Past Events
Past Events
Fall 2024
Student Upcycle Friday special: Pumpkin Party!
1 - 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. at Surplus & Recycling
We're throwing a Pumpkin Party for students and hope you can come! Free pumpkin carving, upcycle crafts and yard games will be offered at this special Student Upcycle Friday. All students are welcome and all pumpkin guts will be composted!
This student-only event is the same day that the Surplus Store is having a clothing-by-the-pound sale, where thrifters can get one pound of clothes for only 50 cents. The store is open every Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
2024
SUMMER (community events)
World Collage Day
Student Open Craft
SPRING SEMESTER
Earth Bash '24
Student Open Craft
Bottle Planters & Propagators
Student Night @ Broad Art Museum: Art Madness
Student Open Craft
Silly Stuffed Creatures & DIY Palentines / Valentines
CD Suncatchers
Student Open Craft
2023
Student Upcycle Friday: Handwarmers
Fri., Nov. 3 • 1 - 5 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center, in the Education Center
It's chilly outside! Warm up with us and make a set of handwarmers that can be easily heated in your microwave to keep you toasty while walking to class.
Plastic Wars Film Screening
Thurs., Nov. 16 • 3:30 - 6 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center, in the material recovery facility
Join us in the material recovery facility for a film screening and panel discussion of Plastic Wars, a Frontline documentary that's sure to spark conversation. Presented in partnership with WKAR, Eco Reps, Student Life & Engagement, and the Film Studies Program.
Details on the film, panelists, and event schedule.
Halloween Upcycle
Students, upcycle a mishmash of supplies and make your Halloween idea come to life! Use our materials to construct or continue working on your own costume or accessory. Come with a vision in mind or just let the materials inspire you!
We'll have everyday supplies like fabric, wire, cardboard, paint, yarn, etc. plus some special goodies like a few pre-loved masquerade masks, a selection of costume apparel that can be repurposed, miscellaneous objects that can be used as props, and assorted surplus clothes to reimagine.
Fri. Oct. 27 • 1 - 5 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center, in the Education Center
Fall Fest
Sat., Oct. 14 • Noon to 4 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Tours, upcycling, pumpkin carving, freecycling, and music by Impact 89FM! Bring nonperishable food to support the Student Food Bank in exchange for a pumpkin to carve. Hosted with MSU Libraries Makerspace and MSU Sustainability. Free and open to the public.
Student Clothing Shop or Swap
Mon. Oct. 29 • 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. @ Brody
Student Upcycle Friday: Planners
Fri., Sept. 8 • 1 - 5 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center, in the Education Center
Student Upcycle Friday: Clothing Renovations -- no experience necessary!
Fri., Sept. 29 • 1 - 5 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center, in the Education Center
Visit us at campus info fairs!
Grad Resource Fair, Sat. 8/26
Sparticipation, Sun. 8/27
July 2023
ScrapFest in Old Town
Grand Ledge Art Fair
Clothing Repair-A-Thon
Tue., April 18 • 2 - 5 p.m. @ Makerspace in the MSU Library (2-West)
Patch those holes in your favorite clothes! Repair your ripped jeans and replace those shirt buttons! Come as a beginner, a seasoned expert, or anywhere in between! Gain or give hands-on help in the Makerspace with your item. We have a variety of equipment and supplies. Bring clothing you need to repair, or come to learn techniques. Mending is a fun way to save money and the environment.
Sat. April 22 • Noon - 4 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Celebrate Earth Day! Join in a freecycle swap, make upcycled art, tour the recycling and vermicompost facilities, and enjoy music by DJs with Impact 89FM. This event is part of the MSU Science Festival, and is hosted in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability and MSU Libraries’ Hollander Makerspace. Learn more.
Neon Fashion Night
Fri., April 7 • 7 - 9 p.m. @ MSU Museum
Celebrate science and art at this neon-themed fashion night! Join us for a night that brings together sustainability and fashion, a science poetry slam, and upcycled art making. Come for the fun, and/or participate in the fashion show! Hosted by the MSU Museum, in partnership with Spartan Upcycle and MSU SciComm. Learn more here.
Spartan Upcycle Friday: Seed Starting with Grow Green Vermicompost
Fri. Mar. 24 • 2 - 6 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Get your hands dirty at this Spartan Upcycle Friday event, featuring Grow Green Vermicompost, an organic plant food made from campus food waste! Explore upcycled gardening hacks, learn what makes for healthy soil, and plant a few seeds of your own in a repurposed container.
