Random Acts of Kindness and Inspiration
The last Friday of every month, a group of writers join by posting something positive and inspirational to help spread some kindness messages in our community and deflect off some of the negativity in the world. A link is added at the bottom of this posts if you’d like to join in and post one of your own #WATWB contributions.
Would you shop in a mall that carried only recycled products?
I found this article about an experiment to see if retail could pick up momentum by opening an environmentally friendly shopping mall. I know I wouldn’t hesitate to shop there. Read more about what they sell and how things are recycled. And if you continue reading you will see some fabulous photos of examples of recycled goods. Then take a short tour with the video below.
With malls in the U.S. in the midst of what analysts are calling a retail apocalypse, nervous store owners are looking for any signs of life. A new shopping experiment in Sweden is offering a different model for consumerism, but it’s idea of rebirth may not be what brands are looking for.
ReTuna Återbruksgalleria may sound like a piece of flat-pack furniture, but this new take on retail—a mall featuring only recycled or reclaimed goods—would be the last place to find such a disposable produce. According to Anna Bergström, one of the founders, the new concept is all about sustainability. Everything for sale in the shopping center, which opened in August of 2015 in Eskilstuna, a city 75 mile west of Stockholm, has been upcycled. Shoppers are encouraged to drop off used items when the arrive, which will later be transformed by the designers, craftspeople, and store owners working inside.
ReTuna represents a partnership between a municipally-own company and local non-profits and businesses, an outgrowth of local officials wanting to do more to help promote sustainability and address Sweden’s waste reduction plan. The city owns the property and rents it to tenants who support sustainable businesses practices. Continue reading . . .
This week’s #WATWB hosts are” Shilpa Garg, Sylvia McGrath, Mary Giese, Belinda Witzenhausen and Guilie Castillo . Please link to them in your WATWB posts and go say hi!
DGKayewriter.com 
Fascinating, Debby. What great ideas.x
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Thanks Judith. I think we certainly need more of these malls around the world. 🙂 xx
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Hi Debbie – what a great idea … I’ll have to keep my eyes open to see how the store does … I’m sure there’s mileage to be made here for all concerned … so much now gets chucked out -when we could and certainly used to recycle everything … great WAWTB … mine will go up on Tuesday – cheers Hilary
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OH fantastic Hilary! I thought this was a fabulous idea. And I look forward to reading yours too. Do you know I couldn’t find your blog for some reason for so long. This is the first time I clicked on your avatar and was taken to your blog. Now I can visit yours too! 🙂 xx
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How could I not read on?! ? Debby, thank you so much for sharing this article and a resounding YES, I would shop there!! A superb idea, recycling, new jobs, bringing the community together!! ??I’ve been searching desperately for decent second-hand bikes in Sweden and they’re so difficult to find and then I see them here at this mall. I’d be over in a flash!
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Oh fantastic Annika! Wow, how exciting that you may be going there. I thought it was such a brilliant concept. 🙂
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Great idea! -:-)
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🙂 Thanks John.
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Wow! What a novel idea and it’s executed so well too!! I would LOVE to shop here! Thanks for sharing such a lovely story, Debbie!
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Isn’t it fab? Thanks Shilpa. I’d love to see this happening all over the world! 🙂
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Wow Debby, just watched the video link as well, and we need MORE Malls like this what a wonderful idea.. Thank you for sharing it.. 🙂 Have a great weekend.. 😀
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How did I know you would love this Sue? 🙂 But really, it’s a fantastic idea that I hope catches around the world. Let’s start with North America. 🙂 ❤ xxx Happy weekend to you to my friend. ❤
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It is a brilliant share and idea.. We started here by plastic bag charges of 5pence per bag.. to stop plastic bag waste.. The 5p goes to the shop owners choice of charity.
It became law here.. And since it has, it has so reduced the litter blowing of unused plastic bags, let alone what must get put into land fill.
Small things are happening.. We recycle a lot here, our paper, tin, glass, plastic.. we have special bins for..
