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As I wrote about in my previous posts about recycling , people still focus on it, yet this supposed godsend to our waste problem has failed. But before we can move forward, we have to look backward. The concept of waste around the world is nothing new and solutions of what to do with it have always been there. It's just that these days, the amount of waste is astronomical, especially in the United States. The U.S. is the number one country in the world as far as the amount of waste per person, per day goes . The average American creates 5.69 pounds of waste per day. Hooray for being number one? School lunch in the mid 1900s with reusable plates and silverware. Getty Images / Getty Images One thing I always say is that the reuse solution that I've promoted through my brand and movies is nothing new. My parents and their parents grew up reusing. It was common place. Words like "single use", "disposable", and "recyclable" simply did not exist. Items like bottled water, fast fashion, and particle board furniture did not exist. People used things until they were worn out. Items were repaired. Clothing was mended. The earliest thrift stores were open over 100 years ago. And during World War 2, there were numerous campaigns for households to donate "waste" to be reused for various war efforts. Early 1900s thrift store (c/o PEMC Webster & Stevens Collection. Museum of History & Industry.) World War 2 Salvage Campaign Posters But in the years after the war and as the U.S. economy grew, the 1960's came along and the use of plastic exploded. The disposable society that most of us have known for years was born and the concept of throwing things away became the norm. People began to love the convenience of just being able to "toss-away" their waste. (I find it interesting that this coincided with the era of peace and love for our fellow humans.) A 1960s magazine ad for disposable plastic cups. In the 1970s, people began seeing that all of these "conveniences" were filling up the landfills. "Away" wasn't as far off as they thought. Many cities began burning trash, but inevitably, people saw the pollution that was being created. Curbside recycling programs began popping up as a way to appease that convenience for single use items. People also began seeing the economic benefit of taking things out of the waste stream . In the 1980’s, recycling began taking off and being billed as the number one solution for the waste problem. For people who wanted to help combat pollution and save the planet, recycling was the action of choice. More and more communities started recycling programs and it became part of curriculum in schools . I was one of the students that learned about it. 1988 Environmental Defense Fund Recycling Ad As the 90s and 00s continued, the idea of recycling being the godsend continued. Bins became much more widespread and the norm in schools, public buildings, airports and even city sidewalks. A lot of companies began boasting that their products were made with partially recycled content or how their products could be recycled. But then came the 2010s. People started seeing behind the curtain and realizing that recycling wasn't what it was cracked up to be. By focusing on single use as much as possible because "it can be recycled," the mantra seemed to be "make make make," without realizing that you can only recycle so much. With overwhelming amounts of recycling, companies in the U.S needed to find solutions for the recyclables, so they started shipping it overseas. But inevitably, other countries got fed up and China even put a ban on importing the U.S.' garbage.   In 2017, China officially banned the importing of 24 types of solid waste. Just because something is recyclable, doesn't mean it will actually be recycled. 2018: Bales of paper at a U.S. recycling company that would have normally been sent to China. As time went on, more and more people realized that there were simply a lot of myths around recycling. A recent study found that only 5-6% of plastic is transformed into new items and since recycling began, less than 10 percent of plastic has ever been recycled! Personally, I have been seeing the recycling myth for years. I used to be a big time Dunkin' Donuts coffee drinker, but then I looked into their styrofoam cups. Their website used to boast that they were recyclable. The only problem was that there were only a handful of facilities in the entire US that recycled styrofoam. So, the majority of the cups ended up in the landfill. I'm wondering if that container of plastic recycling will actually get recycled. Recycling was a great idea in the 70s. They had a problem with the the influx of single use trash and they needed to figure out a solution. But as time went on and our recycling centers started filling up, the real problem became apparent (again). The real problem is making too much single use, disposable products. And recycling is just perpetuating single use. We've tried recycling for years and the experiment didn't work. On the small scale, individuals don't recycle everything that's recyclable. On a larger scale, some places say they recycle, but they actually don't. After 50 years, the US has only gotten up to 23% of the waste that we make being recycled. And now we can't send it off to other countries. Do we need any more signs that we need to be accountable for our waste? The real solution to our waste problem is one that was already here and if we’re going to continue to be here, that solution needs to come back in full force. Why recycle and hope for the best, "wishcycling", when you can immediately know the impact that you're making with reuse? There are a lot of easy reuse alternatives for things normally recycled and in my next and final installment of this series, that's what I'll be talking about.

