Green Options

There’s been some interesting thoughts floating around the internet about rural, tacit and generational knowledge that we as a species are losing.

It seems strange to think that we could lose knowledge, especially in today’s world of information on demand, but if you think about it, certain skills and know how are hard to come by.

At the end of 2008, over one half of the world’s population lived in urban areas. Urban lifestyles come with their own characteristics and culture and so do rural lifestyles. Urban populations don’t have ready access to many of the experiences as rural populations do. General knowledge of where our food comes from for example, the simple act of gardening, knowing the planting seasons, identifying plants and knowing when to harvest; having the understanding of why bees are important, is not something that city dwellers grow up experiencing and knowing.

Based on this, I consider myself very luck to have grown up in a semi-rural area. I was close enough to a city but within easy distance to farms, lakes and rural towns. I learned many things because of this, both craft related and non-craft related and continue to acquire various tactile knowledge (err tacit, but I like tactile better) and I hope to never stop.

In the near and distant future (2015) most disposable plastic bags you get at the local store will be made from up to 40% recycled content.

To reach this goal the American Chemistry Council announced a new initiative to invest in the collection and manufacturing of these bags. The recycling of plastic bags and wraps has escalated in recent years to an estimated 830 million pounds in 2007. This represents a 27 percent increase from 2005. Still, additional material will need to be collected for manufacturers to reach their goal. About 470 million pounds of plastic will be reclaimed for the manufacturing of new bags and will help in the development of plastic recycling and using recycled plastic content. Expect in-store recycling programs and the visibility of such programs to increase to help reach these goals.

Now, not all bags will be made from 40% recycled content and most will only achieve 25% recycled content. And it is unclear if you will be able to tell which bag contains which percentage.

So what does this mean for us crafters?

CONGRATULATIONS to Tina in Boston for winning our giveaway of Sewing Green! Be on the look out for an email from us for further details.

Thank you to everyone who entered. We here at CAGW have been rejuvenated and inspired by all of your upcycling ideas! Don’t forget your other chances to win this beautiful book, you can find out where to enter here.

I know you’ve waited with bated breath so here it is, your chance to win a copy of Sewing Green, the latest and greatest book by Betz White, author of Warm Fuzzies.

Sewing Green offers 25 cute projects made from repurposed or organic materials. Learn how to make aprons and wallets from dress shirts, and sandwich wraps, and lounge pants from organic and thrifted fabrics. The projects are are direct and easy to follow even for this crafter who likes to skip ahead and tweak things. I especially like the sandwich wrap project and the use of PUL - a material that is not vinyl and one that I need to look into more.

White’s favorite project from the book is the woodland draft buster, a much more refined version of the draft catcher that I created a while back. This version looks like an adorable tree branch that helps you save money on your heating bill. White wanted everything in the book to have a good purpose without being preachy. She wanted everything to be fun and easy and show that any one can do these projects and be eco-friendly. “You don’t have to suffer,” she said. “Suffering is not involved.”

Continue reading to enter the contest!

Have you ever come across a craft project and just couldn’t wait to go home and try it? For me it was this simple and really cool project from the queen of craft: Martha Stewart. Perfect for Easter egg dying or just because.

Using silk ties that are destined for Good Will, a bit of scrap fabric, and boiling water, you can dye eggs. Yup, dye them with the ties! It is sort of like magic, or chemical reactions even.

I am still looking for ways to transform my stash of plain boring notecards. I showed you how to use fabric scraps and stamps to “recover” the card. Now I want to share a fun way to turn an ugly blank-inside card into a lovely postcard or notecard.  In a two part series I will show you how to make inside out notecards using a craft punch (like the oak leaf card) in Part 1 and how to make inside out notecards with your own cut out design (like the “Hi.” card) in Part 2.

If you’ve read our Must Read Book List for Green Crafters, then you know that we are eagerly awaiting Betz White’s new book Sewing Green.

Sewing Green is chock full of fun diy projects made from repurposed materials or organic fabrics. And if you’re like me, you can’t wait to get your hands on it! Well here on Crafting a Green World we’ll be giving a copy of this book away to one lucky reader! That’s right you can win Sewing Green! Woo hoo!

So how do you enter? Read the directions over on the Giveaway post. It’s that easy.

Want even more chance to win?

Join me in the Etsy Virtual Labs as I talk about shopping green on Etsy - Today!

In conjunction with my Guest Curatorial post on the Storque, I will be sidling up to my computer to share some awesome Etsy finds that are both amazing and green to boot in a Shop Live.

If you’ve never participated in a virtual labs, this is a great way to [...]

If you haven’t heard the economy is in the drink. It seems every time I turn around there is more news of another bank or company on the brink, with no foreseeable end in sight.

We’ve heard the comparisons that this recession looks very much like the great depression. It is hitting everyone’s pocket book, no matter your socioeconomic status. This free fall to the bottom isn’t discriminating.

So why should you craft when there is even less disposable income for you to play with? Well here are my top reasons you should craft when times are tough:

Crafters and quilters usually build up a fabric stash over many years of collecting.  A fabric stash is usually filled with fabrics they couldn’t resist and knew someday they’d find the perfect project for.  I think most crafters and quilters would be frightened to be stash-less.  A fabric stash can serve as inspiration and always provides security knowing there is a project hiding in there somewhere.

Well, what to do if you have decided to craft green and have no stash?  Start building one.  

One of the fastest and most affordable ways to build a stash is by buying small cuts of fabrics you love.  There are so many eco-friendly fabric sources that sell fabric mix packs and remnant bags perfect for starting a new stash.  Here is a round-up of my favorite sources for eco-friendly fabric scraps and remnants.

Wednesday more sad news in the world of DIY publications: CRAFTzine, the cousin to MAKEzine, will stop issuing their epic how-to print volume after this, their 10th Issue. The magazine will continue to exist as an online-only publication at craftzine.com.

After getting down and dirty with your craft, there’s that dreaded task of cleanup. This simple task can get a little more dicey once the paint, marker, oil pastel or glue finds itself outside of the protected craft area. So to help, here’s a list of green cleaning products that you can use to clean up after craft time using supplies that you already have in your house.

If you’re crafting with the environment in mind, more than likely your materials are water based. These spills can be quickly and easily swiped up with water and a rag.

If wondering hands happen to get crayon or pencil marks on the wall, a little baking soda and water should do the trick.