The following tale demonstrates that when a person’s creative impulses and desire to make the world a better place collide, only lovely outcomes result.
23-year-old Amarildo Silva ad
ored both animals and the environment, so when he came up with a concept that would assist both, he acted quickly.
This passion project of his was ideal because the young artist lives in Campina Grande, Brazil, where abandoned animals outnumber homeless people by a factor of five.
When Amarildo saw that stray dogs in his neighborhood liked to snuggle up inside abandoned tires for the night, the concept for up-cycling used tires was born.
When Amarildo saw that stray dogs in his neighborhood liked to snuggle up inside abandoned tires for the night, the concept for up-cycling used tires was born.
As an artist, he enjoyed repurposing unwanted materials and using his imagination to transform them into something useful and visually appealing.
To make that notion a reality, he went to work collecting old tires from streets, parking lots, and landfills.
After that, the tires go through a careful cutting, cleaning, and scrubbing procedure. When they’re dried, Amarildo paints them brilliant colors and adds features like bone, paw, and heart shapes. The pet’s name is incorporated in the design if supplied.
He then cuts handles into the sides and places a bed made of soft cushions into the depression, which he subsequently covers with wonderfully patterned textiles. He makes a matching cushion out of the remaining cloth to round off the present.
And the end result of the wasted tires are beautiful and colorful beds for dogs and cats!
He was able to quit his work at a supermarket since he had this business. When he finished his first six pet beds, he sold them to his former grocery store employees.
This first transaction signaled the start of a business that would transform Amarildo’s life.
His pet bed designs have been praised by local dog organizations and his community for their good influence on stray animals and the environment.
Amarildo became a figure of inspiration, and he began to get requests to demonstrate his great work at schools and neighborhood gatherings.
The young man was able to extend his product choices over the course of two years. He now makes beautiful planters, recycling containers, environmentally friendly furniture, and even Christmas decorations out of used tires!
Amarildo discusses the environmental effect of his company in an interview with the environmental news site Green Matters.
“Over the course of two years, I already eliminated 1,500 units of old tires from the environment producing simply the [pet beds]. This has a significant positive influence on wildlife.”
Indeed! When coupled with all of the other products he made from the tires, the total number of units saved from the garbage is over 6,000!
That is an astonishing figure, demonstrating that upcycling is unquestionably beneficial to decreasing rubber waste in the environment.