On a recent visit to the recycling center, I was looking around at all of the people putting their paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass in the right bins. These people were surely feeling good about the choices that they were making; doing something good for the planet and keeping things out of the landfill. But the whole time I was wondering, "How much of this is actually going to be recycled?" Alex sitting on a mountain of recycling stored in a warehouse If you grew up anytime between the 1990s and now, you surely have heard that recycling was the solution to our waste problem. Instead of people throwing things to that magic land of "Away," recycling would actually do something with the waste. The waste would be broken down and made into new products. But unfortunately, as we have learned more and more with every passing year, recycling has not been the godsend it was cracked up to be . But through that same time, and for hundreds of years before, there was a waste solution with a positive impact that could be immediately seen. And if we're going to want our planet to endure for hundreds of years more, it has to increase exponentially. And that solution is reuse. Before anything else, I want to define the two terms "reuse" and "recycle". Many people tend to consider them one in the same, but this is something that I always try to clairfy for people. And like I exemplified in my first film , there is a simple and drastic difference. Still from REUSE! Because You Can't Recycle The Planet. Let's look at that difference a little closer, though. I always use a glass bottle as an example because that's what I've been using for water for years. I think in terms of juice bottles, but for this example, you can pretend it's soda, beer, whatever you prefer. So, if you have a glass bottle, here are the steps for recycling it: Put the glass bottle in the recycling bin. A truck will come pick the bin up. The truck will drive the contents back to the recycling center. Machinery will break the original bottle down. Machinery will turn the broken down glass into that same glass bottle again. The bottle will be filled with liquid and a new label will be put on. The bottle will be put in a package and shipped to a store. Now, let's look at the steps for reusing a glass bottle instead. Wash the empty glass bottle Use it again Repeat Isn't the difference clear? With reusing just one bottle instead of recycling it, you're saving a lot of time, natural resources and money; for both you and others. Glass juice bottles reused for years instead of recyclable single use bottles Now, before I go any further with this 4-part series on recycling (yeah, I have a lot to say), I want to say that I am not "Anti" Recycling. I am just "PRO" Reuse first, especially when it comes to the mass amounts of stuff that's already here. But I can only reuse a piece of paper so many times and sometimes my glass bottles break. Like many of you reading this, I grew up thinking that if there was excess paper, plastic, aluminum, or glass, it was best to put it in the recycling bin. But I also grew up in a house, where little beyond that was thrown away. There may have been loose screws, old chimney pipes or broken desks, but my dad saw potential. He always had plans on how to reuse things. And that was a message that really stuck with me. But I didn't realize it until I came face to face with a worldwide waste problem in 2004. Talk to you next week.

