Here at Myakka we love recycling (see our previous post on our work with scrapstores), and we love thinking outside of the box to make something we all know from something different and more sustainable.
For these two reasons we love Sustainable Community Initiatives (SCI) idea of making an upcycled greenhouse from used plastic bottles. It makes perfect sense when you think about it!
Louise from SCI tells us about what they do…
“Sustainable Communities Initiatives (SCI) is based as Kinghorn Loch in Fife and works with communities at a grass roots level to inspire, support and demonstrate environmental and social sustainability. Our aim is to bring people together to create community and family cohesion. We deliver projects that people of all skills and ages can learn from, and by creating space and time for people to be together environmental and social problems are addressed in fun, creative and relaxed manner.
We run the Earthship Fife Visitor Centre, a fully autonomous, self-sustaining building, built by over 200 volunteers 2003-2004. The Earthship was the first of its kind to be built in Scotland and serves as a unique educational resource for the community, schools, colleges and families, and attracts visitors from Scotland, Europe and all over the world. It is also used for teambuilding days and other eco events. An Earthiship is a passive solar building with thermal mass, this means it maintains a comfortable living temperature all year round. It is all made from natural and recycled materials – predominantly earth rammed tyres and aluminium cans. It is powered by renewable energy, such as wind, water and solar power. It catches its own water supply from rainwater, and treats and contains its own sewage in planter beds.
At the SCI we also run fun and educational workshops in schools and at events. A very popular workshop is our week-long Plastic Bottle Greenhouse builds. The build is a waste education experience beginning with the children (and adults) collecting 1500 2-litre plastic bottles. Our facilitator then spends a week with them, helping to build a greenhouse which can be used for plant growing, classroom and play activities.
Our plastic bottle greenhouses are much more than recycling! They are educational packages that the kids never forget. For one week kids are builders, eco-champions and have the fun experience of watching their waste being transformed into a unique eco-structure that they can proudly use for years to come.”
For further information, have a look at SCI’s website: http://www.sci-scotland.org.uk/bottle.shtml. You can also contact SCI on telephone: 01592 891884 or email inquiry@sci-scotland.org.uk
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For more information on a selection of our own recycled products, click here: Eco Chalk boards, Patchwork footstools: Moti Ari cushions, Tea Light holders
We would like to wish the Sustainable Communities Initiatives the best of luck in the future and hope they bring many more projects to the community. If you would like more information about building a recycled plastic bottle Greenhouse then please do contact them, they would love to help!
