Reincarnation might be another word for recycling. As cyclists who must be mindful of proper hydration, we could go through a lot of plastic water bottles. It\’s a pity to send them all to the landfill, right?

Reincarnation is one of the tenets of Buddhism, and one temple in Thailand has come up with a novel way to recycle all that plastic.

I had no idea that plastic could be recycled into clothing! It\’s a wonderful idea, though. It reduces pollution; helps keep sea animals from swallowing plastic and then dying from it; it provides the monks with their robes. I hope that this recycling practice spreads to other countries.

We can reincarnate our bicycles, too. Some cities have programs that will buy your old bicycle; fix it up if necessary; and sell it to someone who can\’t afford a bike from a regular shop.

If you can sew, you can reincarnate old cycling clothing into a quilt! That\’s harking back to the times when wornout clothing sewn into patchwork quilts, or rag rugs. I hope I remember that next time I have to replace a pair of cycling shorts. The catch is, it would take me years to save up enough discarded shorts (and jerseys and jackets) to have enough fabric for a quilt.

Meanwhile I\’ll keep on participating in my neighborhood\’s recycling program. I just wish they didn\’t refuse glass jars.