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This spring, I took part in two recycling conferences. There was obviously a lot of talk there about recycling, but fortunately, there were plenty of people focused on reuse too. I had a lot of uplifting conversations with people making great strides with reuse solutions for our waste problem and I'm already in the works to collaborate with some of them. But even after these conferences in 2026, I'm still asking the same question that I've been asking for nearly two decades. Why is recycling so much more focused on than reuse? Is taking a glass bottle that was used once and sending it to a recycler to break it down and make the same exact bottle again really better than washing the bottle and using it again? Is that a better use of time, money, and resources? The answer has been obvious to me for years and it still is. NO! Recycling has a place. But it's not the place that we've been led to believe. Sure, as I'm going through an unearthed box of my old school papers, there isn't a good reuse solution for many of them, so recycling is a good option. And paper recycling has actually been done well. But I'm certainly saving a lot of it for scrap paper or to print on. Fun fact: I haven't bought a new ream of paper in over 18 years. Some of my old school papers that I've been sorting. One thing that I heard people talking about at the conferences was the "the future of recycling." There was discussion about new machinery, investments in technology for recycling plants, etc. But the future of recycling can't just keep moving forward in the name of "progress." We can't just turn our back to the past. It's imperative that we pause, look back, and reflect. We can't continue to perpetuate single use items because they "can" be recycled. The 50+ year trial run hasn't worked even remotely close to what it was set out to do. Just like we can't manufacture our way out of this waste mess, we can't recycle our way out of it either. The future of recycling is looking back to times when recycling didn't exist and seeing what worked for hundreds of years. The future of recycling is promoting recycling as the solution that comes after reusing existing things as much as possible. The future of recycling is simply realizing that recycling has a place, but it's not at the top. You can take a deeper dive into the recycling vs reuse battle in my series of Recycling is Overrated blog posts here.

Northeastern University in Boston, MA, where both Deek and I went to college. Wow. I can't believe that it's been 10 years since Deek and I launched the Reuse Box Truck Tiny House project! And after just rewatching that promo video, I'm so happy to say that all of our original ideas happened and a whole lot more. We... Built a home from 99.9% used materials Brought reuse education to 25 states Took part in over 100 events Hosted over 20,000 people in the house and gave them guided reuse tours Had nearly 1 million people watch our award winning documentary or the featured tour video Directly inspired 3 different house builds (and these are ones that we know of) With that being said, Deek and I have decided that 2026 is the last year of touring with the truck. The vehicle itself turned 20 this year and all of the drives have certainly taken a toll on it. But this definitely isn't the end of the road for the truck and its reuse education. The plan is to park the box truck in longterm locations and make it something that people visit, instead of vice versa. We'll be able to continue to do in-person tours and also virtual tours around the world. We'll of course still be doing speaking engagements, film screenings, and workshops, but just traveling differently. But for rest of 2026, we're actively booking as many events as possible. You can see our confirmed events here and there are many more penciled in. We have a lot of fall events coming with schools back in session. October is especially going to be very busy with National Reuse Day on October 20th and Sustainability Day is on the last Wednesday of the month (28th this year). And we plan to do events right through the end of the year in December. We do have great heat in the truck. So, do you want to get in on the last chance to attend or host an event with the truck? Students at Rye Country Day School in Rye, NY Our typical hosts are K-12 schools, colleges & universities, towns, environmental groups, businesses, and festivals. Maybe you or someone you know falls into one of those groups and would be interested in bringing out the truck. You can fill out the event form here and we'll start talking! Governor's Academy in Byfield, MA Also, here are some ideas that we've had over the years of places that we'd love to bring our unique form of sustainability education if you know anyone who could make it happen. Baseball game / sporting event Beach event Concerts / Music Festival Museums See you in the truck! Tiny House Festival in Pink Hill, NC

I found this when I was cleaning out the house where I grew up; a never opened, vintage accessory for model trains that my dad had in his collection. It is fascinating to me that a company decided to make a "life-like" version of earth and then wrap it in a box and sell it. We don't need to make and sell everything, just because we can. Because if we do, the real Earth won't be able to sustain us. I'm a broken record when I say this, but the more we make, the more non-renewable natural resources we take. So, with this niche example, how could have model train builders in the past or current-day builders get the same effect and have a fun, while also saving resources and money? By simply reusing.... wait for it... real earth. In most cases, the least negatively-impacting and the least expensive items are the items that are already here. And in this case, it would be the most life-like item too!

