Green Options

Offered in recycled wool felt as well as black recycled rubber, these Fuz hug placemats make a darling housewarming gift. Pop-up place mat designs are creative recycled tableware at it’s best.

Perfect for kids that are restless at meal time, these playful mats feature four mats with two boys and two girls, for dinner and a puppet show! Fuz says “Built-in Napkin Hugs call these placemats home. Pop them out and put them to work.”

Ash City, one of the leaders in eco-friendly promotional apparel, is branching out into caps and bags made from recycled materials.

There were a few great eco shoe companies at the beginning of this decade that sadly fizzled out. Perhaps there were a variety of reasons, but obtaining sustainable and recycled materials at a feasible cost was a biggie.

Not only are “green” resources more available today, there are authenticity and certification programs, as well as trace systems that track from field to retailer. Simple Shoes is a business with deserved admiration for establishing sustainable material suppliers through a combination of programs. They appropriately describe themselves as a “nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.”

Terra Plana is an interesting blend of what many would call ethical footwear.

The Terra Plana Ethical Policy states:

Inspired by ecological survival, Terra Plana believes in a variety of non-generic products and sustainable strategies. Guided by life cycle analysis, Terra Plana aims towards publishing accurate life cycle matrices for every product we produce. Reparability, lightness, anatomic design, and durability are all staples of sustainable shoe making. We at Terra Plana regularly re-evaluate what we can do to minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use and love

Terra Plana has received international acclaim for their craftsmanship in publications like Vouge Italia (shown above) and also here on Feel Good Style in“Reason number one not to go barefoot this summer” we shared that:

There is plenty enough to know about all the trash we create and the wastefulness of our ways. But when you meet Colorado architect, Doug Eichelberger, you are happy to find a person who is all about solutions, putting trash to use as a building material.

A visit to his Lucky Ranch reveals a very special looking barn, built out of trash. He used scrap plastic for the foundation blocks, then erected walls of baled trash paper. The wall materials were inexpensive and provided excellent insulating quality, says Eichelberger.

Can you afford to always buy eco-friendly products?  Really? Let’s face it, buying eco-friendly can be a budget busting experience at the best of times.

Now there’s a new eco-friendly place where you might be able to afford them.  Newly launched, Ecosteal.com sells modern, eco-friendly products featured one-at-a-time at 40-80% off retail price, until they sell out or 9am the next day.

Fancy a new online store for eco-friendly children’s products?  Green product website Ambitious Green calls itself a “fun place to buy great products at the center of today’s environmental issues, concerns, and debates.”

Says Ambitious Green: “We think the environment and education are challenging debates worth having. Every time you make a buying decision you are telling manufacturers and the market what’s important to you.   We share the same frustrations you do - finding products that are natural, functional, friendly and fun. We believe that what’s good  for you can be good for the planet.”

Here are a few of the latest toys at Ambitious Green:

Dancing Alligator, $19.99 (shown above) “This award-winning, wooden alligator pull toy struts his stuff as he wiggles, bobs and click-clacks along.”  These toys are made in Thailand by Plan Toys, a green company that emphasizes socially responsible manufacturing.   It’s green because it’s made of organic rubberwood, non-formaldehyde E-Zero Glue, water-based dye, recycled and recyclable material and soy ink and water-based ink.

Check out Elven Forest Creations on Etsy.

All the products are made from recycled, reclaimed or organic fabrics.  On the top above “the feathers for the wings are from someone who had gathered fallen feathers from their farm” and“the feathers would have gone to the landfill had they not started selling them.”

I’m as much for reducing, reusing and recycling as anyone, but a small zoo in Illinois has taken those concepts to a whole new level for the holidays.

Tampa Bay Online reports that the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington is selling $5 hand-crafted Christmas ornaments made from … wait for it … reindeer droppings. Yes, reindeer droppings. Of course, the zoo’s found a more appealing name for the creations: “magical reindeer gem ornaments.”

Mixed emotions here about the new standard for recycled textiles. Thanks to Control Union Certifications and demand claims from brands and retailers in The Netherlands, the first Global Recycling Standard (GRS) for fabrics, apparel and accessories is now active to ensure sourcing clarity through the production supply chain.

Now I understand certification needs for organic fibers, dyes, and rather recently for leather and fur, – but recycled? Talk about cover your bum!

Simple Shoes such as the fuzzy ones shown above, are not only super cute they are made out of smart materials:

The shoe image courtesy of Simple shoes, is an adorable design! Now there are more ways than ever to measure our eco footprints, and with footwear no less! Did you know you can recycle shoes? Nike has also recently started a shoe recycling campaign. With large retailers on board,