Holiday Win: 10 Ways To Reduce Holiday Waste
Fascinating or Bah Humbug?
Infographic via Green Upgrader
Upcycled Tires: Hot or Not?
innertube-rug500
I’ve been noticing a recycled tire trend. Combining creativity with eco-friendly intentions to make usable goods, bike tire tires and tubes are being upcycled and popping up in unusual places. Not surprising, since according to Recycle To Cycle:
“In the last five years an estimated 18 million bicycles per year were sold in the United States and as we all know each bike comes with two tires and two inner tubes meaning over 36 million tires and inner tubes per year are being shipped into the United States.”
Tire Tread Sneakers
Do you know about Simple shoes? The company thrives to be 100% sustainable. Their products are created from eco-friendly materials -- recycled paper, hemp, organic cotton, recycled rubber bike inner tubes, rubber tire tread, wool…they even use coconut shells for buttons. From the Simple website:
“HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them. That means finding more sustainable ways of doing business so we can make a gazillion more. Which pretty much is where we are today...at the crossroads of here and now, aware of our responsibility to the planet while trying to pay the bills. The nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.”
simple-sneakers
I’ve been smitten with these Simple sneakers - the ones made from hemp with tire tread soles. I must confess, I quietly admired them on my daughter first. So I copied her. While I am certainly inspired by my daughter’s funky sense of style, I rarely out and out copy her. For instance, she wears the best jeans. But the zippers on her jeans are maybe two inches long. I need about three times that length.
I now have three pairs of these Simple sneakers. First, I purchased a gray pair (I wear them with off-white laces). They are my favorite. These almost perfect sneakers go with everything but white pants, so I needed a white pair. Love the white ones. And now that it’s cooler out, I decided I must have a pair in black leather. When I wear them, my son tells me they look like hipster shoes. But I’ve decided they are the perfect dress sneaker. Plus, they channel my inner hippie. Hot or not?
Bike Inner Tube Jewelry
necklace
Last week, I visited Bananas Gallery, a boutique on Martha’s Vineyard, and noticed necklaces made from recycled bicycle inner tubes similar to the necklace in this photo.
That same son, who now thinks his mother is a hipster, is also a biking enthusiast. He’s replacing inner tubes right and left...so the necklace piqued my interest. I did not purchase this necklace, but it does intrigue me. Hot or not?
Bike Inner Tube Crochet Rug
What? You can crochet bike tubes? Well, I guess so – Michaela from We Upcycle shares how:
“I crocheted this door mat out of old, broken bicycle tubes. After several attempts I found out that it’s the easiest way to use a tent peg. I cut out the valves and then slit the tubes lengthwise. Washing the tubes has to be done thoroughly because the valves are covered in a thick layer of powdered talc from the inside. Then you have to cut the tubes in stripes and either tack (like I did it) or sew them together. The result is a long “thread” which you just crochet and then you’re done.
Does this upcycled trend celebrate eco-design goodness? Hot or not?
Read more about reusing tire tubes here, and check out these DIY Rug ideas.
Rug: We Upcycle
Not Your Typical Tag Sale
While some sing the praises of purchasing used stuff until the cows come home (or the horses, in the case of the tag sale I attended on Saturday), I am not a tag sale extraordinaire like many of my eco-cohorts. If pressed, I would probably choose a deeply-discounted sale, or a decent consignment shop like Designer Resale in NYC, or The Closet in Boston, over rummaging through tossed out duds on a lawn. But every now and then a tag sale whizzes across my radar, and a lonely abandoned chair winks at me, or some junk jewels shimmer in my direction.
A letter piqued my interest in Rural Intelligence, a fabulous online local resource for Berkshire, Columbia, Northern Dutchess (where I live), and Northern Litchfield Counties:
Dear Friends,
Having just had a “milestone birthday” and embracing some of the ideas from the book, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I decided to do more than clear a shelf or a closet. In my usual obsessive way, I tackled barns and attics, my studio, and the basement. Whilst I am not quite going Zen in style (far from it), I am attempting to “declutter.”
This will not be the organized, “pretty” tag sale like the one I wrote about in Veranda Magazine a few years ago, but just your classic old fashioned yard sale, with a mix of things from garden hoses to some of my beloved ribbons and silk flowers. It has been hard for me to give up some of those, but this is an exercise in editing. There is a bit of everything.
If you are around the northwest corner of Connecticut, please stop by.
Best,Carolyne Roehm
What style-guru Carolyne Roehm did not mention in her note, was that a portion of the proceeds of the sale would be donated to Women’s Support Services. I recognized this as an absolutely prowl worthy eco-mission.