One of the many groups of students at the YES! Youth Environmental Summit in Delaware Wow. I can't believe that it's been a month already since I was in Delaware. I guess dealing with the preparing and aftermath of a giant snowstorm will make time go a bit quicker. But the amazing experience I had there was one that I talk about regularly. Well, what can I say? I t was an honor to be a keynote speaker at the YES! Youth Environmental Summit in Wilmington. I was surrounded by hundreds of high school students who share hope, vision, and a passion for the future of the planet. I was so glad that my words resonated with not only the students, but exhibitors, teachers and others as well. And seeing dozens and dozens of people walking around literally wearing my REUSE! message and taking instant action, was so rewarding. Cleon Cauley, from New Castle County, speaks at the Youth Environmental Summit in Delaware. Before my morning talk, I listened to Cleon Cauley , the Public Works General Manager for New Castle County in Delaware. His talk set the day off on a great tone for me with his shared beliefs of community, working together to make a bigger impact, and even his similar experience of growing up with a very supportive and involved mother. And like me, he knows that having fun can be a part of your work. My keynote talk to the students about reuse and responsibility definitely resonated with this group. After my introductory talk, the event was filled with so many other great speakers that I was happy to share the bill with: Heidi Pan , Founder of the 1.5 Degrees Podcast, Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the sole member of Congress from Delaware, Secretary Greg Patterson from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), and numerous student leaders from around the state. After our talks, Cleon and I shared some quick fun stories at my table. Logan Scott, a student leader for the YES! conference, was a huge help from start to finish. In addition to speaking at the event, I was also an exhibitor and my brand made the event shirts. By collaborating with STAY VOCAL to print their event shirts on rescued garments, the Youth Environmental Summit saved 108,376 gallons of water. That's enough water for 590 people to drink for an entire YEAR! Pam Bargren was slinging our collaboration T-Shirts at the Plastic Free Delaware booth. One of my favorites from the batch of REUSE! Delaware T-Shirts. Having worked with Nancy Downes from Oceana Massachusetts quite a bit, I had to introduce myself to John Weber . I guess this was before I added my stick figure themed signature to the sign. While behind my booth or walking around visiting exhibitors, I was able to have so many great conversations and learn about so much good happening in Delaware when it comes to our shared planet. And yes, I already started making tentative plans for a return visit. I'd like to send a big thank you to Dee Durham, Sherri Evans-Stanton and Logan Scott for making my visit a great one. Thank you for the invitation and I look forward to being involved in the YES! Conference again in the future! And a special thanks to Sam Wilson for the many great photos! The YES! team, student leaders, volunteers, and the conference's keynote speakers. When the event was over, my time wasn't done with my work in Delaware. On Saturday morning before I left, I teamed up with Plastic Free Delaware to launch my new Escape The Waste Pop-Up series. Anyone who brought a reusable mug got their coffee for free, on me. It was a great time and I have more planned for sure. Big thanks to Mike and the Brew Ha Ha! team for hosting the test run! If you own a coffee shop or work for an organization around New England (or beyond) that wants to team up, let's talk. The flyer for my first FREE Coffee event. Some of the people who I treated to coffee for avoiding single use cups.

Like I have done countless times over the past 30 years, I just had a conversation with a friend about why 311 is my favorite band. I simply told her, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for their music and positivity. If you want to take a deep dive into that and how that all relates to my work with reuse, here's my hour long podcast all about it . As last week was the band's official holiday, 311 Day, I've been listening to a lot of their music. And one song stuck out, just as it has since it was released a couple of years ago. As a deep thinker, the song "Friend" has always made me think about the fight for peace and a unified planet through positivity; missions the band has always band about. I know that I'm certainly "not ready to let go of this beautiful dream." But the song surely has a more direct message about close friends in our life. They are truly "worth more than gold." And so when I found out that a lifelong friend of mine (and fellow fan of the band) lost his father, this song came to mind. Enjoy. 🤝

Sometimes progress isn't literally moving forward. Sometimes progress is pausing, looking backwards, and realizing that we are making a mistake. Making mistakes and owning them is OK. And that's part of real progress. Sometimes progress is actually going backwards, so we can move forward.

Every day, we're faced with hundreds of choices to make: big and small. From how we eat to how we dress to how we shop to who we support to the coffee we drink to what we drink that coffee in, etc. And when we make a choice, we have the opportunity to ask, "What will benefit me the most?" or "What will benefit the most people?" The fact of the matter is that when we leave this planet, nobody is going to remember the choices that we made to benefit ourselves. But they'll surely remember the choices that we made to benefit others.

I am constantly reminded that there is more than enough of almost anything that we could need or want. It just may be in another form. I think about it when I go into a thrift store, when I pass by a brand new housing development near empty office buildings, and when I see a giant stack of nearly brand new cardboard boxes in the recycling bin. We always hear that we need more manufacturing jobs to sustain a good economy. I disagree. We need more remanufacturing jobs to sustain a good economy... and a good planet. We don't need to use up more of our non-renewable natural resources to create raw materials. There are plenty of renewable materials right here in front of us. If you don't have a good planet to live on, you can't have any kind of economy.

