Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges that face designers today. Rising consumption and material use in the Western consumer class compromises the ability of those outside of the consumer class to meet their basic needs. The effects of global warming and environmental pollution are felt worldwide and designers face an enormous challenge in attempting to resolve some of these issues. That said, numerous innovations have evolved from attempts by designers to meet these challenges. There are many approaches that can be taken from repurposing materials to using innovative, energy efficient and biodegradable materials. Recent innovations have seen the development of LED light bulbs for domestic interiors inspired by the successes of compact fluorescent bulbs in recent years as more energy efficient lighting sources.

These innovations have resulted from our need for energy efficient lighting. Lighting however, is more than a means to enable us to function in darkness. Light has the ability to create volume and form, and it can generate an atmosphere or condition that can manipulate mood or trigger emotion. The designed light object can be a fundamental element within an architectural setting, an interior context or a commercial application. With intent and relevance a strong lighting design can subtly or assertively dictate the essence of a space.

In collaboration with Solita Work and Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) first year Object Design students, Reworks will be hosting a recycled lighting show. The ACAD students will be contributing to the sustainability debate with a selection of lampshades created from upcycled materials. Solita Work is the owner of Reworks. In March, students visited the innovative and original shop full of upcycled products to gain inspiration. Currently the students are designing and creating recycled lighting that Solita and ACAD instructor Kerry Harmer will curate on April 16th and 17th. A selection of lighting designed in this class will be on exhibit in her shop. The opening date of this exhibition is April 18 from 6 pm to 8 pm. If you can’t attend the opening, the lighting will remain on display at the shop until May 9th, 2014.

When customers visit the shop they quite often ask what upcycling is and how it differs from recycling. With the launch of the new website I thought now would be a good time to provide an explanation.

Recycling is turning waste into a reusable product. Although recycling is a good step forward to diverting waste from our landfills, it quite often entails creating a product of lesser value. Paper is good example of this. Virgin crisp white paper made from trees cannot be recycled into the same crisp white paper again because is has been soiled with printing. The paper will likely be recycled into a less valuable form of such as newsprint.

Another example of this is recycled plastic. Plastic tends to downgrade each time it is recycled and thus creates products of increasing less quality.

Upcycling, on the other hand, gives increased value to the product created. Upcycled products could also be considered repurposed products. A good example of upcycling is our line of seatbelt bags. The seat belts are sourced from broken down cars at the auto wreckers. The seat belts themselves are useless in the cars and are only worth a small amount of money when removed. However, transform those seat belts into handbags and other accessories adds lasting value to the material. The bags will last through years of use. Another good example of upcycling includes our locally made rail spike coat racks. The spikes have no value littering the rail lines throughout Canada. But collecting those spikes and turning them into coat hooks adds great value as a useful and unique piece wall decor.

Reworks Upcycle Shop offers many recycled products but the majority of the items in the shop are upcycled products. In fact, most of the products have been upcycled within Canada and the USA diverting thousands of pounds of materials destined for our landfills. At Reworks you will be shopping for sustainability and with just over half of our items made in Canada you’ll be spending your dollars locally too.

According to the newest eco store in town, Reworks Upcycle Shop, upcycling is the “process of converting waste materials or useless products into new material or products of better quality of a higher environmental value.”

In short, it’s making new products out of old ones, without using the massive amounts of energy that is often required to process products for recycling.

Reworks Upcycle Shop’s owner, Solita Work, has tracked down upcycled furniture, lighting systems, jewelery and accessories from top notch artisans and small-scale manufacturers to provide Calgarians with products that are friendly to the environment and totally unique.

Quantities of all products are limited, so there are new things all the time, but here are a few upcycled products that Reworks has at their store right now:

These transit chairs by well-known American artist Boris Bally transform recycled street signs into one-of-a-kind, handmade seating. The stainless steel hardware is rust proof, and recycled champagne corks are inserted on the bottom of the legs to protect floors.