Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

According to Google Dictionary:


antique- made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age

junk/junking- trash: dispose of (something useless or old

flea market- an open-air street market for inexpensive or secondhand articles

thrift shop- a shop which sells used goods (especially clothes) at low prices

upcycling- the repurposing of a material into a product of higher quality. An example would be a purse made out of woven candy wrappers

resale shop- a reseller is a company or individual that purchases goods or services with the intention of reselling them rather than consuming or using them


What do these items have to do with environmental health?
     These terms bring to light recycling and various ways to re-use items that are already in circulation. It encourages consumers to buy locally or buy recycled materials. It can also be cheaper to shop in a thrift shop or resale shop. Instead of always looking to buy new it introduces buying used.

Identify local resources for the terms above.
     Antiques: Canal Park Antique Center, 310 South Lake Avenue, Duluth, MN, (218) 720-3940
     Junk/Junking: not sure how local this one is, but they say they will pick up in Duluth, Donate Junk Car, (866) 770-5463
     Flea Market: Studebaker Drivers Club Swap Meet Flea Market & Classic Car Show. Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Rd, 2 mi S of Miller Hill Mall. Annually 2nd Sunday in August. (218) 722-8533, Email: stude.one@usfamily.net
     Thrift Shop: Goodwill, 700 Garfield Avenue, Duluth, MN, (218) 722-6351
     Upcycling: I couldn't find any specific upcycling places to go in Duluth, but I did find this website for Annual Green Gifts Fair in Minneapolis, and it looks very neat! Not only was it 'green' themed, but there were lots of different sub-categories for a variety of interests.
     Resale shop: Plato's Closet, 5115 Burning Tree Road, Suite 315C, (218) 733-9455


I want to rave about Plato's Closet for a minute. Although I haven't tried any of these other stores I listed, I have been to Plato's on numerous occasions. Not only is it nice to clean out your closet of old clothes you never wear anymore, but it is awesome to get money back for them. It comes in handy for a little extra spending money and as college students we know money is tight. And you may not think it would be a very trendy place to shop, I stopped there before school started this year and got some lightly worn jeans and a few name brand tee shirts for cheap. You can't tell where I bought them so why not save a few bucks? I recommend you try them out if you haven't already.

On JunkMarketStyle.com, these were my three favorite things.

1. Milk Strainer "vase" - I like the way vintage flower pots look and the use of these weed like plants is very in right now. It can dress up a plain wall or just decorate a boring corner. Very creative!

2. Hem Marker Memo Holder - I thought this one was cool because I always have 'to do' notes lying around and am very forgetful without them. This is kind of a cool way to make remembering things a little less uncluttered!

3. Barnyard Tealight Display -  I like mood lighting a lot and right when I saw this one it made me think of putting them in a bathroom or bedroom to make the usual light fixtures a little less harsh. Makes me want to try and make some!