Go Green, Go Upcycle!
Thurs. Mar. 16 • 6:30 - 8 p.m. @ Brody Hall, Room 175
Celebrate global recycling day (a couple days early) with fellow recyclers and upcyclers! Join UAB, Spartan Thrift Club, and Spartan Upcycle for a green-themed night. Make one, two, or all three upcycle crafts. Make a t-shirt tote bag. Plant a succulent and decorate a repurposed planter. Decoupage a ceramic coaster.
Make & Sustain: Upcycled Planters
Tue. Mar. 14 • 3 - 5 p.m. @ Makerspace in the MSU Library (2-West)
Upcycle a container and grow your own plant! Decoupage your container with colorful paper provided from Spartan Upcycle and plant a seed from our very own Seed Library.
Student Drop-in Crafting
Fri. Feb. 24 • 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. @ Surplus & Recycling Education Center
Take some time to rest your mind and hang out with fellow MSU students. Paint, color, collage, stitch, or just doodle.
Make & Sustain: Decorate an Upcycled Notebook
Tue. Feb. 21 • 3 - 5 p.m. @ Makerspace in the MSU Library (2-West)
Did you know the MSU library prints and binds paperback books in-house? The Makerspace has lots of scrap paper from the bookmaking process that are upcycled into free tiny notebooks! Join us at and decorate yours! Held at the Main Library, in the Makerspace Flex Area (2-West)
Student Drop-in Crafting
Fri. Feb. 17 • 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. @ Surplus & Recycling Education Center
Take some time to rest your mind and hang out with fellow MSU students. Paint, color, collage, stitch, or just doodle. (*Note: The Surplus Store is closed this week.)
Spartan Upcycle Friday: Upcycled Valentines
Fri. Feb. 10 • 2 - 6 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Bring back the good vibes of grade school valentines! Cut up paper and fabric, add some flare and color, and adorn your valentines with reclaimed odds n’ ends like button flowers and keyboard keys to your heart.
Spartan Upcycle @ RCAH Art Studio: Upcycled Valentines
Tues. Feb. 7 • 6 - 8 p.m. @ RCAH Art Studio in SnyPhi
Bring back the good vibes of grade school valentines! Cut up paper and fabric, add some flare and color, and adorn your valentines with reclaimed odds n’ ends like button flowers and keyboard keys to your heart.
Spartan Upcycle Friday: Clothing Swap & Stitch
Fri. Jan. 27 • 2 - 6 p.m. @ Surplus Store & Recycling Center (in the Education Center)
Swap and reuse clothing at this free event! Browse through an assortment of donated clothes and select secondhand, new-to you items. The Surplus Store will donate a bundle of clothing to “sweeten” the swap pile. If you have items to donate, please bring them. All are welcome to participate regardless of if or how many items you donate. Supplies and assistance will be available for mending and upcycling.
2022
Upcycled Winter Wreaths • Fri. Dec. 2 • 2– 6 p.m. • Surplus Store & Recycling Center (Education Center)
Cozy up with a hot beverage and make a festive wreath inspired by winter’s colors and textures. Repurpose a variety of materials sourced from the Surplus Store & Recycling Center including discarded books, paper, metal, fabric, and objects found in nature. Embellish with ribbon, yarn, glitter, paint, etc.
Funky Junk Journals • Fri. Nov. 11• 2– 6 p.m.• Surplus Store & Recycling Center (Education Center)
- Make your own funky junk journal by upcycling discarded books, scrap paper, fabric, ephemera, etc. Collage as you wish. Make it a planner, art journal, notebook, diary or gift. Bind it with rings or learn to bind by hand. Registration is encouraged.
Clothing Repair-a-Thon • Tues. Nov. 15• 2– 5 p.m.• Hollander MakeCentral (Main Library: 2 West)
- Patch those holes in your favorite clothes! Repair your ripped jeans and replace those shirt buttons! Join our volunteer menders to gain hands-on help in the Makerspace with your item. We will have sewing machines, thread, and some fabric. Please bring the clothing you want to repair and any patches, specific colors of thread, or buttons for your project. Mending is a fun way to save money and the environment. Hosted in partnership with MSU Libraries’ Makerspace.This event takes place at the MSU main library, on the second floor of the west wing.
Go Green Mini Fest • Sat. Oct. 1 • Noon to 4 p.m. • Surplus & Recycling - material recovery facility
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Kick off campus sustainability month with an afternoon at the MSU Recycling Center. Clothing and book swap. Make upcycled art. Meet student groups. Music by Impact 89FM. Free, all welcome!