At the end of April, Derek Diedricksen and I capped off our busy Earth Month with an extended stay in New Canaan, Connecticut. We were there with The REUSE! Box Truck Tiny House and our Escape The Waste edutainment programs for 5 days with 4 events at 3 different locations: New Canaan Library, The Carriage Barn Arts Center and New Canaan Country School. Being there for numerous days, we had the time to explore the town, support a bunch of different local businesses, and get constantly reminded that reuse is everywhere you go and there are benefits of reuse for all of us. We got into New Canaan on Friday evening and got the truck settled into our home at the library for a couple of days. We were soon joined by our longtime friend Marty Skrelunas, a regular from Tiny House Summercamp and a New Canaan local who works in historic preservation. He was instrumental in connecting us with the library which blossomed into the extended stay. Being an exceptional tour guide, Marty wanted to take us to his favorite pizzeria, Joe's Pizza. He even got the OK to bring vegan cheese so I could try it out. After a behemoth of a meal, Deek and I headed back to the truck and settled in for the night. Deek, Marty, and I with our monster pizzas The next morning, I was still working off my pizza. So, I just went for coffee at Le Pain Quotidien, a French cafe. (Je parle un petit français.) I was pleased to see that the coffee there is served in ceramic cups and unique ones at that. They were more like small bowls without handles. After doing some minor work on my computer, I met Deek at The New Canaan Diner for more coffee in more ceramic mugs. We didn't sit at the diner too long though, as we wanted to check out the one thrift shop in the town, obviously named, The New Canaan Thrift Shop. It was an old house converted into a shop and I was there a bit longer than Deek, making sure I explored all the rooms. After finding some choice items at a good price for future 1 of a Kind STAY VOCAL shirts, I headed back to the library to meet Deek and our library liaison, Micaela Porter. The library was a great place for tours of the truck, as we were parked right near an entrance. Plus, our new friend Micaela encouraged every person that came to the library to check out the truck. We had a lot of people pass through and had some great conversations. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't with us so we had to have our display inside. That was OK though, since were inside for a couple of hours for the movie. After the movie, our tour guide Marty took us to Norwalk, CT, where we went to dinner at Valencia Cocina, a Venezuelan restaurant. This couple was in the tiny house for a while and had a lot of questions and interest. Plenty of room to spread out our reuse gallery inside the library Micaela Porter found some 1 of a Kind ways to reuse On Sunday, after grabbing some bagels and coffee, Deek and I headed to the Carriage Barn Arts Center, where we hosted a reuse art workshop with kids. One of our projects was creating "Scrappy Cats and Dogs" with scrap pieces of wood. It was awesome to see kids go off script and create a scrappy platypus, unicorns, etc. One of the kids brought a diorama of a bedroom that she made with discarded materials. So cool! Going a little off script with a "Scrappy Unicorn!" Kids also made Martian Plants with pieces of discarded election signs, random items from recycling bins and a little cement. Earlier that day, we had learned that the Carriage Barn Arts Center was the former barn for horses at a massive estate built in the 1800s. It had been on its way to disrepair, but was completely revitalized. The 400+ acre area is now known as Waveny Park. And the most random fun fact of the trip is that we learned that this was where actor Christopher Lloyd grew up! (Yes, Doc Brown from Back to the Future. His family later donated the estate to the town and now it's a public space with trails, gardens, summertime concerts, etc. After exploring the park and getting thousands of steps in, our contact at the New Canaan Country School, Katherine Kaneko, came to meet us. We were going to be at the school for two days, so she wanted to show us the school, see where we'd be parking, etc. This school was unlike any other school that I've seen before, but I could have guessed it would be by reading their mission. They "create an active, joyful learning environment where children are challenged to think deeply, question confidently, and act generously so that they may lead lives of impact and purpose." This is the kind of environment that I subconsciously longed for growing up, but certainly did not always get in the schools that I went to. Being a private, tuition-based school, there were many aspects that wouldn't be possible at most schools. But my favorite aspects by far certainly would be. This was their creative reuse area, featuring a bathtub to hold a bunch of supplies. What a great idea for any school to provide art and creativity materials to their students, while saving a lot of money and educating kids on reuse and easy way to help the planet. It's also a great way to work with local businesses to get donated materials that would otherwise be discarded. The reuse art supplies area at New Canaan Country School After getting the truck settled at the school, we went back to downtown New Canaan and ate dinner. And yes, our friend Marty joined us there too. With it being a small town, I