Although we have been warned that the environment is suffering and our lives are in danger, we rarely seek ways to repurpose old stuff, usually throwing it away when we don’t need it anymore.

According to research, nearly 300 million tires are discarded every single year in the US alone. Tires also take the better part of a century to decompose if not properly recycled.

Keeping all this in mind, a young artist from Brazil decided to do something to make them useful again. 23-year-old Amarildo Silva of Campina Grande used to work at a grocery store, as many young adults his age do. At the same time, he yearned for a way to express his creativity while he also dreaming of one day being self-employed.

One day it hit him. What about all these old tires laying around? Could he repurpose them – and if so, how?

In Silva’s town, there’s a huge problem with stray animals. In fact, the ratio of stray animals to homeless people is 5:1. Pretty crazy, right? Additionally, Amarildo also knew that animals like to curl into round places, so old tires seemed like the perfect idea.

The young artist put his idea into practice. First, he started collecting old tires from his city’s streets, parking lots, and landfills. Soon, he had compiled dozens of them and was ready to begin his work.

After cutting the tires into the desired shape, Amarildo gave them a thorough scrubbing. Then, he added fresh paint to seal and decorate the beds, decorating them with special bone, paw, and heart shapes and writing the pet’s name on it if it’s known.

But his creativity doesn’t stop there. In order for a bed to be comfy, there needs to be some kind of mattress and pillow. So, Amarildo sews fancy fabric around fluffy cushions to make a makeshift mattress, using the remaining fabric to make pillows for his furry friends.

His cute pet beds soon became more popular than he had ever imagined. So after a while, he founded his own company, Caominhas Pets.

Of course, as an artist, Silva’s ideas didn’t limit to pet beds so he started working on several more pieces of furniture that can be created using old tires- the sky is the limit really!

Silva is a reminder that if you know what you really want to achieve and work hard for it, you can definitely make it. The once struggling artist is now an entrepreneur with a thriving start-up company. At the same time, he gives back to society – not only helping strays but also raising awareness about dire environmental issues.

We’re wishing Amarildo all the best and we hope more people will follow his example!

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Source: Green Matters, Elite Readers