Empty Newspaper Racks Find New Life in Flower Power

As newspapers go out of business, The City could get greener

An enterprising artist in Ontario, Canada has come up with a great idea to recycle the increasing number of empty newspaper racks around cities like San Francisco -- by turning them into flower boxes.

All it takes is a little plywood, potting soil, and a couple of plants.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown never liked the boxes, or the free weeklies that criticised him within, but his attitude could change with one of artist Posterchild's marigolds as a Bouttonièrre.

And as the war over street art rages in places like Berkeley, neither the taggers leaving their mark or the buffers bent on erasing it would likely find it so easy or satisfying to deface some nice greenery.

Not to mention the ironic indecision when a black-clad protester happens along, hoping to block an intersection by kicking the clunky metal street furniture only to be turned away by flower power.

Heck, plant them with herbs and vegetables for the vegans, freegans, locavores and Slow Foodies. A little fresh yerba buena to spice up your lunch salad would be just the thing to nosh while reading your Kindle. Photo by Flickr user *eddie.

Jackson West figures worms would make quick work of the newsprint in a compost pile.

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