This morning, I got my daily email from the ever-inspiring Seth Godin . It was about heroes that have come before us and it ended with, "Today is a fine day to consider who’s on our wall." I couldn't agree more with that statement. Today, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., a real leader with real ideas for real positive change; a man who truly wanted to UNITE people for the common good. One of the main inspirations behind the creation of my brand STAY VOCAL in 2003 was this handmade upcycled artwork of MLK on the bottom of one of my broken skateboards. And after having my second skateboard related surgery, I wanted to do something different with skateboarding that would be less impactful on my body and more impactful on the world. So, this artwork became my first skateboard design. Things have obviously changed over the years with my brand (now being a reuse clothing brand), but one thing that has not changed is the other main inspiration behind its creation. Too many of us sit idly by and let things happen, when we could be using our most powerful weapon that we're born with: our voice. So on this day when we celebrate one of the strongest voices in our country's history, we must remember that. We must remember that it is our right as citizens of this country, as citizens of the world, as humans, to make ourselves heard. And right now, our voices need to be heard more than ever. Our country needs us. MLK's legacy needs us. WE need us. Because as MLK said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Unity over division. Because no matter how you slice it, we're all in this together.

Here we are in 2026. Happy New Year! In some ways though, I feel like a reset button was hit for me. When 2025 started off, I had the intention to begin my next big reuse project sometime that year. I wanted to create a fixed, larger version of The REUSE! Box Truck tiny house to live, work, and host events. And I was hoping to team up with Cheap Old Houses in some way to find an old structure. At that point, the truck had been on the road for over 7 years and not only was the truck ready to settle down, but I was ready to settle down a bit more myself. Over the past few years, I've had a variety of ideas for what kind of place I was looking for and what I wanted to do with it. I finally felt good about the decision and was ready to start the process. But the universe had its way of telling me that I wasn't ready. There were some things that I needed to deal with first. At the start of the year, I was spending a lot of time at Song of the Robin . This is the 85-acre vegan bed & breakfast and animal sanctuary just over the Massachusetts border in New York that I've been visiting for years. And it was during that early January visit that I found out that the apartment at the house would be opening up in a few months. This wasn't my next plan at all, but after thinking a lot about it and talking it over with some people, I realized that it would be a great next temporary step. The affordable rent and serene location certainly helped too. As I had been doing a lot of consulting with Lisa Robinson, Song of the Robin's founder, this would be a great way to get more experience managing a property, hosting events, building a community, etc. These are all things that I have plans for with my own space. It was also a great opportunity to continue my work with Lisa to update various aspects of her property. "The Cat Cabin" - a large storage shed at Song of the Robin that we converted into a small sleep and work space. By the spring, I had started to really settle in and had a lot of plans for updates around the property, but the universe again had a plan of its own. In early May, my dad unexpectedly passed away. As a result, I was back in Massachusetts more often; spending time with family and friends and helping to get my dad's things in order. While most of my dad's posessions and collectibles were dealt with when he went into long term care during the pandemic, we had saved a good amount of things to decorate if he had ever come home for Hospice care. Plus, after spending almost 3 years straight purging things, I set aside a lot of his smaller collections to deal with later. Well, this past summer was "later" and we decided that it was time to empty out the family storage unit. After emptying the storage unit, my mom's living room became the sorting area for my dad's "smaller" collections of things. With my unexpected extra trips back and forth to Massachusetts, I realized that if I had been invested in a structure of my own, I wouldn't have been able to spend the quality time that I did with my family. And I certainly wouldn't have been able to spend the time that I did purging the items. I needed to honor my father by at least going through his items to see what he held on to. In the end, I'm really glad that I was able to give the extra care to his items, as I learned a lot about him and other family members as well. While it's not how I expected my 2025 to go, I know now that it was all supposed to happen that way. But I was also reminded how frustrating it is to deal with someone else's possessions. We can't be held responsible for other people's things. And we have to take responsibility for our own things when we can. We can't simply leave these things for others to deal with. It's more than just stuff. It's time, energy, resources, and frustration. This is why I was inspired this fall to do some further purging of my own things. Consolidating and purging my things was a physical and mental relief. Especially over the past 5 years, stuff has literally and figuratively gotten in my way. Some of it was mine and some of it was others that I took as my responsibility. But I don't need to be the one purging other people's things. I need to be the one encouraging others to escape their own excess and waste and connect them with the right people and the right solutions. And I need to move forward with my other project ideas. So here we are a year later and I'm ready to move forward with my house idea from last year. But now I have unexpected good experience from living at Song of the Robin and I'm free of so much of the physical, mental, and digital stuff that was holding me back. And after unfortunately losing another person close to me at the end of 2025, I am reminded that life is simply too short to keep putting your ideas off. The perfect time might never come. I'm looking forward to taking the next steps for myself and for my work with others to help people create less waste and positively impact the planet. Stay tuned...

