I stumbled across a wonderfully intriguing image on Flickr.com and it turned out to be an eco friendly coat made from reused plastic shopping bags. The green fashionista responsible for the wonderful creation is UrbanWoodsWalker and her creations are truly inspiring.
This post will show you how to turn your used plastic bags into “plastic fabric” and make your own eco clothing. (Warning: The plastic fabric requires the use of an iron. Please be very careful whenever using a hot iron and ensure your work area is well ventilated)

1/ Collect a bunch of brightly colored plastic bags (The super thin ones work best such as the type newspapers are delivered in), most shoppers have eliminated plastic bags from their homes by using reusable totes but you can probably still find some plastic to use;

Step 1: Gather up Your Used Plastic Bags

2/ You will need the following, an iron, an ironing board, a pair of scissors, some paper (wax paper or parchment paper works best).
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Since it is oh so cold but it is almost February and warmer weather will be just around the corner in March (hopefully), I thought I would do some sprucing up around our house. Touching up the paint on walls and trim or better yet, painting a wall an entirely different color, can gives your home a whole new feel.

I ran across some ways to be planet friendly and preserve the paints I use. Here are some of those ideas:

1. Keep paints stored in moderate temperatures in the home, a closet or pantry. Temperature lows and highs can cause the ingredients in paint to separate. Extended exposure to extremes can make the separation so severe that no amount of shaking and stirring will restore the paint’s texture.

2. Don’t paint from the can. Pour paint into an open bucket or a roller pan and dip your brush or roller in that. The fewer items you stick into the paint can, the less likely the paint is to become contaminated.

3. Keep paint cans closed as much as possible while you’re working. at the end of the day, put a piece of plastic wrap over the top before securing the lid to help create an airtight seal.

4.When saving leftover paint, make sure the can lid is on tight, then turn the can upside down to create an airtight seal and to avoid the formation of a “skin” of thickened paint on top.

5. Keep some paint in a baby food jar or canning jar for touch ups. It saves opening a gallon of paint each time you need to use just a little.

Here we are at the end of another year. 2010 is just around the corner and for me, it is the beginning of another opportunity to make life choices. What will I do in the coming new year to help my home, my planet be a better, healthier, greener place? Lets see, there are so many things, here are my top 5 green resolutions:

1. Plant more plants in the yard, in the community, on the planet. Trees are like the lungs of the planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Additionally, they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Trees also absorb sound and reduce noise pollution. Check out this site if you don’t have space to plant a tree around your home:  Trees for the Future

2. Reduce my use of an automobile. We have now become a one car family. With just my husband and I, it seems to be working out for us. We have found that we don’t need two cars. We also own two bikes and are in good health so walking is also an option. So far so good. There really is no need to drive short distances, I recommend getting a bike or if you have the money, an electric scooter.

3. I am absolutely going to start using my eco-friendly/reusable grocery bags. I have them, they are in the car; I am going to take them into the store, I mean it!!

4. Any new appliances we buy will be the energy star variety. As we get into the new year, any item we need to replace we will research and purchase the most energy efficient  item. First on the list, our electric can opener is near its end. My choice, an old fashion hand crank can opener. Not as quick but we just don’t use that many can goods, so I think it will work.

5. Recycle more. Reduce our purchase of packaged products and buy more bulk with less extra wrap! Don’t forget to make lots of visits to Our Everyday Earth.com in 2010, we hope to make a difference in our lives and others by passing on as much earth friendly information and ways to simplify your life.

There you have it, my top 5. What about you? Leave a comment on any resolutions you think might help out planet.

In the beginning

We have a small area in our side yard that we are going to turn into a garden spot. We had a couple of tomato bushes and some onions last year, but the roses around the area did not allow for much sun. So we have moved the roses and made a space around 8 x 8. We would like to grow tomatoes, oni0ns, and put a trellis for zucchini and squash. I also have some strawberry plants I would like to put in the center in a raised bed, still working on that idea. We have put a four foot fence around it with a gate to keep out the dogs, rabbits, etc. This was made out of left over cedar pieces that our contractor friend had. We now have to put in the boards to keep in the soil and then add organic soil. Come spring, we will plant our little garden. I can already visualize the paintings from the produce and the good tasting homegrown veggies on the table.  We’ll see how that works out. I’ll keep you posted.

New fence out of cedar scraps

Here we are at the start of the Holiday season, around our house, Thanksgiving plans are in full-swing! What can we do to get our holiday season off on a green foot? A lot!
How about shopping for your Thanksgiving meal with two words in mind, organic and local. If you buy local, you enjoy fresher food and you support your local economy. If you drink wine with meals, consider buying organic wines to be more eco-conscious.

Instead of planting yourself in front of the TV for the day, well maybe just for the Football game, consider getting out some and getting fresh air or play a board game. Take advantage of the time together with family while decreasing your energy usage.

If you are going to someone else’s home for dinner, consider turning down the thermostat and turning off the lights to save energy at home while you are gone.

Don’t forget to recycle. Encourage everyone to pitch in and put the recyclables in bins. Recycling all the packaging from the fixings for the meal, as well as any beverage containers, will significantly reduce the number of times you have to take the trash out, as well as the amount of garbage you send to the landfills.

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I was contacted yesterday with a request to write an article about a relatively new company and I approached the request with equal amounts of skepticism and intrigue! The request was to write about a company that takes used cardboard boxes and sells them back to businesses and the general public at low prices. What I found was an extremely environmentally aware business whose value system is centered around reducing waste and recycling as many cardboard boxes as humanly possible;

“You don’t have to cut down a tree, to make a used cardboard box!”

The founder of the company, Marty Metro, started selling used cardboard boxes in his local neighborhood back in 2002 and he saw the potential for a big business;
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Have you ever wondered where all of our old computers and out dated electronics go? The shocking answer is usually that they go to a landfill but one company is making treasures out of e-trash and their waste electronic recycling is a wonderful thing!

Piles of E-Waste!

I have noticed a trend of e-waste products starting to hit our local stores in the form of circuit board picture frames etc, but I wanted to find an online store / company that sold them a little cheaper than the big retailers, that’s when I found “Terracycle”. All of Terracycles products are made from recycled items and their waste electronic recycling products are the best…

Waste Electronic Recycling by Terracycle