Ok, I got a bit sidetracked as I attempted to continue my wind energy research, so that topic will just have to wait. Instead, I came across this video:
which left me watching it more than once because of it's absurdity. It's hilarious because it's so ridiculous, and therefore, the video did it's job. It made me think.....
I can't wait for more of these to be posted.
I can't wait for more of these to be posted.
And IN steps in the topic of 'what do do with all those product samples?' Most firms within the building industry have not-so-insignificant square footage dedicated to housing binder after binder, box after box of samples, that for the most part, take up energy consuming interior space, collect dust, and provide an organizational project for any summer intern. Yet the samples keep coming in, keep piling up, and then all of a sudden, your firm changes, perhaps has to downsize or simply update it's inventory, and where do all those precious materials go? Well, if you're someone like me, you snag a bunch of those carpet and tile samples to create your new area rug with the plan to hopefully use the tile for some cool backsplash or at least some coasters. But alas, even those usually gets the boot sooner or later, all to end up with the rest of the pre-determinedly doomed samples that have already hit the bin. It's a shame, really, because a lot of the materials that gets pitched are pretty cool stuff. Just what do you DO with them, though, after they've lived out it's useful life in the office?
My past firm had recently gone through such a change, and I was there to witness the dumpster after dumpster of STUFF that just had to go. It was seriously jaw-dropping. BUT, when you loose office square footage, it's obviously going to be redistributed amongst money-making employees, not binders and drawers and cabinets and room after room of samples. You look at all the waste and think, can't any of this be recycled? Or Reused? Or up-cycled for that matter?
There actually was a group in town to help take such items and redistribute them to students, and I thought, now THAT is what I'm talking about. I would have loved to have some hands-on time with material samples in school, but no, you don't get to touch any of those until the 'real' world. Unfortunate, I know, when now you see that all this stuff is really getting thrown out! This group, Save a Sample , does exactly that, and it seemed, at the time, like such a no-brainer. I'm not positive if it was the exact entity my firm had considered using (I'm guessing so because I wasn't able to round up any other group who does this), but in the end, we ended up not even contributing because of the amount of restrictions on type and amount of items you could donate. We just had TOO MUCH stuff that wasn't organized, and therefore, not deemed suitable for this. So this good idea backfired and into the dumpster it all went. All of it. Again, such a shame. I'm thinking, hmmm, if only there were more incentives or simply less restrictions on donating, then MAYBE, more firms would be on board? Who knows....
Now, not all hope is lost because often times, the samples are able to be recycled if you return them back to the companies from which they came. But what do you do when you don't have the time or money to call up all those reps to come pick up your 'garbage' all the time? First off, just stop collecting samples. OR take only what's needed if a rep comes by and shows the entire collection. OR just take more advantage of the internet and if you really need something, then call your rep. When he/she comes, be ready to give back some of your out-of-date stuff to be returned to the company. OR take these samples and do something amazing with them. I don't know how many compliments I've gotten on my mismatched area rug, and how many jaws drop when people hear this was all stuff heading for the can. Or for a bit more competitiveness, find a local contest such as Ample Sample to show off your design skills. Can't you totally see some of these things being sold for top dollar at some designer store? And it's made from FREE stuff. It can't get any better than that. This should really be a whole market in itself.
In the grand scheme of things, of all the waste that is generated from actually producing a building, from office paper to construction waste, is pitching a 'few' samples really a big deal? Project after project passes, this stuff builds up, gets stacked in random corners of the office, and then all of a sudden no one really knows what these materials were for. Totally not the idea of the materials library, eh? Samples are not even serving their original purpose, but are now just crowding the workplace, waiting for someone to get fed up with the mess and just throw it all away. If offices tend to focus so much on recycling and making those double-sided prints, then is it really such a far stretch to be concerned with all of this much more energy-intensive STUFF piling up around you? Maybe it's not such a stretch after all. Maybe it's time to implement a 'Sample Plan' into your recycling agenda.