Are you tired of people not taking the planet seriously? Are you tired of profit being valued more than a healthy planet? Are you tired of the planet being a political issue? Are you tired of all the talk, the plans, the arguing, but not enough action? Are you tired of Us vs Them? Are you just tired of DIVISION in general? I really am tired of all those things. And it really doesn't have to be that way. And if we want to survive, it really CAN'T be that way. Over my 20+ years working in the reuse field, I can't tell you how many times that I've heard things like, "You're doing such great work" or "That's awesome that you don't use disposable cups." While the affirmations are nice to hear, that's not what I've been hoping to hear. And it's not what WE need to hear. A few years ago, I started thinking that "I really need more handshakes and less pats on the back." Instead of people just congratulating me on my work, I need people to join in the reuse movement. Because like I always say, the more we work together, the more positive change we can create. Unfortunately, we live in selfish times. There are a lot of people focused on showing off, when they really need to be showing up. Because seriously, ask yourself these questions: Do I care more about making more money than I do about other people's survival? Would I not like it if everyone had a place to live a healthy life? Do I want the planet to be an unhealthier place to live for future generations? If the answer was no to even one of those questions, you understand the undeniable fact that we're all in this together. We are truly connected citizens of a shared planet. The planet has to be a part of every conversation. Because... take a moment and think about your favorite thing to do. Got it? Now imagine doing that without a planet. Seriously. We can't just think this is being over dramatic. No matter what you like, it relies on the health of our planet. And it's sadly getting unhealthier by the day for us, for our children, and our grandchildren. Do we want that for them? For years, we've been led to believe that we could recycle our way out of the planet's problems . But it simply hasn't even come close to working. On the other hand, reuse was THE solution before the waste explosion and it continues to prove that it is a much more viable solution than recycling. For those who question this, we just can't be selfish. No matter how much people try to divide us, we can't deny that we share resources, we share public spaces, we share communities, we share the one planet we can live on. And for those understand it, we can't do the work alone. There are a lot of individuals and organizations doing a lot of great work when it comes to reuse and sustainability. But more than ever, we need to come together. I was a math nerd growing up, but my favorite math equation as an adult is 1+1=3. The more we communicate, the more we work together, the more change we can ACTUALLY create. This is why I've been doing STAY VOCAL shirt collaborations for over 20 years. This is why I filmed other reusers in all 48 contiguous states for The REUSE! Documentary . This is why my collaborator Deek and I worked with many local people to build The REUSE! Box Truck Tiny House. This is why I do consulting work. This is why I interview people who reuse in different ways for this blog. Over recent years, I've been using the handshake emoji for a lot of things like commenting on people's posts online, texting with collaborators, etc. And during that time, I came up with (and have seen) so many slogans that are a perfect fit for the handshake. I've been wanting to create patches with these sentiments so people can show their support of working together, but I wanted to make the handshake more custom. So, I had my in-house artist collaborator Deek create his version of the handshake. I added the arrows on the sleeves to represent reuse. I added the lines above it to emphasize shaking. And the different colored hands represent equality. Because again, as long as we're ALL sharing this same planet, we're ALL in this together. Handshake patch sheets printed on a variety of pre-owned garments and linens Last week, I started offering these patches at events and I plan on sharing them with people who are working together for the same common good: reuse organizations, reuse-related shops, passionate reusers, etc . I also made them available in the STAY VOCAL shop for anyone around the world that I don't see in person. And lastly, if this post has you thinking that you'd like to work together with me to fight for this planet, please reach out to me . We can talk about simply connecting you with other reusers or how WE can work together to bring more reuse solutions, sustainability, and positive change into your business or life. If we truly want this planet to survive, we have to put our ego aside. We have to recognize that WE. ARE. ALL. IN. THIS. TOGETHER. Without a planet, there can be no me and there can be no you.   COMMENT SECTION BELOW