Zen style or not…Sign me up!
Now to be honest, I’m only vaguely acquainted with the rules of tag sales. For instance, I read this letter on Thursday, and Saturday around 11 AM I called my friend Juliet to see if she wanted to join me. I knew it would be right up her alley because Juliet is an equine photographer and Carolyne’s address was located in prime horse country.
We meandered through Dutchess County and into Litchefield, Ct. via a healthy lunch on the porch of the Red Devon Restaurant, which is named the best green restaurant in the Hudson Valley.
Any tag sale shopper worth her weight in recycled items knows that when a sale is slated for 9-4, you show up in an empty SUV by 8am. We landed at Carolyne’s around 2pm in my little Jetta Diesel.
We wound our way up the spectacularly stately, and stunning property. (Would you expect anything less?) Juliet jumps out of the car and starts taking pics of horses while mumbling under her breath, “These horses have such a wonderful life.” Bless her equine heart, but my eyes are peeled on the people walking back to their cars with bag loads of goodies. I am now chomping at the bit - worried that we are missing the whole shebang.
one-horse
I left Juliet clicking away and headed up the path to the “sale” barns where I was greeted by a “team” of helpers. One of those helpers turned out to be my friend and neighbor, Mimi. To make an already long story short, Mimi introduces us to the energetic, and ever so stylish Carolyne, and her lovely mother. A charming and serendipitous meeting.
After filling up my little trunk with fabric scraps, a serving tray, signature wrapping paper (not so eco, but the price was right), and a bunch of other knickknacks, some of which Carolyne gave us, we headed home basking in the glow of the thrill of the hunt.
Not your typical tag sale, huh?
Credits: Rural Intelligence, Juliet Harrison Photography, Ted Fink
Eco-Win: DIY Reusable Bags
My local farmer’s market just celebrated its annual Mother's Day opening. So many folks now carry reusable shopping bags. It must be one of the most remarkable eco-wins of our time. The impact of using plastic bags has been relegated to the equivalent of sleeping with the green-devil. Would you be caught dead without your reusable bags - especially at the farmer’s market?
Plastic vs. reusable bags is one topic that I am asked to write about again and again. I do believe that educating people about issues that affect the sustainability of the planet is paramount. But, if I'm going to ask people to go greener, I like to provide viable options. That’s why one of my favorite writing niches is DIY. For me, making things by hand is just so environmentally-friendly. Plus, I love writing directions and patterns for making things. It's like creating a kick-ass lesson plan!
I've been on a bit of an anti-plastic rant…again. Please revisit with me why this symbol of our throwaway culture is still prevalent…
Why have we not banned disposable plastic bags?
The petroleum and plastics industries oppose the ban of plastic bags and they lobby hard to keep plastic bags in supermarkets. Also, people don’t want to change their habits.
Here's my latest favorite DIY reusable shopping bag:
The crocheted bag above is made from durable natural linen. It scrunches up into a tiny ball small enough to fit in a pocket. I love linen because it is antibacterial and antimycotic (suppresses the growth of fungi). Here is the pattern from Purl Bee for this Crocheted Shopping Bag.
To get us even closer to solving the plastics problem, do you believe we should fine people for not using reusable bags, or charge a fee for using a plastic one?
More DIY bags: Check out the Linen Fabric Bag, Felted Bag and Knitted Bag.
Credit: Purl Bee
Repurposed Boats: Water, Weather and Whim
“Have a happy passing, purchase ” quipped our captain as our ferry headed out to sea towards the island. As we debarked and drove down the unpaved road on the island I have visited every year since I was 20, pilule I noticed small changes. The insular world of living on an island constantly changes and unfolds, as water, weather and whim dictate.
Off-season...
1. It’s quiet. This is always obvious once the swell of summer people fade away. In the spring, it’s a different kind of quiet – one that is laced with the anticipation of new growth, brighter skies, fishing and the upcoming summer season. 2. Everyone knows everyone. During the high season, islanders tolerate the seasonal visitors. On the shoulder seasons (fall and spring), the two groups co-mingle naturally. 3. People who live on islands are forever adaptive and resourceful. While much of the local economy depends upon the glut of summer people, year-rounders know they need to be both practical and imaginative to survive the off-season.
On an island, lighting and wind may change from season to season, but one thing remains constant - boats are a lifeline. When a boat’s usefulness ends, why not give it a new life?
Canoe ‘O Plants
Fishing Boat Storage Sheds
Floating Garden
Credits: Ben Scott, Recylart, Inhabitat, Garden Design