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.”

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

Talking to Chris Clark, Vice President of Sales with Ash City USA, about their expansion he again echoed what I have seen before, now that there is a growing demand for these products, manufacturers like Ash City are trying to bring as many quality items made from sustainable resources to market as soon as possible.

For the Ecopreneurist this means that you can expect more options, better quality, and greater selection for your marketing and promotional needs.

For example the 12 1/4″H x 16 1/4″W x 3″D Recycled Polyester Computer Brief Chris mentions at the end of this video is 65% recycled polyester/35% polyester 600 denier canvas, with a stylish color-block front pocket plus audio port, and reinforced sides, bottom and front/back walls to provide some basic support and protection for the laptops it carries.

At EQP $32.50 with 7000 stitches of embroidery I think it is a great example of the new breed of stylish apparel and computer totes that just happen to be eco-friendly.

If you want to learn more about the commitment of Ash City to eco-friendly promotional items development contact Chris Clark.

If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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.”

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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

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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,

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In State College, Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to tour the 2,400 square feet Matson & Associates Eco-Building, home to three ecopreneurial enterprises: Matson & Associates, an environmental assessment services company, often engaged to provide “expert witness” testimonials on some of the most timely waste processes issues; Envinity, a green building and home energy audit consultancy; and Matson Biofuels, a company developing a more ecological and non-toxic approach to making biodiesel called Green Biodiesel. For all three of these triple bottom line green enterprises, it’s not just what you create with your product or service — but where you work to create it.

As one of the first examples of green architecture and integrated energy efficient design in State College, the Matson & Associates Eco-Building received the Energy Star certification as a residential office in 2007. The Energy Star certification designates buildings that use 30 percent or less energy than similar code compliant buildings. As an added bonus, the construction cost of this green building was no greater than that for a conventional one.

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Passchal collects inner tubes from VA, Ohio and GA tractors, which then undergo a rigorous but environmentally friendly, multi-day cleaning process before being crafted into bags. To date, Passchal has recycled approximately 20 tons of inner tubes creating their line of bags.

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Organic Yoga Pant ~ This comfy yoga pant is a must-have basic. Comfortable fit allows for great range of motion in any pose and straight legs offer flattering silhouette. 90% organic cotton/10% spandex. Low eco-impact dyes. Colors come in charcoal, black, chocolate or orchid.

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Alabama Chanin creates an “array of limited-edition products for the individual and home. Using a mixture of new, organic and recycled materials our products are constructed with care by artisans who live and work in our local communities. All of the Alabama Chanin products lines are made-by-hand in the USA.”

A.C. has jewelry, interiors fabrics, t-shirts, home collections, a special organic series and more.

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If you attended the Greenbuild conference in Chicago last November, you would have been hard pressed to find a green cabinet manufacturer among the exhibitors - but you couldn’t turn around without bumping into a new type of green countertop. They nearly outnumbered the waterless urinals. Over the past couple of decades, countertops have evolved from tried-and-true laminate to bold new materials and colors of every taste and budget. It’s not surprising to see the creativity of new countertops go hand-in-hand with the emergence of green products. Below are several types of green countertops, from least expensive to most. Feel free to give any feedback you have on any of these products.

Laminate - Easily the least expensive green countertop, laminate countertops made with recycled wood particle board (like SkyBlend) and non-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) adhesives are ideal for building projects that are seeking green certification at the lowest cost. It may take a while to track down a local fabricator offering green laminate countertops, but they shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars more a square foot than regular laminate tops.

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Cott Corporation,

The 60,000-square-foot facility, which marked its grand opening today, features energy-efficient lighting, carpeting that’s free of PVC and chlorine, and chairs made from 30 percent post-consumer recycled materials.

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Photo courtesy of Rolf van Melis.