👖 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new pair of pants. 👕 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new shirt. 👟 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new pair of sneakers. 📞 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new cell phone. 📺 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new television. 💻 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new computer. 🚚 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new vehicle. ☕ It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new coffee mug. 📘 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new book. 🎅 It's been over 17 years since I bought a brand new holiday decoration. I could keep going here with this list, but I hope the message obvious. Almost anything that we need or want, we can find used, pre-owned, upcycled, repaired, refurbished, etc. It might take a little bit longer, but... 👍 We can still get the things we want. 🤝 We can still gift the things others want. 🌎 We can save resources. 💰 We can save money.

As I mentioned in my recent post, I'm really looking for more handshakes and less pats on the back . When it comes to reuse, it's not just about support, it's about working together to make a bigger positive impact. And last week, I spent some time with a group of people that are truly living that mentality. Whenever I talk with people about examples of cities or states or organizations that are leading the reuse movement, the organization Reuse Minnesota always comes up. Based in Minneapolis, the organization focus on building partnerships through their vast network of reusers and their pillars of education, advocacy, and promotion. For the past 12 years, while not in the state, I've stayed connected to the people I've met through the organization. I've been able to see their work in person and see how it has impacted the growth of reuse in the state. So, when I was originally asked to be the keynote speaker at their annual Reuse Minnesota Conference last week, I was honored. Sharing my reuse journey at the Reuse Minnesota conference My first experience with Reuse Minnesota was when I visited the state during my filming of The REUSE! Documentary . My friend and longtime leader in the reuse movement, MaryEllen Etienne, encouraged me to see the work that the organization was doing and connect with key player, Madalyn Cioci. While visiting, Madalyn brought me around to various places in the area that were part of Reuse Minnesota. I was so impressed with the organization's ability to connect so many people and drive to "increase the visibility of reuse in Minnesota by highlighting the environmental, social, and economic benefits of reuse." It was a perfect fit since my goal of the documentary was to showcase the benefits of people, planet, and wallet. And it only made sense that Madalyn and I became fast friends and remained a cohort for years. After the film was originally released in 2015, I planned a nationwide tour of film screenings. And when choosing the locations, Minnesota was obviously a must. There was a lot more reuse to see in the city and big players to connect with. This time that included meeting Julie Kearnes , upon Madalyn's suggestion. Julie's tireless efforts with reuse and her store Junket have led her to develop a new definition of and paradigm for ethical consumption. She's also just a really down to earth, funny human, which you can surely see in this clip. In 2017, I returned to Minnesota. This time, Madalyn had recommended me as they keynote speaker for the Annual Workshop of the Minnesota Association of Recycling Managers. It was a perfect opportunity to talk about how reusing is more of a complete solution for our waste problem than recycling. Honored to see a sign quoting me at the University of Minnesota's Reuse Program warehouse. It was at this event that I met Emily Barker, who is now the Executive Director of Reuse Minnesota. And for this event, I decided this was a great time to launch a Minnesota themed T-REUSE! T-Shirt as a way members of the reuse community could promote their hard work. And as you can see by this photo and that the shirt has sold out of two printings, the response was great. A group at the Conference of the Minnesota Association of Recycling Managers. They get it. I definitely had to connect with Julie at Junket on this trip too. After 2017, there was an obvious change in traveling for my work between sticking around the Northeast for events with The Reuse Box Truck and the pandemic. But in 2021, I did team up with fellow T-Shirt upcycler, Ian Landberg. Our brands joined forces for a STAY VOCAL / Dye MN limited T-Shirt release. You know, I am now realizing that Dye MN is not a member of Reuse Minnesota. And well, that makes no sense. So, I hope both Emily and Ian are reading this and they connect. 