Author Archive

Becky Striepe

Becky Striepe lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two cats.  Atlanta has a long way to go environmentally, but she tries really hard to do what she can.  She takes MARTA and rides her bike as much as possible in a city as sprawled as this one and is working to reduce her impact one step at a time.  She moved into her first house a couple of years ago.  Talk about an adventure!  Home ownership is a constant struggle between what you can afford and what you want to do. She's learned a lot already and is always looking for new things she can improve in the house and her habits.

She also runs a crafty business: Glue & Glitter.  Her mission is to use existing materials in products that helps folks reduce their impact without feeling deprived.  It's a challenge sometimes to keep things low-impact, but she's learning as she goes.

Attack of the Genetically Modified Flax Seed

Nope, it’s not a spooky tale left over from Halloween. After word got out that Canada’s flax seed crops had been cross-contaminated with a genetically modified variety, the country’s entire flax industry is in peril.

UK Study Links Processed Foods to Depression

A study that followed 3500 participants over five years found that subjects who at the “UK Diet” were more likely to develop depression.

Handmade Holidays: Farm Fresh Apple Butter

The weather is getting colder, and we have a handmade holiday on our minds! Handmade gifts have heart, are better for the environment, and, if you opt to buy, it supports independent artists!

If you want to have a totally handmade holiday, now is the time to get started. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be posting about recycled gifts and giftwrap you can make yourself and great handmade finds for sale!

When my pal Jes from Cupcake Punk posted about making her own apple butter, I just new this was the perfect holiday food gift! We’re all about mason jars full of tasty treats around the holidays, and you know we’re into canning around here, so this seemed just perfect! Not only is apple butter a crowd pleaser, but since apples are in season right now, you can probably find local ones pretty easily!

Fab Fabrics: Recycled Wool Felt from Feltwerker

Fall is officially here! It’s cool and blustery, and we’ve got cozy fabrics on our minds. What better way to welcome in the lovely changing leaves and chilly weather than with some beautiful recycled felt? Feltwerker, a Chicago fiber artist, offers beautiful recycled wool felt scraps that you can incorporate into your Fall and winter projects!

Green Music: The Treasure Island Music Festival

One of my friends recently attended the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco and texted me about their awesome green initiatives. From the show. Yes, I’m sort of a nerd for this kind of thing.

We’re all about musicians lightening their footprints around here. According to the folks at Live Earth: “A single concert event can produce as little as 9,000 kilos (close 20,000 lbs) to as much as 90,000 kilos (197,000 lbs) of solid waste in a single day.” That’s a ridiculous amount of waste and doesn’t even take into account things like CO2 emissions from concertgoers driving to the venue or indirect emissions from the food and whatnot.

The folks at Treasure Island Fest set out to do things a little differently. Not only did they have a kickass lineup that’s making me more than a little bit jealous, they implemented all sorts of impressive green initiatives. Check our their greening and sustainability statement:

Handmade Holidays: Wrapping Gifts using Furoshiki

The weather is getting colder, and we have a handmade holiday on our minds! Handmade gifts have heart, are better for the environment, and, if you opt to buy, it supports independent artists!

If you want to have a totally handmade holiday, now is the time to get started. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be posting about recycled gifts and giftwrap you can make yourself and great handmade finds for sale!

There are lots of ecofriendly gift wrap options out there if you’re feeling the traditional, paper wrapping thing. If you want to branch out a bit, though, you might try wrapping some gifts this year using the traditional Japanese method furoshiki. Here’s how!

Fab Fabrics: Coconut Fiber

We are obsessed with food-based fibers around here! From banana yarn to pineapple cloth, I’m starting to wonder if we’re feeling more hungry than crafty.

Of course, when Kelly hipped me to coir, a natural fiber made from coconut, I couldn’t pass it up!

Smart Choices Food Labeling Program Suspended!

Last week was a win for healthy foodies! Food manufacturers opted to suspend the Smart Choices labeling program, which would have deemed products like Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms as healthy picks.

Earth-Friendly Disposable Dinnerware from Fallen Leaves

Not only is VerTerra’s dinnerware all natural, it’s biodegradable and compostable, too!

The holidays are coming fast, and that means you’ve probably got some shindigs in the works! Sometimes, especially with a lengthy guest list, it’s just so much easier to use disposable dinnerware rather than deal with a mountain of dirty dishes at the end of the night. VerTerra wants you to toss those plates, bowls, and serving trays while feeling guilt-free!

Handmade Holidays: Recycled Gift Tags from Greeting Cards

The weather is getting colder, and we have a handmade holiday on our minds! Handmade gifts have heart, are better for the environment, and, if you opt to buy, it supports independent artists!

If you want to have a totally handmade holiday, now is the time to get started. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be posting about recycled gifts and giftwrap you can make yourself and great handmade finds for sale!

To get things started, check out Sheryl of Twisted Limb Paperworks’ awesome video tutorial for making your own gift tags from last year’s Christmas cards:

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