By Robert Kidwell

A lot of action words come to mind when thinking of Ernest Hemingway. After all, his books are testaments to things like deep sea fishing, hunting in Africa, and blowing up bridges (a personal favorite of mine).

And while “macho” would probably be the best word to describe him, another word recently came to my mind as I toured his home in Key West, FL: green.

I know. It’s crazy to think of Hemingway as sustainable, given that he lived in a time without solar panels, hybrids or GreenOps Tracking Stations. I realize neither recycling nor composting was ever a major theme in his stories, but just take my word for it, the man made the most with what he had. I saw this for myself, walking around his house - a two-story, hurricane-proof, limestone, work-of-art.

One of the more interesting things I saw there was a beautiful, handmade fountain in his backyard across from his writing studio. It was a simple fountain; basically a big vat filled with water, which trickled down into a porcelain base. It looked serene in the shade and was where the cats liked to sleep and drink.

“It’s a urinal,” the tour guide told us. Turns out Hemingway knew a few things about reuse.

To make a long story short, Sloppy Joe’s (the most famous bar in Key West) was moving to another location, and as the owner was tearing out the urinal, Hemingway said a lot of his money had passed through it over the years. As a way of showing his appreciation (I guess) the owner gave the urinal to Hemingway, who to the dismay of his second wife, repurposed the porcelain trough into a fountain.

Repurposing for use around the home.

While this is a pretty extreme example, and hopefully there aren’t too many rogue urinals floating around your household, it is a case where something beautiful was made out of something that would normally have gone to waste. There’s a lesson to be learned there.

The average household produces 4.5 pounds of trash every day. Think about all the things you threw away during the course of the day. How much of it could have gone towards reuse?

It can be tough to figure out how ordinary things we see as waste can suddenly be useful, but you don’t have to be a literary genius to come up with some imaginative projects. To get you started, below are some ideas you and your family can try to make your home a little more sustainable, and maybe a little more beautiful (in the Hemingway sense of the word):

• Waste audit. For just one week, keep an inventory of all the things you threw away. Once you’ve finished, go back and think about ways in which some of those materials could have been put towards reuse. Commit yourself to reducing the list by a quarter in a month’s time.

• Garbage art. Families can work together in making collages out of scrap paper, finger painting on paper bags, or turning plastic boats into miniature sailboats. Use you imagination. Check out what someone is doing with old satellite dishes.

• Almost anything can be put on a wall or on a table. In college, I knew someone who glued felt to the back of their CDs and used them as coasters. In my own office, the artwork on my walls are LPs I found sitting at the side of the dumpster. Don’t let old music go to waste. Pictures can also be cut in circles and glued on CDs and then mounted on the wall in whatever pattern you choose.

• Make furniture out of furniture. Most homes have tables and chairs that sit in the garage gathering dust, but with a little bit of wood stain and paint, all types of furniture can be brought back to life. Why not commit yourself to restoring or refurbishing just one piece of furniture in your home? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, and more often than not, is cheaper than buying new. It can also serve as a great conversation piece. Check out an example from the show This Old Houseto get some  ideas.

• Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Need bookshelves? Need flower pots? Why buy new when there are materials all around that can save you money and give your home a more personal and vibrant look? Use old bowls and jars to expand your garden. Making a simple slipcover can bring a sofa back to life. Old tables can be turned into shelving.

Got anymore ideas? Post them in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you.