OFS gets Crafty
During the spring 2013 semester, the University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability got crafty in order to fulfill some of its office needs. With 10 interns, 1 Energy Corps member and 1 Director occupying our house in the middle of the street, lovingly called the “Sustainability House,” we needed name tags. Instead of outsourcing this task to a company that makes cookie cutter name tags (psht, who does that?), intern Addie used her architecture connections and created name tags using a laser cutter machine. Using the laser cutter machine on the UofA campus, Addie was able to design the name tags to fit the office’s brand and look. Using a piece of chipboard (less than $5), the laser cutter machine etched the design and names onto the chip board and then cut them out. Afterwards, name tag magnets (another $5) were attached to the back, and voila! Simple, cheap, beautiful name tags were created. Whereas one outsourced name tag would have cost approximately $7, OFS created 12 name tags for less than $10!
name tags created using chip board, a laser cutter and self-adhesive magnets.
Reuse
With so much chip board left over, it was used again in creating personalized thank you cards that the office presented to businesses for their donations to the Office for Sustainability’s Open House event in late April. These were basically of no cost since the chip board was paid for only once when it was originally purchased for creating the name tags. Now that’s what I call stretching dollars and making each red cent count!
Crafts for Sustainability Events
OFS didn’t stop there! For some of our major events this semester, we had crafting tables where students, faculty and staff could come create unique items made from everyday items that are usually thrown away. What do you do with old glass bottles and metal bottle caps? You craft, that’s what! Juice glasses were transformed into vases for flowers, and old bottle caps and magazine clippings were transformed into refrigerator magnets.
How does your office get crafty?
How do you and your co-workers take advantage of existing materials to cut costs and create neat things for your office? Leave us a comment with a picture or a URL.