San Antonio.- That tangled wire cluttering the garage, those stacks of outdated magazines, the old floor tiles from last year’s kitchen renovation – all those items you thought you would never use again can be more than a hoarder’s heaven.
Spare parts and Texas Public Radio (TPR) are combining forces to bring you Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at the Galeria Guadalupe located at 723 S. Brazos St. They will be accepting donation of any odds and ends from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. on Aug. 4 to support the environment, education, and art.
No need to wait for spring cleaning time to roll around again. You can end the clutter this weekend so the community can benefit from your knick knacks. After all, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, or so the saying goes.
But de-cluttering your garage isn’t the only reason to take a trip to Galeria Guadalupe next Saturday. In addition to collecting donations there will be a creative corner for visitors to make their own art, a display of all the art supplies collected so far and art installations along the wall made with recycled materials, according to Mary Cantu, the founder of spare parts.
Norwood and Corona Visions will also be attempting to make the Guiness Book of World Records for largest ball of lights. As of right now, the shimmering orb is two feet across and almost 80 pounds! So be sure to grab old holiday lights to make your own contribution to the record-breaking feat.
While this is the first year that spare parts and TPR are pairing up, this is the second year that spare parts has collected art supply donations for teachers.
Local teachers are more than grateful.
“Materials are hard to come by,” Rose Garcia, a teacher at Smith Elementary, claims. “We need to get the word out. I think a lot more teachers would take advantage if they really knew what was going on.”
Rebecca Phillips, a teacher at Brentwood Middle School, seconded that appreciation at last year’s event.
“To come here today and to be able to take anything and everything that I need that somebody else doesn’t need is a wonderful way to go green, to teach that to our kids, and to fill our classroom’s without emptying our pockets.”
But Reduce, Reuse, Recycle does more than educates students. It educates the community.
“We’re excited to teach the public about creative reuse,” Cantu said.
However, she explains that reuse is only one part of the cycle. First, people must try to reduce the amount of stuff they consume. Then, people must reuse old items to repair other objects or find new purposes. Finally, if the item cannot be reused, make sure it’s recyclable.
Following these simple steps will help San Antonio achieve its zero waste plan. Members of Partners Alamo Area Council of Government (AACOG) and the San Antonio Solid Waste Management department will also be at the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle event to teach the public on how to live greener.
Part of that education is changing your mindset. Cantu wants to make people rethink trash.
“Think twice before you throw away,” Canto said.
According to Cantu, throwing things ‘away’ is really only transferring them somewhere else. While you no longer see them, they haven’t disappeared from the planet.
The artists teach creative utility because they use their skills to think outside the box, or in this case, outside of the trash can. By redefining and repurposing what we once thought was trash, Cantu believes we can boost the creative and cultural energy of San Antonio.
www.laprensasa.com no se hace responsable de las ideas expresadas por los autores de los comentarios y se reserva el derecho a eliminar aquellos contenidos que: