Kramp previews event called Re-Purposeful at Green Design Center
WAUKESHA -- Brian Kramp spent the morning previewing an event called Re-Purposeful at the Green Design Center in Waukesha. They collect dicontinued design materials from across the state to be re-purposed by teachers, non-profits, daycares, crafters and more. Kramp spent the morning working with some of the these materials to decorate everything from picture frames, book marks, gift tags and more.
Who are we? (website)
We are part of a Sustainability Committee with the Wisconsin Chapter of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) . As designers, we saw discontinued materials in interior design offices, with product representatives, and in design showrooms, with no where to go. Often, these materials were getting tossed into the landfill. So we collected them, and partnered with the Green Design Center in Waukesha, WI, who stores the materials and hosts the event.
Last year we collected 10,058 pounds of material, this year, 28,606 pounds! What do we do with it? We give it away for FREE! Our event, Re_Purposeful, invites teachers, non-profits, artists, crafters, and anyone else who can put these materials to use to come and take the materials. In our first two years we were able to divert 90% of the material from landfills, and will store the rest for next year.
What do those materials look like? Carpet tiles, wood samples, small and large tiles, fabric swatches, large pieces of fabric, vinyl tiles, and lots more! Some of this comes as full matching pieces, some of it is really, really random. But someone's creativity can always find a way to use it all, from the one piece of broken tile, to the binder the carpet samples were in!
We are so proud of this event! Watch out for us next year! We're not stopping anytime soon...we have big plans!