There is far too much packaging of plastic and items made of it. that if not recycled will never rot, which are causing huge problems now for Aquatic life..
I saw a picture the other week of sea horse with tail wrapped around a floating cotton bud. Sad when we see sea birds feeding their young plastic from the ocean that kills them.. So so much to do.. But this is a wonderful start in raising awareness. xxx
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Thanks for sharing that good news Sue. Like the UK, we here in Canada follow the same practice. Stores have been charging 5 cents per plastic bag for quite a few years and our homes have 3 different recycling bins – garbage, food compost, and recyclable bottles/cans/ boxes, etc. Natch, UK and Canada follow same practice. 🙂 ❤ xxx
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Brill xxx
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It sounds like the old-style swap meets but more sophisticated. The ones in my area quickly became more about new goods than recycled.
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Yes, that seems to be the usual way Jacqui, but hoping that more countries catch on to this. 🙂
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Brilliant concept Debby and thanks for sharing.. We alway send our stuff to charity shops and rarely throw things away.. but they stay in their original format.. Some furniture would benefit from a makeover… well shared.. hugs xx♥
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Thanks a bunch Sal. When I saw it I thought it was a fabulous idea. Hoping other countries catch on and start to do the same – something new from something old. 🙂 ❤ xx
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I agree Debby.. when we first got married we could afford a cooker and a new bed.. everything else came from the second hand shop around the corner. People were getting rid of all their oak stuff.. brilliant and cheap.. hugs xx
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Ahh, we wish we had those things now. They don’t make things the way they used to. 🙂 ❤
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They are worth a fortune.. ours were given away when we moved various times or left in the house as so heavy to transport country to country. xxx♥
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Imagine how much of our ‘junk’ has become another man’s fortune! 🙂 ❤
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Isn’t that cool? I would so shop there. I try to spend my money responsibly and speak with my dollars. The US could learn something from this. 🙂
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It seems like everyone wants to start seeing this happen everywhere! I hope the trend starts. 🙂 And btw, again, I found your comment in spam. Get out of the gutter Diana LOL. ❤
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Really? Ugh. It must be my potty mouth, or all the links I attach. Ha ha. Who knows.
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LOL. Must have been (kidding). But on the bright side, you made it here today without going to spam! 🙂 x
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Fascinating. It gives me hope that an idea like this one might find its way into the USA. It’s a great concept.
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Isn’t it? Thanks Ally. I hope it spreads here to Canada too. 🙂
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What a fabulous idea, Debby! I will do a search periodically to see how this mall is doing. Hopefully the idea will catch on in more cities / countries.
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Thanks Emily. I hope it does catch on! 🙂
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WONDERFUL idea – thanks for sharing. A lot of policies and offerings in the Scandinavian countries make me wish I lived there. Such an enlightened part of the world.
xx,
mgh
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My sentiments exactly M. Okay, let’s go! 🙂 xxxx
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As soon as I win the lottery, I’ll take us all. Oh wait – first I guess I’ll need to buy a ticket – lol.
xx,
mgh
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Game on! Ditto my friend. 🙂 xxxxxx
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Sad to say, I don’t even know HOW to “play the lottery” – lol.
xx,
mgh
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Lol, don’t feel bad. We have so many versions of lotteries here, I get confused too. I let my husband buy them – if he wins, I win, lol. 🙂 xx
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Ah yes – another advantage to be married – lol. Men are so useful, aren’t they? 🙂
xx,
mgh
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LOL 🙂 xx
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Three cheers for ReTuna! Fantastic idea and fabulous share, Deb. I’m a recycle and thrift store junkie. The amount of money I’ve saved over the years would sink a ship 🙂 ♥
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I have no doubts Tina! I should have used you for the Poster Girl for this post LOL. I think many people are just learning the value of recycle and re-use in recent years. 🙂 ❤
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Deb, a photo of my apartment would make a better poster. Most everything was obtained from thrift stores! Great deals and high quality 🙂 ❤
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I want to see! ❤
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Of course you do! 🙂 But I don’t have a camera 😦 ❤
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Arg! 🙂 xxx
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I would so totally shop in a mall like this!