🤝 Some of the DYE MN / STAY VOCAL creations. OK, back to where we are now. Well, back to last week at least. My trip to Minnesota was pretty dang fantastic. I saw many familiar faces, met a lot of online connections in real life for the first time and met a whole slew of passionate reusers for the first time. With a packed room of people focused on educating, advocating, and promoting reuse, Reuse Minnesota's Annual Conference was a perfect opportunity to premiere my new talk about Reuse & Responsibility. Wearing my Dad's Army shirt and sharing my hour-long journey of my reuse life at the Reuse Minnesota Annual Conference. My coffee was fortunately well within reach. In addition to speaking at the conference, I was also an exhibitor with an Escape The Waste Booth. We were promoting not only our educational reuse events, but also STAY VOCAL clothing and the numerous collaborations with artists, brands, and organizations. And very conveniently, the STAY VOCAL sewing mastermind who is Carly Carte lives in Minneapolis now. She was able to join me and not only run the booth, but she also made some unique 1 of a kind Minnesota themed pieces. Thank you Carly! The Escape The Waste Booth at the Reuse Minnesota Annual Conference and two happy Minnesota reusers. Now, going all the way to Minnesota, I wanted to make the most of the time that I spent there and make as many connections as possible. On my second day there, Reuse Minnesota hosted a screening of REUSE! Because You Can't Recycle The Planet.  at the ginormous Minneapolis Central Library. And it was a great reuse reunion as Madalyn showed up (who works in another field now), along with Julie and Emily. And when I had asked Emily if there was somewhere cool that I could do a casual pop up shop before the screening, she had the perfect place in the organization's network. Pilllar is a coffee shop that is also a skateboard shop and music venue with a very robust reuse cup program and they serve vegan hot dogs. I didn't know such a place could exist, with so many of passions and favorite things. Cory Bracken, the owner and founder of Pillar, and fellow coffee loving skateboarder and reuser. Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my great host & tour guide while I was in Minneapolis: Margo Ashmore. And she's not only the current president of the Reuse Minnesota Board, she's also a reuser. Margo is currently part of this amazing Mystery Trash Remix event and took me to the Flux Arts Building to see her work and numerous others. And after seeing photos of the building in it's former dilapidated life, it's no wonder they're showcasing an event focused on turning trash into art. And as you can see by a couple favorites below, it's amazing what different artists can do with very similar items. Two of the pieces in the Mystery Trash Remix Event Margo in front of her house: "The Owl House." See it? As I reflect on my trip last week and think about what I saw and what I heard, it was more evident than ever that reuse is so abundant in Minnesota as a direct result of Reuse Minnesota's work. The majority of people in Minnesota understand the benefits of reuse. Reuse is a part of policy-making in the state. And reuse is truly just a normal thing for people. These changes that are happening in Minnesota are a result of the reuse community working together and focusing on their education, advocacy and promotion. What's happening in Minnesota with reuse is an example of what can and needs to happen around the country and the world. This is why I always reference Reuse Minnesota when people are looking for examples of reuse in action. And that's why I've stayed connected with the organization and the people that I've met. I look forward to heading back to Minnesota sometime in the not too distant future. There is so much reuse work that I'd like to see and be a part of in the state. And I always look forward to bringing my own version of reuse edutainment into the mix. See you sometime soon, Minnesota. P.S. It just made complete sense that when I injured my foot while there and needed to find a pair of slippers, Margo knew the perfect thrift store. Sure enough, there was a pair in my size, even with the tags still on them. (Injury and slipper photos aren't needed, even for a Halloween post. Yikes!)