As we become more aware of the opportunities to make greener choices, it is important to remember that the first step towards sustainability is not just consuming green products, but reducing our consumption altogether.

The 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - only go so far in creating sustainable thinking. Anticipating what this catch phrase actually means is a preliminary step in working daily towards sustainability. What we might consider is thinking about our usage in general, while creating strategies to accomplish the 3 Rs. Waste management experts refer to this as Re-Think.

An article at Inhabitat called our attention to the Dutch studio Volksware Meterware Shop that breathes new life into rejected goods, emphasizing the degree to which consumption of brands and products by consumers creates opportunities to recreate. Two of their many projects illustrate the point in a fascinating way.

Discarded tables are assembled to form a seemingly infinitely long table. When a customer requests a “new” table, a piece is cut to individual specs, and each section takes on a new image as an original table.

In another example of Volksware’s re-thinking, the effects of the oversupply and mass production of fashion and clothing products is brought into question, at the same time offering a new use for existing goods in a by-the-meter carpet (see image above).

Artists working with this thinking, show us that creating something new does not always mean creating a bigger footprint. By reusing source material, they actually reduce the need for new production, and recycle ideas to create new materials and products.

In essence, re-thinking green.

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