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I know right? 🙂
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Hopefully this will continue to create awareness about re-cycling Debby. I think it’s a great idea that local artists are also involved and they re-fashion the goods. Everything is re-cyclable .. and artists use wonderfully creative ways to create new art .. we can of course maybe do this among our friends as well .. clothes, shoes whatever – swap or sell and and donate a percentage to a ‘worthy cause’ – maybe supporting creative artists or something .. Thank you!
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Thanks so much for reading Susan, and for adding your additional thoughts and just how far this mission can stretch. I’m thrilled it’s getting a positive reaction and hope it inspires others to jump on the bandwagon. 🙂
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AT first I thought, “Oh, another second-hand store.” But after reading on, I think it sounds like a great idea. That there are designers and craftspeople transforming the items really gives it a nice twist. And the bottom line is that they’re working together to help the waste problems.
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Absolutely! 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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What an incredible idea! I would love to find a store like that! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this and for being part of #WATWB! 🙂
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Thanks Belinda. I’m glad so many here think this is a great idea. Maybe it will spread around and we’ll start seeing them appear. 🙂
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Fabulous!
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I know right? 🙂 ❤
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Oh yes, I think this is an excellent idea, Debby. I hope it takes off all over the world. I can see the likes of Apple and Microsoft not being very happy about it, but I’d certainly go and shop at one of these places and drop off anything I don’t use anymore so it could be recycled. I love the idea, and hope it takes off.
xx
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Thanks for chiming in Hugh. It seems to be a popular vote for all here. Hope it catches on! 🙂 xx
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This is amazing. Brilliant, really. I would totally shop there. I’m not holding my breath but WILL cross my fingers that this catches on. I hope malls open up all over the world. Thanks so much for sharing this, Debby.
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Isn’t it fab? Everyone who has seen it would like to see more of these malls. It’s time! 🙂
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It’s a great idea. I hope it gets support. It should.
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Thanks Cynthia. I do too. 🙂
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What a seriously fabulous idea. It makes me want to plan a trip to visit. But certainly this is something that can be adopted widely and I hope we see that.
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Thanks Deborah. It seems unanimous by all who read this that it’s a fab idea. I hope someone gets the ball rolling. 🙂
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What a fantastic idea! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Thrift shops and consignment stores are around, but this brings it to a whole new level.
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It sure does. Best recycling! 😉
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?
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This is fantastic! As a girl we often shopped at second hand stores for clothes and shoes. My niece goes out of her way to do so as she wants to find unique items. I love the idea of this eco-friendly mall! Great share.
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Thanks Christy. I have no doubts you love this. 🙂 ❤
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Wow, Debby, What a fantastic idea! Landfills are full of items that could be recycled. Thanks for sharing this. Love and hugs.
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Exactly. And it seems all who’ve read think it’s great, so I hope ideas are forming! 🙂 xx
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This is a fantastic idea, I hope it catches on all over the world, particularly in our countries. xxx
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Thanks Adele. It seems that everyone agrees, so I hope it does! 🙂 xxx
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❤
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Love this idea, Debby. I’d support a mall like that too. We need to be taking much better care of this beautiful Earth of ours. Thanks for sharing this uplifting story.
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Thanks Norah. I thought it was fantastic, and it seems all who’ve read it feel the same. I hope the idea takes off in many more parts of the world. 🙂 x
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I hope so too. It would have to improve things a whole lot! 🙂
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🙂 🙂
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What a fantastic idea! I’m glad to see continued efforts towards sustainability, less garbage and innovative ideas that benefit the earth as well as the people.I’m not much of a shopper, but I would definitely like to check out a mall of this kind. And, hope the products are affordable, just in case something strikes my fancy. 🙂
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Thanks Liesbet. I think many of us would like to see these malls pop up. And I’d have to imagine the prices would be considerably cheaper too. 🙂
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I love this Debby and hope we see many malls like this near us all soon.
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Thanks Simon. It seems many of us here are ready to see these malls start popping up. 🙂
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