ReBuilding Center team member Kelly Stevens road-tripped to Eugene on June 13 to attend the Association of Oregon Recyclers' annual conference. In addition to connecting with others in the "Three Rs" realm, Kelly attended an inspiring session on reuse in action to support community creativity and entrepreneurship--including speaker Mitra Chester, the In-House Fashion Designer from St. Vincent de Paul in Eugene. A Reuse Fashion Show put on by St. Vinnie's? Who knew reuse could be so chic?
Another highlight was an interactive group field trip to BRING, a Eugene recycling and reuse institution since the 1970s. They have gotten pretty darn creative with some of their salvaged materials--including re-purposing street sweeper brushes to be used by farms with cows who need scratching posts, and using bed springs for fencing! From rhinos to toilet-cover art to a bike section to their Chapel of Second Chances (where a few weddings have taken place), the field trip was full of inspiration. See a few of the photos below:
