The DIY and upcycling movements are going strong as we head into the start of the new decade, and it’s no wonder. The millennial generation is, unfortunately, living with less money than their parents had, and they don’t have time to waste shopping for new furniture.

But that’s not the only thing driving the upcycling trend. Young people are increasingly concerned about the source of their purchases. They don’t want to support unethical business practices, greedy corporations, or exploitative systems. So whenever possible, they prefer to support ethical brands — or better yet, no brand at all.

Then, of course, there’s the little matter of the state of the planet. In case you haven’t heard, people like Bill Nye to Greta Thunberg to Pope Francis express that the Planet Earth isn’t in a good place right now. There is a ton of waste, with materials being thrown away that is hard on the planet and animal life. Sadly, there’s just not a whole lot of major changes that we can accomplish as individuals. However, we can make a difference in small ways. One of those is shopping secondhand and wasting fewer resources.

A great idea is to consider junk that you never thought about repurposing — like old, battered windows.