Have you ever wondered where the phrase Reduce, Reuse, Recycle came from?
Around the same time as the creation of Earth Day, the EPA was formed and the Resource Recovery Act was passed by Congress. This bill was created with the intention of shifting both federal and community attention to the practices of recycling, resource recovery and the conversion of wastes into energy.
Throughout the 1970s, many different laws were enacted – both at the federal and state level – to promote conservation efforts and raise awareness of them to the general public. Thus, the Three R’s were born in an effort to market the idea.
So,we decided to take all three R’s and make something creative that truly embodied reduce, reuse and recycle. Recycled Magazine Coasters.
It really is so simple, and will make a great statement at your next party or gathering. Better yet, they would make an awesome gift to give a schoolteacher or co-worker for Earth Day.
Recycled Magazine Coasters
Use pages from a glossy magazine. Tear out pages, and then fold the edge over and over at .5 inch in width, and trim to get a clean edge.
Then fold the magazine strip in half – lengthwise. This will give you a thick strip to start the center with. Use the folded edge as the top of the coaster – it gives it a cleaner look.
Roll tight in a small swirl, gluing along the way. You can use an Elmer’s glue – but hot glue works the best. When you reach the end of the paper – start another strip where the last one ended. Continue this process until it is the desired size.
We finished off the coasters by gluing a .25 inch ribbon around the entire edge to give it a clean look. The ribbon hides the unfinished edge, and allows you to bring in a color that the coaster may be missing.