- A healthy you is key for a sustainable future, and that includes your mental health and well-being! Join us for an uplifting upcycling activity that aims to bring our attention to living a sustainable, well-balanced life.
Homecoming Parade "Spartans Bring the Magic" • Fri. Oct. 14 • 6 p.m. • East Lansing and campus.
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Featuring Scrap Metal Sparty and scrap art. Reclamation Studio (RCAH 315) student-artists will showcase upcycled suits and an enchanting two-wheeled cart. Our contribution to the Homecoming Parade aims to alter the conventional perception of castaway objects -- to encourage us to see discarded items not as valueless, but as potential resources. Parade begins on Abbot Road just north of Grand River.
DIY Zine Pop-Up • Tues. Oct. 18 • Noon – 2 p.m. • Hollander MakeCentral (Main Library: 2 West)
- Pop by the Makerspace to learn how to create a zine! Did you know we have lots of zine resources? Check out the information and materials from Spartan Upcycle, the creative reuse branch of Surplus & Recycling Center. Choose a topic for your zine and design your pages to help spread sustainability info in a fun way! Need more inspiration? Take a look at the Libraries’ zine collection on the first floor! All are welcome, this is a free drop-in event! Hosted in partnership with MSU Libraries’ Makerspace. *This event takes place at the MSU main library, on the second floor of the west wing
Thrift Clothing Swap • Fri. Sept. 9, 2022 • Drop-in between 1 - 5 p.m.
- Swap and reuse clothing at this free event. @ MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center (Education Center)
ScrapFest ReFashion Show -- Fri. July 8, 2022, 7 p.m. @ Old Town, Lansing (Turner St.)
- A celebration of the community's creativity! This fashion show will feature handmade garments and accessories made from scrap fabric and upcycled materials. It is part of the two-day ScrapFest event,
Making Recycled Paper (Spartan Upcycle Workshop) Friday, June 24, 2022, 6 - 9 p.m. @ SSRC $25 per person. Open to the public. Ages 6 to 106!
- Join Spartan Upcycle and artist Meg Heeres for a fun, hands-on papermaking workshop in an industrial setting -- MSU's material recovery facility. Participants will transform scrap material into beautiful handmade paper for making cards, journals, and many other projects. Participants will make their own paper pulp, screen it, and form sheets using secondhand and upcycled equipment. Complete the cycle of recycling and satisfy your craving for creativity! MORE INFO
"Scrap Hat" Craft-In (Spartan Upcycle Friday) Friday, June 17, 2022, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ SSRC FREE. Open to the public.
- Create your own "scrap hat" or contribute to a shared upcycled accessory. Then, consider wearing your trash-to-fashion hat down the runway at the ScrapFest ReFashion Show! Drop-in and dig through bins of discarded materials and secondhand items, select your favorites and attach them to a hat base of your choice. For this drop-in craft-in, Spartan Upcycle staff will be joined by puppet artists and MSU faculty Steve Baibak and Pia Banzhaf, who will help us bring our visions to reality! MORE INFO HERE.
Michigan Recycling Coalition Conference Tour & Exhibitor Booth -- Wed. through Fri., May 11-13, 2022 @ SSRC and Kellogg Center
- Spartan Upcycle Store booth offering creatively repurposed items, plus various materials for at-home upcycling. Booth open during the MRC Conference.
Upcycled Planters: Make & Take -- Fri. April 22, 2022, 3 - 6 p.m. @ MSU Library
- Upcycle a container and grow your own plant! Hosted by MSU Libraries Makerspace with supplies from Spartan Upcycle and the Grow Green Vermicompost program. Click for more.
ASMSU Resource Fair -- Quirky Collages -- Weds., April 20, 2022 @ MSU Union
- Spartan Upcycle will offer supplies and space for collaging with discarded books and scrap paper. Staff will share resources and answer questions about the MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center.
Clothing Repair-A-Thon Tues. April 12, 2022, 3 – 6 p.m. ​@ MSU Library
- Visit the MSU Libraries Makerspace and get hands-on help repairing your clothes. Volunteer menders and Spartan Upcycle will be there to help you practice and learn.
Spartan Upcycle Craft-In Nature Speaks Fri. April 8, 2022, 1-3:15 p.m. @ MSU SSRC
- Contribute to a group upcycled art project while reflecting on how nature speaks to you. Hosted by MSU Sustainability and Spartan Upcycle.