wanted him to meet Katherine and her partner. I love connecting people who support the reuse movement and positive community change in general. On Monday morning, Deek and I woke up early, as we had to move the truck to its location where it would be for the two days of tours. At about 9AM, the classes started coming and they kept coming for the next 5 hours straight. Fortunately, our new friend Katherine did a great job segmenting out the classes and we had a few minutes in between each. And thankfully, we were parked right near the school cafeteria for coffee and food throughout the day. Outside the truck, Deek shows students some of his unique reuse ideas for everyday items. Inside the truck, students explore reuse solutions. After the long school day, we went to a grocery store for some truck snacks and then to Zumbach's, a coffee shop that has clearly been a staple in the town for a while. Their ceiling was covered with vintage college pennants. And for our last meal in town, we went to Gates restaurant with Katherine, Kate Casner (the school's pottery teacher), Victor (Micaela from the library's husband), and of course, Marty. Vintage college pennants completely covered the ceiling at Zumbach's Gourmet Coffee. Deek and I both went to Northeasten, fyi. After dinner, we walked through downtown again and stopped at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream that people had been raving about. Not only did I find a bunch of vegan options, but they even had a Planet Earth flavor. The "Earth" part was matcha. Pretty cool. I opted for a cone of course. Why get ice cream in a cup when you can eat the vessel?! It's such an easy and tasty solution to a waste problem. That night, we were stopped on the sidewalk by a woman whose son had been at our art workshop the day before. She told us that her son had a lot of fun and a great time making the projects. Sometimes, we're not sure how kids enjoy the projects and if it makes an impact, so this was a nice unexpected and rewarding moment. Introducing a class to our reuse world outside the box truck. Without having to set up the truck, Tuesday was much more relaxed and the tours continued throughout the entire day. And for the second day, we were serenaded by the music teacher getting the kids outdoors dancing to her singing about "Betty Martin." Being at this school for two days, I was reminded again how much work it is to be an educator and how valued they need to be in our society. Deek and I only have a small fraction of the experience that full time teachers do, but we can appreciate what they do. My mom was a teacher. Deek's parents were teachers. Many of our friends are educators. Teachers are literally the ones who are molding us from a very early age and they need to be valued as such. Deek, Katherine Kaneko, and I With the hundreds of kids (and adults) who listened to our talk about waste solutions and explored the reuse ideas in the truck, I was also constantly reminded of why I do the work that I do. We can't just think about ourselves and we can't just think about right now. These are the humans that we're sharing the planet with and these are the humans that we're leaving the planet to and we owe it to these humans to do our best to protect the planet. This was the first time that we gave tours to kids younger than 5 and they definitely enjoyed and understood a lot. After the second nonstop day and wanting to avoid traffic heading back home, we took our time packing up, chatting with students, staff and some of the parents too. We even had numerous kids want to trade their Pokemon business cards that I handed out for a better character on the back. Ha. On the way out of town, we stopped at the library to see Marty one last time and return his reusable coffee thermoses that had brought us coffee in previously. (Marty gets it.) I also had to pick up my pizza leftovers; some of the tastiest form of reuse. Speaking of coffee, the library had a coffee shop, which is just a perfect match. I'd love to see that at more libraries. So, I grabbed me reusable cup and fueled up one last time with a lot to reflect on and think about. Deek and I definitely had a great experience in New Canaan. Not only was the community interested and impacted by our reuse programs, but there were many reuse experiences in the community. This is why I always tell people that reuse is everywhere and it's for everyone. This trip was also a perfect example of why it has been so great to live minimally in the tiny house and in general. I've saved so much money on rent and mortgage that I can afford to eat out more and explore the communities that I visit. And as I've said since I first moved into the truck, "You don't live in 98-square feet to spend 24 hours in 98-square feet. Life is outside." Big thanks to everyone mentioned above and the many more who made our trip to New Canaan quite memorable. It felt so good to build a mini community while in town and we hope to be back to see them in the near future! P.S. Here are some stats for me in those 5 days: 0 single use cups used 0 pieces of single use silverware used 0 new single use bags acquired 0 new clothing items bought LOTS of local businesses supported LOTS of great conversations about reuse LOTS of kids having fun while learning LOTS of great experiences LOTS of good food eaten LOTS of coffee drank Thanks to the New Canaan Public Library and New Canaan Country School for many of the above photos.

