Renew Newcastle

A great initiative happening in Newcastle, Australia...called Renew Newcastle.
Also tipped to include an 'Upcycling' store by Nick Nelson inspired by the Cool Green Stuff book.
'Renew Newcastle has been established to find short and medium term uses for buildings in Newcastle's CBD that are currently vacant, disused, or awaiting redevelopment.
Renew Newcastle aims to find artists, cultural projects and community groups to use and maintain these buildings until they become commercially viable or are redeveloped.
Renew Newcastle was founded to help solve the problem of Newcastle's empty CBD. While the long term prospects for the redevelopment of Newcastle's CBD are good, in the meantime many sites are boarded up, falling apart, vandalised or decaying because they are is no short term for use them and no one taking responsibility for them.
Renew Newcastle has been set up to clean up these buildings and get the city active and used again.'
A lateral thinking repurposing exercise with many benefits.

Utopian Creations

I really like the word 'upcycle' which is the practise of this Australian jewelry designer, Utopian Creations.

Not just recycling into same same, or repurposing, but creating something of greater value, 'moving it up in the resource chain away from the rubbish tip'.

Silver and copper is extracted from X-ray film and mobile phones to create beautiful contemporary pieces.

It's true, we don't exactly NEED jewelry, but most of us love it and if it can be made in this way then there's no reason we can't all be shiny and happy.