There appears to be popping up an almost limitless amount of creative uses for used plastic bottles — the latest of which was the Plastiki Boat project getting ready to set sail next month. Now, some schoolkids from Australia have created an entire greenhouse from the containers; some 1652 two-litre and 1.25-litre bottles in all. From the article,

Year 1 teacher Kaitlin West, whose idea it was to build the greenhouse, said she was inspired by photos former principal Andy Best brought from overseas. “As the number of plastic bottles grew in my classroom, Allan Haworth and his work mates from his local business, Al the Handyman, got to work,” Ms West said. “A steel frame was constructed and the bottoms of the plastic bottles were cut off, enabling a secure wall to be built as the bottles were threaded onto PVC pipe. Each pipe was bolted to the structure, enabling all walls, both doors and the roof to be secured.

What a great idea — and a wonderful way to teach students about reusing materials for other purposes. Seems like schools all around the U.S. could do something similar (We all know there are plenty of two-litre bottles to go around.) — and encourage gardening at the same time. Well done, Aussies!