Recently, I was on my way to Connecticut and my car stalled out a couple of times. I've had my car for 19 years (yep, I got it in 2007) and with this situation, I thought it was the end. But fortunately, the issues weren't as major or expensive as I thought. My Pontiac Vibe is back on the road and now inching towards the 240,000 mile mark. Thank you Joseph's Garage! While dealing with this situation and the relief of getting my car back, I got thinking about other everyday items. Why isn't repair the automatic thought when something goes wrong? When our car battery dies, we don't get a new car. We get a new battery. When our car windshield cracks, we don't get a new car. We get a new windshield. When somebody drives into a garbage barrel and it flies into your door handle and breaks it, we don't get a new car. We get a replacement door handle. (True story from this year.) So, why don't we treat cell phones like this? Why don't we treat computers like this? Why don't we treat televisions like this? Is it because they're far less expensive to replace? No. Having to spend $500 or $1000 or $2000 for a new item is expensive for most of us. It's more because for the past 10 or 20 years, many companies have made it clear that they don't want you to repair their items by actually making it difficult to repair it. But if we truly own an item, then shouldn't we be able to repair it and not feel forced to buy a new one?! Well, many of us do get our items repaired. And more of us certainly can. We can stand up to this nonsense by not only repairing items, but also by buying pre-owned and refurbished items. It may take a little more time than just rushing to the store and buying a new item, but it will surely save us a lot money and it will be one small way we can make a positive impact on our planet and future generations. Learn more about our Right to Repair Here Repair is one of the most important facets of reuse and finding solutions for our waste. We can't keep manufacturing new items, using up non renewable resources, and thinking we're doing good. If we want to keep this planet and its inhabitants alive, we need to keep our things alive too. When my car was only 4 months old, it was hit by someone going through a stop sign. After having it repaired, it's lasted over 225 more months. P.S. I'm writing this on the same laptop that I've had for 5 years that had some minor repairs. Later on, I'll look at it on the same phone that I've had for 5 years, but had a few different pre-owned cases for it.

Here's a challenge for you. Try doing something today without the Earth you live and breathe on. Exactly. You can't. How our choices impact the planet is an imperative part of our conversation; each and every day. And that's for each and every one of us; no matter who we are. We can't make... We can't do... We can't eat... We can't play... We can't live a single day without Earth. So, today, tomorrow, the next day, and so on, let's work together to take care of the single most vital thing to our existence. Happy April 22nd. 🤝🌎🤝

Deek, Rally the Catamount, and Alex at UVM Like every Earth Month, this April is my busiest time of the year for events and travels. And to kick off the month, Deek and I headed to Vermont in The REUSE! Box Truck for three events with three very different age groups and communities. It was a really cool experience to see the different kinds of reactions to our unique reuse solutions in and out of the tiny house. Some people want to live in the REUSE! Box Truck, some want it for a clubhouse, some want to travel in it when they retire, and some people just want to bring some specific reuse ideas into their own house. And these have been the exact goals of the truck since we started the project 10 years ago. Rally and Alex at UVM Our tour of Vermont began at UVM on April 8th, where we showcased the truck for the second time. We were parked outside of the always-busy Davis Center, the main student center on campus. And this is where their coffee shop is, so it was perfect for us! Throughout the day, we had hundreds of students and staff pass by, take a tour, or just do double-takes at what they were seeing. Students were definitely impressed with the potential of an inexpensive home of their own and many thought the 98-square foot house was even bigger than their dorm room! A UVM student takes home one of STAY VOCAL's special edition Vermont sweatshirts created by sewist Carly Carte. Rally was impressed with Deek's art... or crushing on that cat. On April 9th, we were in Randolph for Vermont's first-ever Reuse Conference: ReuseApalooza. I was honored to be the keynote speaker for the event. In addition to my personal story with reuse, my talk was focused on