1. Handbag knit purse from plastic shopping bags.

You’ve probably seen similar projects to this one: maybe a rug braided from plastic grocery bags. This Instructables project takes a slightly different approach: spinning the bags into a "yarn" that you then knit using an incredibly simple pattern to make a durable bag. I think you could easily make cute stripes with blue and white bags.

2. Yoga mat bag made from old pants

This project from personal fave ReadyMade magazine reuses "grandpa pants" (sorry Max!), but you can use any old pants, including denim, to make a very cute tote for your yoga mat. Can’t wait to try this one as soon as I "borrow" my mother-in-law’s sewing machine.

3. Tote bag made from old t-shirt

If there’s one thing I have a ton of, it’s old t-shirts. My storied (ha!) athletic career (and teaching career) left me with more t-shirts than I know what to do with. Most have sentimental value and I hate to throw them out, but I never wear half of them, and I’m not a fan of those t-shirt quilts. This project from Instructables is super-simple and, with a little work, could be the easy way to make all those reusable grocery bags you’ve been meaning to buy.

4. Insulated lunch bag remake.

Okay, this one is kind of cheating: it’s more of a makeover than a reuse, but if you happen to come across one of those cheap insulated lunch bags, Instructables recommends remaking it to be less hideous. Well, I’d make a cuter applique than the shifty-eyed donut, but that’s just personal taste

5. Customized reusable shopping bag

I can’t wait to try this, since I have a plethora of reusable bags I’ve gathered over the years. This Instructables project creates inner pockets in your reusable grocery bags to hold "produce bags you’re reusing at the store, a bottle of wine, or fresh baguette." Oh yes, I want to carry television-style grocery bags with a loaf of bread and leafy carrots sticking out of the top. Now I can make the myth a reality.

6. Handbag sewn from plastic shopping bags

Although the ReadyMade project on the right looks more complicated than the other projects here, the end result looks seriously stylish, and the only materials needed are grocery bags, thread, bobby pins, scissors, and a sewing machine.

7. Messenger bag from trash bags

Here’s some MacGyver bag-making: Make has a hip messenger bag, suitable for men and women, made from old trash bags using an iron to melt the plastic together. And you can watch it being made via their online video. If that’s not your bag (I couldn’t resist!), download the PDF instructions.

8. Handbags from old sweaters

If you’ve got old sweaters, Cosby or otherwise, lying around (maybe with your grandpa pants?), WhipUp’s got a pattern to turn them into one-of-a-kind totes.

If you aren’t already familiar with it, Instructables is a website that offers step-by-step instructions on creating all kinds of DIY projects, ranging from relatively easy crafts to complicated robotics projects. While they are focusing on green projects for this current contest, they regularly have all manner of do-it-yourself projects. The site’s focus is on not just making things, but on showing other people how to make the cool things you have made, and how you did it.

There are many green projects on the Instructables site, beyond those that are already entries in the current ‘Go Green’ contest. Anything that you can create, and more importantly, that you can show someone else how to create, is a candidate for this contest:

"You can reuse vintage floppies, make your own cloth grocery bags, build some recycled modular shelving, a sun jar, a solar heater, or a wind generator. Move onto solar energy, worm compost, or even ditch your car for an electric bike!
Need more ideas? Check out TreeHugger’s great list of simple ways to Go Green, and the green coverage on PopSci.

"So, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, and rebuild, then show us what you are doing to make your life a little bit greener!"

The contest is open through August 19, 2007. If you have submitted an entry to the contest, be sure to let us know about it in the comments.

After the competition results are announced, we are planning to feature some of the most appealing finalists as part of our Weekly DIY series here on Green Options. The top prize winner is going to be featured in a brief write-up in Popular Science magazine. But we are going to offer our own Green Options highlights and a bit more coverage to some of the most intriguing projects we see, as well.