Cody Lundin, “the Jackass of survivalism,” has made a sleeping bag from rubbish: stuffed paper and duct tape inside plastic bags. How’s that for reusing? You can read more about Cody’s ideas in his book When All Hell Breaks Loose.
Photo credit: Off-grid.net
While growing up whenever our family received a package we would store the cardboard boxes in the attic. Throughout the years those boxes were used and reused and reused- moving in and out of college and apartments, sending packages to others, carting things across town… I am pleased to state that a box handled by the Redmond family usually had a pretty long life span. It was interesting when years went by and we didn’t use many
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Creating new bags is an simple way to recycle used materials destined for the landfill and create a unique fashion accessory. Here are eight bags you can easily make for next to nothing, on your own, without special materials, although a few projects do recommend a sewing machine.
You’ve probably seen similar projects to this one: maybe a rug braided from plastic grocery bags. This
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It’s October, and the cool temperatures here in San Francisco have begun to set in. Trying to live as green a life as possible, I have been resisting the urge to turn on a heater; simply opening the blinds and having the sun shine in has a similar effect.
Next, layers are key and making sure the extremities are covered (i.e. hands and feet). Buying a new pair of slippers has
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The after school arts program in which I teach begins tomorrow, with the start of the new month. This year, the Playhouse is instituting the theme, "This belongs to us." I am interpreting this idea in my Art Adventures class with lessons that emphasize a respect for the planet, the school community and one’s own creations.
I will be posting our progress! Please pass along any cool projects using product packaging or other materials usually doomed for the dumpster
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Remember how bummed you were when your favorite sweater got a hole in it? Even with similar structural blemishes, I find it hard to part with my favorite garments — ones that have been worn during so many memorable moments. With a few snips, unravelled rows, and sections of knitting, you can easily turn these old, damaged favorites into fashionably new creations with Knitty.com’s Frankenknits column. Knitty was started back
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Thriftiness isn’t really "new" or "green"; people have found ways to reuse scrap or discarded items for years. The pre-industrialization U.S. didn’t have what we call "trash." Every bit of scrap and waste from the home was remade, reused in some way, or sold to peddlers where it was eventually recycled. With the Industrial Revolution came more products to buy with new kinds of packaging, and trash as we know it
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Many of us are working to green our home lives but it is important to bring that green initiative to the workplace as well. Offices generate tons and tons of waste everyday.
The often forgotten first step in any greening process is to reduce the amount of waste generated. Remember reduce, reuse, recycle? Recycling is the last step. Try this: gather up a few of your co-workers from
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I admit it: I feel virtuous when I drop off a few bags of glass bottles and aluminum cans in the county recycling bin (we don’t have curbside recycling where I live) or stuff a few months’ worth of plastic shopping bags into the big cardboard bag collection bin at Walmart (though, yes, I feel less virtuous when I shop at Walmart). But there’s always a nagging doubt: is recycling really as
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With summer soon coming to a close, the busiest wedding season of the year will be ending as well. Great food, funny dancing, beautiful decorations … and some questionable fashion choices are standard for most these events. Once the DJ goes home, the cake is eaten, and the happily wedded couple are off on their honeymoon, what do you do with that bridesmaid dress that you don’t ever see needing (or wanting) to [...]
Even after the flood of publications covering green issues and eco-living around April, recycling is still newsworthy. Adorn, the "crafty girl’s guide to embellishing life," is the newest title from NYC’s Soho Publishing, which also publishes the ever-popular Vogue Knitting Magazine. Released quarterly, Adorn’s Fall 2007 issue proudly exclaims "We Love Recycling! Thrift Your Way to New Fashion." With second-hand shops by the dozens here in San Francisco, it’s easy to
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