reusers collaborating and working together. I wanted people to leave the event with at least one idea for a collaboration. Alex speaking at the Reuse Vermont Conference I'm quite happy to report that it worked! Not only was I seeing others connecting and planning at the event, but I have been too. Since the event, I've connected with Birdie Blue to donate some of my rescued shirts and I'm going to speaking at a summer camp at UVM in June. For the first reuse conference in Vermont, it was a great turnout and we met a lot of people doing a lot of great things around the state. Our exhibitor neighbors included Jamie from Rise Up Refill, a zero-waste refill shop in Waterbury and Kate from The Bunny Bin, a unique company that restores secondhand toys and involves emotional storytelling. Vermont Senator Peter Welch also showed up at the event and spoke about his passion for the planet and The Right To Repair. Deek spoke at the Reuse Vermont Conference about building with used materials. Senator Welch speaking to the crowd at the Reuse Vermont Conference. Attendees of the Reuse Vermont Conference standing outside The REUSE Box Truck tiny house. On April 10th, we were in Barre at the Barre City Elementary and Middle School. After parking the truck and settling in with coffee, we were visited class by class by class. Students and staff toured the truck for the entire school day and everyone left with their own own reuse ideas; the goal of the truck for sure. Not surprisingly, the small bathroom was completely intriguing to the young kids! They had a lot of fun outside the truck, seeing the work that Deek does with his scrap art and that I do with my STAY VOCAL reuse shirts. As a bonus, we were parked by an area where some old broken school equipment that was being discarded. Deek incorporated some ideas into his talks on some ideas on what to do with it. Maybe that unique table is going to happen... Deek speaking to students and staff about creating art with discarded materials. Alex was in the principal's office, but was not getting a detention. Big thanks to Corey Berman from the UVM Office of Sustainability, Susan Alexander from ReuseVT and John Jose from Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District for this great mini tour of Vermont. Visiting Vermont is always a good time. That's why we'll be back in July for the Reuse Retreat! 🤝

There are a lot of people talking to us these days. And unfortunately, there are a lot of people talking about themselves and how they can make their own future better and how they can make an extra buck. They're focused on showing off. For me, I pay attention to people who are literally or telling me through actions that they care about our collective future, they care about future generations, and they care about the future of this planet. Whether it's individuals, public figures or businesses, I look for people who seem to actually care. These are the people who deserve our time, attention, and support. They're not just in it for themselves. They're in it WITH us. They're more focused on  showing up. If you aren't getting this vibe from someone, you can seek out plenty of people who do care. As I've said, we need more handshakes. It's undeniable that everyone is sharing this planet and we're all in this together. Every choice that we make affects us all in tiny or large ways. It's the ripple effect.

Lately, I've been avoiding listening to or watching the news. It seems that all sides and all forms of media thrive more and more on the negativity. A lot of it makes me sick. And for someone like me who tries to stay positive, it can be tough. What can I say? I'm an emotional dude. But I can't just avoid bad news. I have to continue trying to make and share my own good news. This tactic has worked for me for years and I think that's something that we all could AND need to do more of. No, sharing good news is not going to make the bad news go away. And I'm not trying to be clueless to the world around me. With media everywhere, that's not even possible. But over time, good news and the resulting positivity and happiness will eventually lead to less bad news. Have you ever noticed how hard it is not to smile when someone smiles at you? To me, it just makes sense that the more bad we put out there, the more bad will happen. But the more good that we put out in the world, the more good will happen. We all have a choice. And there are plenty of people out there screaming loud about negativity. We can be just as loud about positivity. So, if it ever seems like I'm ignoring reality, I'm not. I'm just choosing to escape wasting my time here by vomiting positivity. This is an updated social media post that I wrote in 2018. Still going...

