The other day I had an interesting lesson with my students about recycling. We talked a lot about the importance of recycling and the reasons why people should recycle. I even gave them a project about recycling. My students were to create a useful product from any recyclable material, and they were to use this product in their homes. Here are some of the cool projects I received. Some of these students really had some cool ideas and put in a lot of effort.

While these projects are only a drop in the bucket, the possibilities to create beautiful things are endless. If everyone could just start to re-use items, the the case is halfway won. Garbage and waste materials have a terrible affect on the environment. All over the world there are lots of re-usable materials that end up in the rubbish dump somewhere. EVERY DAY! Because these garbage contains plastic bags, plastic bottles and other materials that are not biodegradable, these toxins create harmful gases that in turn cause pollution, and therefore damage the ozone layer.

I don't think people realize exactly what type of chain reaction is caused when they don't recycle or re-use products. Plastic takes an extremely long time to dissolve into the soil. Plastic upon plastic layers are just pressed together and because the bacteria in the ground can not flourish and grow, the soil is also destroyed.

This in turn causes an unbalanced Eco-system. Animals die because plants can not grow properly. Although this is a vicious cycle, nature always try and balance the cycle again. We as humans can help repair the damage that we have done.

BUT what if we can use these waste materials to help others instead of destroying the Eco-system? There are so many homeless people out there, what if we can use the plastic bottles to actually build houses for them?

I found some very interesting pictures online of houses built with plastic bottles. Would it not be amazing if we could start a "build a plastic house campaign?"

Just have a look at this! I think this might be a possible solution to homelessness. It is a cheap easy way for low cost housing. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads don't they?

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I would not even know that the above houses were built with plastic bottles. Even I would move in there.

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You can even save up your wine bottles and create a wall out of glass.

I just think this is a very cool idea. After a hurricane, there are so many houses destroyed and the costs involved to replace and rebuild is astronomical. Is this not an easy way to replace houses? What does it matter whether your house is built by bricks or with plastic bottles?

People all over South Africa live in shacks in like these. Due to the high numbers of people not having jobs, could this not be a project to start for jobless people? I would rather work than starve. This is a very low cost housing idea, but surely one that can be explored further. If we could just inform these people that there are alternatives to building houses, that would mean the seed is planted. Maybe this could change the world?

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Little by little WE can all make a difference!

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