What does it mean to reuse, reduce, and recycle? For much of our history, people have recycled to recover precious resources. People conserved things because they could still be useful, rather than because they were worth a lot of money. Today, our concerns are mostly with how waste affects nature and the climate.

Social, cultural and economic factors have always governed how we use our resources. The two world wars of the twentieth century caused many products to be scarce and often rationed. Households needed to be creative and thrifty to get by in those difficult times. In all periods, creativity has helped people get by. Whether by need or in art, crafts, and hobbies, objects inspire people; their use helps express ideas and visions. Sometimes the object effects the art, but sometimes the art transforms the object.

Science has advanced recycling so that we are able to reuse more and more of the waste we produce. Art, need, and potential still influence how we view our world and all the things in it.

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