I was recently telling this story to my friend Jess when we were discussing the importance of community; both large and small. It was 8 years ago, but it still hits the same. Back in 2018, I was setting up my STAY VOCAL booth at a tiny house festival in Massachusetts. It was raining and pretty windy. All of a sudden, a gust of wind decided that my entire rack of reuse shirts needed to be on the ground and in the mud. I was pretty upset at the thought of all the damaged merchandise. I had a whole bunch of white shirts, too. Some people might consider this waste and discard them. Nope. What happened next was absolutely amazing. My friend Sheena came right over and immediately offered to bring them to a laundromat. At the same time, my other friend John went and grabbed a bunch of quarters. Numerous others helped me pick the rack up and take the shirts off of the hangers. Within three hours, all of the shirts were cleaned with no signs of mud, back on the rack and secured to the tent. And people started buying them. The rescued shirts were rescued again. This was one of the many times where I experienced such a deep sense of community in the tiny house scene. People wanted to help their neighbor and come up with positive solutions to a problem ASAP. That's the kind of community that I want to be a part of. And that's the kind of world that I want to live in. As long as we're breathing, we're sharing this planet with everyone else and we are ALL in this together. Let's act like it. 🤝

As I wrote about in my previous posts, recycling is an overrated solution to our waste problem and this is not a big revelation. People have been seeing this for years. It's just been heightened recently, especially after China's ban on importing recycling from the U.S. Like writer Katie Klear stated so well, "your recycling bin at the end of the curb is not a golden miracle for the Earth or a way out of the climate crisis." Fortunately major organizations like Green America and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are on board that reuse is the more effective solution. As I make sure to point out, I’m not saying that we should not recycle and that I personally do not recycle. What I’m saying is that we should look to reuse existing items first and whenever possible. Reuse is a 2 for 1. You're using something again that's already here and reducing the amount of things that need to be made. With reuse, we don't need to figure out what to do with all of the stuff in recycling bins. We don't need to wish-cycle and hope things actually get recycled. Why spend all of this time and energy with recycling, when we could be knowing the impact that we’re making by reusing. And listen, I get it, single use items are convenient. Use something once, toss it in a bin and forget about it. But I'll say this until the end of time: our planet is not single use and that's the most convenient thing that we all share. So I go back to the same position. 2017: Billboard for #LetsRecycleRight of Alex showing that reusing is the way to recycle right. So, I want to look at some of the most commonly recycled items and share reuse alternatives or how to avoid them in the first place. These ideas will not only save resources, but also time and money. Some of these may seem like no-brainers, but we're all at different points in our journey. And let me know in the comment section below if you have some solution ideas. Cardboard Boxes - It's amazing how many essentially brand new boxes are just recycled, when they could be used multiple times; especially with so many purchases being made online. If you ship packages (or know someone who does), flatten them and store them for personal use. I once saw a store in California that was just used boxes. Imagine if every city had a leave it and take it area for boxes at the transfer station? And here's an example of an online shop for used boxes geared towards moving. Food Packaging (Paperboard boxes, Plastic containers, etc) - A lot of food packaging is mixed paper and plastic and hard to recycle to begin with. You can avoid a lot of this packaging by buying things in bulk and / or at refill shops. Here's a list of refill stores in the United States. Farmer's Markets and the produce section of grocery stores are other great places to avoid packaging with healthy food too. Alex using a reusable glass mason jar to fill with bulk goods at a California refill shop. Glass Jars - Buying items in bulk will avoid acquiring more of these. But if you buy items in glass jars, why toss them in the recycling bin, when there are endless amounts of uses: canning foods, storage containers, bulk food purchases, etc. I've even used jars as fun "gift boxes." Still from REUSE! Because You Can't Recycle The Planet. Paper  - Use both sides of sheets of paper before you recycle it. Save scrap paper for personal use, like printing in-house, note paper, drawing, etc. Paper or Plastic Bags - The majority of plastic bags are never recycled and just become landfill. This is why paper bags have become popular again. Sure, paper bags are better than plastic bags, but they're still single use bags that don't have to be made. Reusable bags are always the best option. And you don't have to go out and buy new canvas totes. Use any bag. After all, you're just bringing things home to put in your fridge and cupboards. Alex with a reusable shopping bag at a grocery store. "Paper" Coffee Cups - Most of these are not actually recyclable, as they have a thin plastic lining inside them. You can avoid these by bringing your own travel cup and at most shops, you'll get a discount too. If you're drinking coffee inside the shop, ask for an in-house mug. Most people would agree that drinking out of a ceramic mug is more comfortable than a paper cup. Plastic Bottles - Unfortunately, the majority of drinks these days are in plastic bottles. You can avoid these by bringing your own bottle/cup/jar to refill at water stations and soda fountains. In most cases you'll save money, especially when it comes to water. And the more we call for change, the better. Our cohorts at Story of Stuff are currently leading a "Bring Back Refill" campaign to change just that. Now, I know what many people are saying. "A piece of paper can only be reused so many times." "Jars break." "I don't have a refill store near me." For all of those reasons, I agree that we cannot be perfect with this. And again, I'm not saying that we should never recycle. I just know that my place here is to encourage reuse as much as possible and in as many different ways as possible before it gets to that point. The more we reuse, the less congested recycling will be and there is a possibility of recycling actually working. As individuals, we have so much untapped power when it comes to bettering the planet. With reuse, WE are in charge. We don't have to play the guessing game of recycling. WE use something and WE can use it again. WE see first hand that WE are doing a good thing for our planet. That is an empowering feeling for us and reuse is an effective solution for our waste problem. Thanks for hearing me out on these past few posts. Here's a fun, quick video I made to show how reusing is better. And as I mentioned above, let me know in the comment section below if you have some solution ideas. Cheers.

