Used Cardboard

As Shawn and I were unpacking all of our boxes, we agreed that we didn't want to just throw away this huge mound of cardboard. We really aren't normally as "green" as we should be, but we're working on it. So as we unpacked, we started stacking all the boxes in the middle of the hallway leading to our bedrooms. Probably not the smartest idea, as we eventually ended up with quite the stack that we had to step up and over all the time! Our plan was simply to leave them there until I could locate a place in our new town that would accept cardboard recycling.

I mentioned our plan to my mom, and she suggested that I try to get in contact with this guy named Seth. Seth also grew up in Ohio (in fact, I'm thinking that he and I might have gone to the same high school...but he's younger than me, so I'd have to check on that). His mom and my mom work together at a Christian elementary school there. But apparently, Seth lives in the Seattle area now.

So why should this poor guy be interested in taking all of our used cardboard boxes? Because he and his friend make cool stuff out of used cardboard! My mom got me his email address, and although I was skeptical, I contacted him. I figured the fact that the boxes had writing and tape all over them would make them useless for his purposes, but when I had a chance to talk to him, he let me know that tape and writing were basically like a patina for the cardboard...gave the cardboard character.

This past Saturday, Shawn and I loaded all our boxes into the back of his car and made our way to the Capitol Hill area of Seattle (on our way to a rugby match, of course). We met Seth and Jon, who seemed genuinely pleased to be taking that load of cardboard off our hands! I'm glad that we were able to get rid of our cardboard in a manner that ensures it's not going to wind up in a landfill somewhere. And I especially love the thought that someday, our boxes might end up in someone's home as one of these cool chairs!

Or personally, I'd love to have one of these lights:As long as you're reading this blog, you should go ahead and check out Seth and Jonathon's business, Gray Pants. Just click that link to see it!