Appliance Art Revival 2011

It's not very often we come across appliance related events, which is understandable considering not everyone thinks they are as cool as we do. So to say that we were ecstatic to recently hear about the Appliance Art Revival would be quite the understatement. Finally (we thought), another group of people who appreciate the true beauty of appliances the same way we do!

This is the third year that the folks from ReUse Works in Northern Washington have been hosting the Appliance Art Revival. The event is taking place this weekend, Saturday June 4th, in Bellingham to raise awareness for their community Appliance Depot, a local nonprofit that salvages, repairs, and sells donated appliances. Their catchy motto says it all - Save Money. Save the Planet.

ReUse Works has been a quadruple win for the local community; not only are they a major contributor in reducing waste and energy-use, they are creating jobs and providing perfectly functioning appliances to the community at a very low price. Founder and executive director Duane Jager says, "ReUse saves money, energy, resources and landfill space."

Amateur and professional artists had until April 22, 2011 to submit their masterpieces created entirely out of appliances and appliance parts. Around 30 were submitted and have been on display at the Boundary Bay Brewery since the beginning of May. Check them out on online here.

As cool as appliance art is, it's not the only way people can participate and raise awareness for this important cause. For the second year in a row the Appliance Art Revival has added in an extra twist to their community celebration with the Appliance Derby race. It's too late to enter your wheeled racing machine this year, but if you're in the area you should definitely go watch and maybe even send us a video. Word on the street is that the competition is fierce.

ReUse Work's impact on the community over the past three years is inspiring. They have accepted over 15,000 appliances to be properly recycled and even saved 3,500 of them to be reused. And reusing is actually a significant component in a sustainable economy as Jager explains, "If only half of the 25.5 million tons of durable goods (appliances, furniture, clothing and machinery) now discarded in the U.S. were reused, more than 110,000 new jobs could be created."

Your support to the Appliance Art Revival helps protect the environment, supports local jobs, and promotes a sustainable local economy. Even if you don't participate in this exact event, repairing and reusing your appliances at home will reduce your carbon footprint and you could really have a lot of fun doing it too!