The buzz word for 2013 could very well be “upcycling,” a term we first heard last year. Instead of scrapping old materials to make new, upcycling efforts build new products with the old and save the process of using energy to recreate a fresh material.
We recently came across such a venture in Toronto, where Friends of 2 Wheels looks to recycle used bikes, repair used bikes and refurbish donated bikes and even upcycles new bikes from what otherwise might go in the landfill. This not-for-profit business even uses the sales of bikes to cover the cost of new bike parts and equipment. The company even offers bicycles for those in need, helping to change one life at a time. We think of this as the “cycle of life.”