Go Green. Recycle!

After attending Michigan State University for 3 years I finally thought I would share with you all how wonderful life is when you bleed green.

The MSU Recycling Center began in 1988 when the student body put together a petition to the board of Trustees about MSU's amount of waste by 1990 MSU took action. Fast forward 18 years and the board of MSU Trustees authorized an actual processing facility. With several grants and funds MSU was able to provide MSU with the Office of Recycling and Waste Reproduction (ORWR).

The MSU Recycling facility does on site packaging of recyclable products and sorting. The facility also provides a surplus store and a area for recycling education. You may think where does Glass Recycled come in... Well Glass Recycled made a few custom items to donated to our beloved facility where students, staff, and the public can view the beauty of recycling. Besides the counters there is rainwater collection tanks on the roof of the building that will provide toilet water; rooftop photovoltaic solar panels that will produce 10 percent of the electricity for the building; broad use of day lighting throughout the facility through large number of windows; motion sensors to control lights within high-traffic areas; low-flow fixtures in restrooms; and our countertops. 

 

This makes me so excited to be involved with such a green company and attend a green university!We will achieve our goals to reduce energy use by 15%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15%, and reduce landfill waste by 30% by 2015. 

 As a student I walk past about 40 recycling bins a day on campus and I am not the only one that takes part in going green. Since our campus is known for our "Go Green" and "Go White" we take great pride in bleeding green and being green. If you haven't seen a green community come to East Lansing, Michigan and see MSU's Green and White!

Be Spartan Green!

Do It Yourself!

Do you hate your bathroom?

Each day we spend an hour or more brushing our teeth and hair, bathing, or applying makeup... So why doesn't your bathroom reflect you? Shana and Wade took the steps necessary to make their morning and evening routines comfortable, stylish, and unique!

A given GlassSLAB sized at 7"x84"x1"contains on average about 417 wine bottles. I bet you never thought of recycling your own spirits glasses to create a countertop for your own home. Glass Recycled's mission is to recycle and recreate beauty in your home and workplace.

 Glass Recycled was featured in DIY on October 1, 2011  in the Kissler's home and took part in a $15,000 renovation. You are probably thinking wow these countertops are pricey... But let me tell you what this bathroom included- Cork flooring, penny "rugs, an automatic cleaning, music playing, and talking toliet, it also included a deluxe shower with several features, and our recycled coutertops with a dual sinks. The giant shower included numerous light settings, steam, jets, and a rain like showering options. The bright and unique bathroom made the statement in their home beyond the bright orange pint. This DIY episode wiill be playing the episode a few more times throughout the month before our next premiere in a kitchen remodel.

You can view Shana and Wade's bathroom makeover:

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• October 11, 2011 9:30 AM e/p
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•  October 15, 2011 2:30 PM e/p
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Adding a little tile work or color to a drab bathroom can go a long way!

The Art of Glass in NYC

For those of you who are keeping up with my where-abouts and Glass Recycled's recent projects you'll find a few updates in our Facebook statuses and tweets on twitter. I recently visited New York this past weekend for little fun with my sister.  I contact Mark Reigelman, a New Yorker upcoming artist, who has purchased our glass for his vision of house protection through the design and creativity of art.

Mark is a young and upcoming artist in the New York City area with several glass collections.  He is known for is collection in the Heller Gallery. The piece displayed in the Heller Gallery is called Breaking the Bottle and is quite massive in comparison to other art displays. With a life size table and chairs along with lamps and rugs it makes this green art come to life.

Mark and I spent a good part of my first day in New York examining his art and informing one and other about the green industry. To my surprise I found the furniture to be very sturdy and not as sharp as you think! Mark and I posed a few times on the chairs and rugs to prove that his art is not just for looks! Mark went on to tell me where his inspirations came from, ""Breaking the Bottle" is inspired by the do-it-yourself protective glass barriers surrounding homes. Found on fences and rooftops around the world, these labor-intensive layers of glass shards display careful planning and placement, while exposing an underlying and pervasive mistrust of the community.   These barriers, which intend to protect the contents within their perimeter, greatly isolate the objects therein. The intention of this installation is to highlight the elegant results but unfortunate need of D-I-Y glass barriers while exaggerating the repercussions of over-protection." Mark is a do it yourself kind of guy and until he realized how much work went into breaking all the bottles necessary to create his vision that is when Mark and Glass Recycled met.  

"I spent hundreds of hours collecting and breaking bottles for my first 5 Cent glass chair. At one point I realized how ridiculous this process was. Shortly after I started researching broken glass and I discovered [Glass Recycled]. They offer a product that suits my needs perfectly and their drive to promote recycled material blended wonderfully with my work formally and conceptually.  Ever since, [Glass Recycled] has been extremely generous and supportive of my current exploration."

Glass Recycled is nationally known and has taken its part in many aspects of media... From the involvement in making a difference in homes and offices to its premieres on several television networks, and now art Glass Recycled is not only promoting the company, but the green ways of living. 

What It Takes To Pull Us Outside...

Whether the heats keeps us in the house with the air conditioning on or outside eating up the rays of the sun; summer is the best time of the year! Our summers in Northern Michigan are know for boating, evening cookouts, and lots of family time. So I was thinking what are some ways to get the family outside or how can we bring our friends closer to us... outside activities. Why not make yard work fun or unique? Glass Recycled offers art for both inside and outside of your home-GlassSCAPE!

"[Glass Recycled] is one of those rare companies that had an idea and turned it into an innovation to benefit the environment. EnviroSCAPE is one such innovation. The product turns trashed glass into something useful and eco-friendly. It can also contribute seven or more LEED points to your building project." -CalFinder

The idea of putting glass into your garden or near a walk way may sound like it would be dangerous, but with rounded edges and the natural shine and reflection of glass it adds a magical touch to your outside scenery.

From the page Glass Recycled on the web site there is a few fun facts for those of you who are skeptical of GlassSCAPE:

• Water conservation and Xeriscape applications encourage mulching to help retain moisture in the soil and reduce water evaporation
• Glass mulch and porcelain mulch also reduce weeds, moderate soil temperatures, and prevent soil from becoming compacted
• Glass mulch does not absorb water like wood mulch, so the water goes where it is intended – into the plants – and even less water is used
• Be twice as ‘green’: recycle while you save water!

Are you still doubting the ever so popular look? Check out this blog: http://www.calfinder.com/blog/landscaping/landscape-with-beautiful-recycled-glass/

There you will find some cool pictures and real comments from real people and designers! My favorite response to GlassSCAPE is,"It makes so much perfect sense to include sustainable living techniques into gardening and landscaping. This is a FANTASTIC example! thanks for sharing! =]" Also someone listed a site/forum that includes a designated spot to post pictures and ideas for landscaping ( http://yardshare.com/) So don't be shy and feel free to be a little more green and join the many others who have recycled and been the first out of your friends to place glass in their decorative landscaping!

At Glass Recycled there is so much going on... not only in terms of projects for given customers, but a lot within the company. Be ready to have your mind blown with some of the new innovative designs and materials that are going to be released soon! Glass Recycled has taken all of your demands, wants and desires into consideration and it will be evident once our new material is released. Until then sit tight and continued to awed by the beauty and customization that we have to offer.