Upcycled Craft Ideas

Source: paperplateandplane.wordpress.com via Angela on Pinterest

I love Pinterest for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it enables me to find great upcycled craft ideas really easily and pin them to my board Upcycled and Cool. One of the many creative craft ideas I've found recently are these adorable crowns made from 2-liter plastic bottles, glue and glitter. Follow the link to the PaperPlateandPlane blog to find Jeromina's step-by-step instructions. What a great idea for keeping plastic bottles out of our landfills and oceans!

By the way, there are currently 79 current pins on my Upcycled and Cool board and growing! You can find a treasure trove of upcycled craft ideas using recycled plastics, wood, metal and other common household goods.

The Lorax Goes Green

Lorax Movie Poster courtesy IMDB.com

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is coming to a theatre near you beginning March 2, 2012. Great news for kids (and adults) who fell in love with the story of the somewhat grumpy character who "speaks for the trees" and is the ultimate activist.  Even better news is that Universal has slated several large "green" companies to commercial tie-ins for the movie's debut, including Seventh Generation and Whole Foods Market. While some will say it is still eco-commercialism at its finest, I think it's a step in the right direction -- much better than a Happy Meal with plastic toys! There are nearly 70 companies total that are said to be offering an eco-friendly tie-in with the movie. You can read more about it at Huff Post Green.

Free Digital Download: Old Farmers Almanac

This one goes under both categories... Free and Green! The folks at Old Farmers Almanac are offering a free download of their digital edition for 2012 just for "liking" their Facebook page.  You'll receive the entire reference section from the 2012 Old Farmers Almanac and will also be able to sign up for their companion newsletter.

Sustainable Living Guides

It's been quite a while since I've updated this blog - sometimes life just gets in the way... but I'm back with all new green stuff!

This week on Pinterest I found a great site that is a one-stop sustainability shop for green living:

Check out their guides on everything from growing your own food to green tech and gadgets. They've also got some great kits for purchase: soy candle making, cheese making and a rain barrel kit. Lots of good information for  every shade of green living.

More Sustainable Guides:

Beyond Bottles and Cans

Recently I updated one of my most popular Squidoo lenses to incorporate lots of info and ideas on ways anyone can do more to recycle, reuse and reduce at home. Here's an excerpt:

Ok, so you sort out your bottles, cans and newspapers for recycling... but are you aware of the hundreds of ways you can recycle common household products like coffee filters, silica gel packets, haircolor kits, cereal boxes and egg cartons? 

READ MORE:Recycling at Home - Beyond the Bottles and Cans

Earth Day Blog-a-Thon

I was asked to be part of the Enviance Earth Day Blog-a-Thon that went on yesterday and was honored to be a part of the event! A total of 24 guest posts about so many environmental issues were showcased, one per hour. In case you don't follow Enviance (yet) on Twitter - here's a few snippets and links.

Water, Water Everywhere - (my guest post snippet below)

Showing a dying bird suffocating from remnants of an oil spill off the Gulf Coast, or a dissection of the contents a fish’s stomach that has ingested bits of plastic bottle caps isn’t “fun” for me, but if it makes one person stop and think before tossing a water bottle or it inspires someone to start a grassroots campaign to make chemical companies more accountable for their toxic waste, then it’s worthwhile. If each of us educated just one other person, imagine the possibilities.

Enviance on Twitter
Green Verbs (my Eco Twitter Profile)

Community Gardens: An Excellent Way to Celebrate Earth Day

Community Gardens are a great way to do something positive for the community and the environment, and would be a great event to kickoff on Earth Day 2011 if you're looking for an eco-friendly event idea for your community. I recently checked out a local community garden known as Tucson Village Farm, The working urban farm is maintained by local kids through the organization's seed-to-table program. Children (and adults) are taught the benefits of healthy eating while helping to maintain crops that include vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. "Growing Forward” is their K-5 state standardized agriculture literacy program. Hands-on learning stations include: farming, composting, worms, pollinators, and nutrition.

Junior high school art students have created more than a dozen colorful signs that educate visitors as well.
I'm lucky. I get to enjoy the ongoing fruits of their labors every time I walk to Trader Joe's. A neighbor's 5-year-old daughter often comes with me - I think it's just so she can see the progress... or because they have a full-size tractor, hay bales, a very wormy-y compost bin and a big red barn!

Saving the Earth means the World - Shopping Bag by UponRequest

A Billion Acts of Green : Earth Day 2011

A Billion Acts of Green® is an ongoing commitment to Earth Day designed to prove the idea that real change occurs best when millions of people commit to it with their actions. Every Act registered will be counted toward our ultimate goal of amassing one billion actions in advance of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Are you, your group, your town, your team registered? If not, now's a great time to join the approximately 78,000,000 around the world that have registered their unique commitment.

Need ideas? Check out Act.EarthDay.org for more information. You'll find upcoming events like city-sponsored Earth Day hikes, or pledges by others registered that include a wide variety of commitments, from changing to CFL lightbulbs in their home to building a community garden.

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. 

~Henry David Thoreau

5 Ways to Support World Water Day

Today, World Water Day will be celebrated around the globe in an ongoing effort to increase awareness of safe and clean drinking water. It is estimated that 1 in 8 people lack access to water that is free of disease-carrying bacteria or other known safety concerns. The United Nations reports that around the world, more people are dying from unsafe water than from violence. Here are five ways you can help support World Water Day:

1. Use your social network profiles (Twitter, Facebook, etc) to spread the word.
2. Donate to a charity that is committed to providing safe drinking water, especially in Third World countries.
3. Get educated. Find out more facts about water and sanitation here. Get the FAQS on World Water Day.
4. Start your own Clean Water campaign.
5. Protect our oceans, lakes and streams from toxic pollutants like the chemicals used to manufacture plastic water bottles and Styrofoam.

More resources:  World Health Organization's Advocacy Guide, World Water Day - Wikipedia

It's A Good Time to Green Your Indoor Lighting

Many of us have already switched out the fluorescent bulbs with eco-friendly CFL bulbs in our living rooms, dens, offices and other well-used spaces within our homes. However, now is a good time to check the areas that are often "out of sight" like basements, attics and closets to ensure they're as green as possible. If you're like me, you may find that some of these areas have been overlooked when doing a lighting upgrade. CFL bulbs are not only better for the environment, they're cost effective, which is a great reason to switch them out now, when so many of us are dealing with increased utility bills that are associated with colder weather.

Eco-friendly bulbs can be purchased at a variety of hardware and big box stores for under a buck a piece. I've even found them at discount stores like the 99¢ store. Online, they tend to be a bit more expensive, however, if you are looking for a specific type of CFL bulb, like an indoor floodlight, online stores and websites are a great resource.

Did you know Home Depot has a CFL recycling program? Find out more details here