07/31/2006: "Make Trash Into, Well, Something!"

By Francie Hansen

I'm making you an offer that I hope is hard to refuse (okay, you cynics, don't say "watch me!"). As head of the Trash to Treasures booth for the San Juan County Fair, which is sponsored by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) -- and in conjunction with the San Juan Island Anti-Litter Initiative – I challenge both adults and children to go out and find "stuff"…at South Beach, Jackson Beach, the Thrift Store, your kitchen junk drawer, under the bed, your neighbor's yard sale, your garage, those broken toys or missing puzzle pieces…and turn it into a treasure. Litter works too!!

Ferry overload tickets, stickers, extra photos, and old stamps make great stationery collages; cans can be flattened and made into purses or briefcases; bottle caps are super earrings; and aluminum foil can be rolled and molded into sculpture. The possibilities are endless!

Once you've found some good "stuff," dig deep into those creative fissures in your brain and invent an art piece, a functional item, something that makes you laugh or proud. Add a little glue, feathers, wire, paper, string, material, tape, yarn, solder, paint…all of these do wonders for the discarded items needing rescuing!

We are a throw-away society…we're good at doing so with stuff as well as relationships. But I know on San Juan Island we're a unique population, and we have the potential to break that cycle and give a new lease on life to our discards. By simply looking again in a different way (you might try upside down and backwards), I know you'll figure something out.

Please join me on entry day at the Fairgrounds, Tuesday, August 15, from 9-6, and bring in your masterpiece. I can't wait to see what you create…and hear the story. You might even win a prize! And if you get a chance, read The Velveteen Rabbit; it's inspiring too!