Repurposing Pallets for Good

PalletPalooza came about as a unique and fun way to raise funds for Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan and support the mission of the organization.

This past weekend we were promoting PalletPalooza at the Summer Craft Show at the Expo Center in Kalamazoo. It was fun sharing our event with the other vendors, some who were selling reclaimed wood and pallet crafts. (Yeah!) and talking with visitors to the show.

One man who stopped by to get one of our flyers said that he and his family just returned from a trip to Thailand. He said that there is a huge and thriving pallet industry there. He mentioned that the pallets at one time were made of the hardwood teak - which is a valuable tropical wood. Of course this was intriguing and I have been searching the internet for information about Thailand and pallets.

One of the articles I stumbled upon was a ministry that teaches woodworking classes to fathers in Bangkok as a way to earn extra money.

I found a couple of  other projects featuring pallets that were being done to help one another and so here is my round up Recycling Pallets for Good.
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Thailand
Building Pallet Furniture Restore is a small training/business initiative set up as a way to create opportunities for fathers we know who are unemployed but have a desire to work. Restore uses recycled pallet wood to build pieces of furniture for sale. From time to time, Restore hosts workshops teaching basic carpentry skills and tool maintenance for people looking to pick up a trade and find work. Read the rest here.

Rooftop Garden Mother Earth magazine featured an article about a rooftop school garden in Bangkok. The garden is helpful in teaching students about gardening skills. They also sell the produce to staff and parents to buy more seeds and supplies. They started the garden by building 50 raised garden beds made out of 100 donated wood  pallets. Read the whole story here. 
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U.S.A 
Pallet Stage Church Stage Designs is a whole website to help churches build stages for their building or an event. They have a multitude of ideas to create designs using recycled wood pallets. Learn more here.

Horse Barn Lean-To 
Walk onWater is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving individuals the opportunity to experience and bond with horses in a safe and loving environment.  A group of students from Miami University helped them build a lean-to from recycled pallets for the ministry's miniature horses.

Walk on Water

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Time is running out to enter PalletPalooza! The deadline is June 30th, 2016. 

Enter Today! palletswmi.com

VanderSalm's Flower & Garden Center FREE Pallet Garden Demo

VanderSalm's Flower & Garden Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan is hosting a free pallet garden demonstration for PalletPalooza™ June 18th at 2 PM.

VanderSalms has been using pallets to create arrangements using a variety of plants, including succulents.

If you have wanted to try a garden project with pallets, here is your chance to come to a free demonstration and also ask questions like "What type of soil to use for succulents?" or "What is the best way to line your pallet?"

VanderSalm's is full of ideas to create a dream garden space for indoors and outdoors. And what fun it was to walk through the garden center and see all of the ways they use pallets to display the flowers and plants.

They are located at 1120 S. Burdick St. P.O. Box 51666 Kalamazoo, Mi 49001
Phone 800-232-7134

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The deadline for entering PalletPalooza is June 30, 2016

Enter PalletPalooza

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Interested in having a booth to sell more pallet creations on PalletPalooza Day, August 18, 2016? You can rent a 10 x 10 booth space for an additional $50. Spaces are limited and are reserved on a first come/first serve basis. 10% of the items you are selling must be pallet related. Items that you wish to sell must be approved by PalletPalooza Team. Contact info@PalletSWMI.com for more information.