As I wrote about in my previous post, " Recycling Is Overrated: We've Been Misled, " I grew up recycling because I thought it was going to solve the waste problem. But I also grew up with a dad that saved all sorts of typical recycling and waste to use "someday." I didn't really understand it at first, but I certainly benefitted from it. My first skateboard ramp was actually an old door leaning on top of wooden railroad ties. It wasn't until my adult years that I finally understood the benefits of reusing. My first skateboard ramp. I could easily move it and use it in the basement during the winter too! In 2003, I started my company STAY VOCAL (originally VOCAL) as a skateboard and apparel brand. At the same time, I was also a touring merchandiser for rock bands. I was not only selling shirts at concerts around the world, but also ordering everything. And in 2004, one order changed everything. I received a batch of shirts for one of the bands and it was printed incorrectly. It was just a minor error, but understandably, the artist wasn't happy and didn't want to sell them. And when I called the printers about the problem, that's when I found out what happens to misprinted shirts. Those 144 brand new, never worn, shipped from California to Pennsylvania T-Shirts were going to be shipped back to California to be shredded and turned into rags. And that's when a lightbulb went off and exploded in my head. I'm a solutions guy, not a problems guy. So, I quickly figured out a better option and ended up buying the shirts at a discounted price and having my brand's patches sewn over the original design. The first STAY VOCAL cover up patch shirt: "Make Yourself Heard Double Face" After that incident, I started seeing the waste problem everywhere I looked and I wanted to use my brand to create the solutions. I used to drink coffee out of disposable cups, so I started making STAY VOCAL travel mugs. I used to get plastic grocery bags, so I created a line of canvas reusable bags. And of course, I made more and more reuse shirts. The first line of STAY VOCAL travel mugs and reusable canvas bags. At the beginning of 2008, I made the decision to switch STAY VOCAL to an entirely reuse apparel brand; no more skateboards; no more new items. Thinking back, this made complete sense. Reuse had been part of the brand since day 1, as I raised the money to buy the first batch of skateboards by printing on thrifted shirts and selling them at concerts. Shortly after this decision, I entered a best small business idea contest for my brand and I won! As people were starting to take notice, I knew that I was on to something. The Big Check presentation for winning the "Best Small Business Idea" contest. Because of my first hand experience with waste and reuse solutions with clothing and accessories, I was starting to look at all waste in a different way. But I was also looking at recycling in a different way. Just because a plastic water bottle was recyclable, why wouldn't I just reuse a glass one? It would save me money, time, and resources too. I was invited to the Environmental Protection Agency's 2008 private Earth Day event in Boston. Around that time, I came up with the slogan, REUSE! Because You Can’t Recycle The Planet . I couldn’t understand why people weren’t talking about reuse as a solution more than recycling. Why was there so much emphasis on recycling instead of reusing? When we recycle, we're wasting energy, time, money and resources. When we reuse, we're just using something again. I thought it was a no-brainer message that was not getting enough attention. Summer 2008: The STAY VOCAL "Reuse" Booth at the Chico, CA Farmer's Market A few months later, I designed a graphic for the slogan and the first series of REUSE! T-Shirts quickly followed. The REUSE! in bold letters is for emphasis and the open letters in the rest of the design is to represent that recycling is not the complete solution to save the planet that we had been told. Original 2008 Ad for the first REUSE! T-Shirts Since that time, I've made thousands of shirts with REUSE! Because You Can’t Recycle The Planet . on it. The slogan's message became a core component of the talks that I do. In 2015, I released my first documentary film with that as the title. But all these years later, I'm still seeing the same problems with waste and recycling. And in many ways, they've actually gotten worse. So, how did we get here? Why are people stuck on recycling? How and why is it not working? What’s it going to take to get people to see the easier and more effective solution? Because the fact is, it wasn't always this way. And it doesn't have to be. Talk to you next week. Coffee Shop in 2024: Given the options, customers regularly just put trash and recycling in both.