Larry Diener is a Senior Project Manager and Operational Excellence Specialist at Seqirus in Holly Springs and also an upcycle guru. We had the pleasure of meeting him at a local Earth Day event and he showed us some of his past projects.
Larry’s role at Seqirus in Holly Springs includes finding ways to implement efficiencies into the business processes. People present him with issues and ask him to help find solutions, often in a resource-strapped environment. So, he makes do with what he has at hand. Turns out, he can make quite a lot with whatever is at hand! He lives by the idea that we as humans should leave things better than we found them, and we at the ReStore couldn’t agree more.
30-gallon drum
30-gallon drum spit in two
The sustainability committee at Seqirus in Holly Springs learned of Larry’s participation in community gardening and asked him for ideas about creating a garden on the campus to promote environmental stewardship. The nature of the work they do (manufacturing a seasonal flu vaccine) demands adhering to strict environmental guidelines about what can be brought on site, so using organic materials is a must. But because they have to be careful to discourage pests of any kind, they’re not able to plant in the ground near buildings. Larry had the idea to improvise with leftover blue salt barrels they had on site. All of the original materials in these recycled containers come in a sealed plastic liner, so the barrels are safe for re-use. He cut them in half, drilled holes for drainage, and filled them with an organic potting mix. Another team member brought in some leftover irrigation tubing and a timer and everyone brought in a few plants -- a garden was born.
Larry also uses the containers in his home and community gardens. See below for some of his photos and draw some inspiration for your own summer projects.
Do you have great upcycle projects of your own? Email us with photos at restore@habitatwake.org.
The finished container garden.
The sustainability committee hard at work.
The Seqirus Holly Springs Sustainability Committee. Pictured Left to Right: Tod Marks, Jessica Tompkins, Chad Walters, Chelsea Lance, Larry Diener.
Not pictured: Jaime Cantu
Larry's home vegetable garden in remnant Seqirus containers. The strawberry tower is an old piece of drainage pipe, the cardboard collars around the cabbages are from a carpet roll.
Another garden shot.
A compost barrel made from a blue Seqirus drum.
Larry’s sourdough starter incubator and bread proofer made from a leftover cooler, a new dimmer switch, reused light socket, and a digital thermometer.
Not Larry’s creation, but it might be soon -- he snapped this picture of a boat made out of blue drums at a stop light in Holly Springs.
Not related to the drums, but how cute is this upcycled suitcase table Larry made?
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