style, add bling to your accessories or compliment your cozy home corner while saving the environment.
Upcycle is a supplement in the process of reuse and recycle, where you can convert waste into something useful but tweaking it a little; in the process, reducing your own carbon foot print by increasing the life span of an item and keeping it from being kicked out of the system after a one time use. Upcycling things are a great creative outlet, turn trash to treasure, makes for the best personalized gifts and can sometimes be an amazing lesson in entrepreneurship!
Over the mini vacation we had during the Buddhist festival, a group of E-base enthusiasts came together and dedicated their time to find tin cans from all different wings from the campus and turn them into Candle Lanterns. They made 52 of them in just three days, painted them and stepped up to the challenged of selling them. The idea of the project was to visit all aspects of entrepreneurship- from devising an optimum method to make clean sharp holes in the cans without denting them to the arduous task of taking permission from the management for sell them to pricing them right to ensure profits to coping with losses and business stress.
The estimated profits were Rs. 11000. By the end of the three-day dead line they made Rs. 450 rupees by selling 4 and made a loss of 50 rupees since the paints cost Rs. 500 rupees. They analyzed why and where they went wrong, rethought their strategy, their pricing, their selling location, their buyers etc. The most valuable lesson learnt was that life and business is not always all hunky dory and one needs to pull oneself out of your lows and have plan B’s. The kids are now considering gifting the Tin Lanterns to the teachers on staff day.
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