Coffee lovers everywhere will smile upon this concept: the reusable cup sleeve.  Keep it in your car, purse, or at work — wherever you find yourself in need of a cup of joe-to-go — and start saving a little more cardboard from the trash.  They’re available in an array of adorable prints from Etsy user beyondquilts.

User PapierLapin crafts what she calls “a self-mailing invitation” out of 100% post-consumer fiber.  By printing on all sides of the envelope, she’s eliminated the need for the actual invitation card, allowing you to save on paper and cost of materials.  Design your own invitation or ask PapierLapin to personalize them for an extra fee.

Put away the paper bags, and start packing lunch (or snacks!) in one of these delightful reusable bags (pictured above) available in a variety of prints and sizes.  Or, if you’re dining at home, pour yourself a cool drink into one of these recycled wine bottle glasses.

As an alternative to synthetic dryer sheets, try a reusable “dryer ball” made from felted wool.  Along with reducing static, the wool helps draw moisture away from clothing so you won’t need to run the dryer as long.  Adding a drop of scented oil gives clean clothes a refreshing aroma, too.

And lastly, you can add an extra touch of eco-friendly bamboo to your home with these clothes hangers, which mimic the style of typical dry cleaning ones to prevent unwanted creases.

Hale County, where the studio operates to the west of the University’s main campus, is one of the state’s poorer regions, with a significant proportion of its residents living below the poverty line.  The Rural Studio aims to provide affordable yet well-constructed buildings for people in this community and impart lessons of social responsibility and fairness on its student participants, who leave school to live near the studio.  To cut costs, many projects utilize found materials such as broken concrete, road signs, hay barrels, and salvaged wood.

The Yancy Tire Chapel, for example, features walls made from 900 recycled tires, which were filled with dirt and tied together before being coated in stucco and topped with a roof of salvaged pine from a nearby house.  The open-air chapel is built into a bluff overlooking a natural wetland landscape.

Another building, the Butterfly House, was built for Anderson and Ora Lee Harris in 1996 and is now occupied by the couple’s daughter.  The placement of windows and walls in the house was carefully calculated so the interior may be heated and cooled passively, without use of mechanical power.  Its roof is angled to collect water into a tank that may be used for laundry, and some of the siding was salvaged from a razed church.

Click here to see all nineteen years’ worth of projects!

For novices, here we present a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Locate a thrift shop(s)

Typing “thrift store [your city]” into Google is usually the simplest way to find a few local shops.  Otherwise, search Salvation Army, Goodwill, or Volunteers of America online for locations.  Make sure to check the hours — Salvation Army, for example, is generally closed on Sunday — and be sure you’ve located a retail store as opposed to a mere drop-off spot.  Keep in mind that, like the mall, Saturday afternoons can be crowded and should be avoided if you prefer quieter shopping escapades.

Step 2: Pack an iPod and hand sanitizer

While this step is optional, it will maximize your enjoyment of the thrifting experience.  Perusing every rack on your list can take at least an hour, so why not plug in some headphones and have fun with it?  The hand sanitizer may or may not be necessary, but it’s nice to have.  Those hangers might have been around the block a few times.

Step 3: Arrive and grab a cart

You will want to find a cart because there will be many articles of clothing that you A) are not sure if you like and B) are not sure will fit.  Try them on.  If it works, then you have a new $2 blazer!  And bragging rights.

Step 4: Have a broad idea of what you need

Beware this one common pitfall of thrift shopping, and perhaps the most devastating.  If you walk in with a specific cardigan in mind — navy blue with gold buttons, maybe — you will not find such a cardigan.  If you walk in thinking that you simply need a blue-ish cardigan to go with your khaki shorts, you will likely be more successful.  Most shops organize their massive volumes of clothing by type (button-downs, sweaters, jeans, pants, etc.) and then, within each category, by color.  Don’t narrow your vision!  Think broadly, or in terms of occasions — a shirt for a specific night out, for example — and you’ll be happier in the end.

Step 5: Begin the search

For best results, look at everything.  If you need a black skirt, look at every one on the rack, and some grey ones besides.  You never know what amazing, designer-label frock is hidden like a diamond among the more rough-hewn.  And if you find something almost perfect, keep in mind that you can always enlist the help of a tailor.  Skirts can be shortened and jackets taken in, still for under the price of new ones.

Happy hunting!

Many resorts around the country, and the world, are adopting more eco-friendly operations systems. In Spain, a Dutch company is even hoping to open an entirely self-sufficient ski resort in sunny Barcelona within the next five years.  The resort would recycle liquified natural gas normally warmed with seawater from a temperature of about negative 238 degrees Fahrenheit, and then emptied into the bay.  Instead, cooling energy provided by the gas would be harnessed and channeled toward the resort, which would also utilize solar panels for its other energy needs.  Awesome, right?

But since that’s a few years off, here are some stateside suggestions on where you can relax at an eco-conscious resort.  An organization called the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition provides ratings based on how well western U.S. resorts address habitat protection and energy issues.

These are their top three:

1.  If you’re planning a big meal, consider the ingredients in each of your dishes.  Are you using seasonable produce for the region you live in?  Shop at local farmer’s markets where you can, and avoid using fruits and vegetables flown in from a tropical climate to help reduce energy used for transportation and refrigeration.

2. If you’re going to be traveling this season, remember not to wrap gifts before boarding your flight!  The TSA may open and search any of your bags — including wrapped Christmas gifts — so pack some gift wrap separately to avoid paper waste.

3.  Speaking of gift wrap, last week we showed you how to use cloth that your recipient can repurpose on his or her own.  But if you’re short on fabric, try reusing some other common household materials such as leftover wallpaper or sample swatches, old road maps, or sheet music.  Newspaper might seem like a last-minute alternative to gift wrap, but a foreign newspaper can give a gift a quirky, offbeat look.  Baskets are also a good alternative to paper gift bags.

4.  For that impossible-to-buy-for person still on your list, think about gifting them with an experience — a class they might enjoy, for example.  Check out a local community college or community center for listings.

5.  Just open a card from someone not on your list?  Consider reciprocating with an e-card, the eco-friendly alternative to snail mail!  Paperless Post offers creatively animated cards that you can personalize with a family photo and message for a lesser fee than paper cards with postage (and some are free!).

Furoshiki, which translates to “bath spread,” originated in Japan around the 18^th century as a means for a bather to easily carry his or her clothing, but soon became known as a convenient way to carry other things, as well — including gifts.  Furoshiki declined in popularity with the rise of plastic bags in Japan after the second world war, but is currently experiencing a revival among concerned environmentalists.

To wrap a gift this way, start with a square of fabric in a material not so thick that it will be difficult to knot.  You can go to a craft supply store and pick out a cheerful pattern, use a square scarf or, if your gift is large enough, even use a small tablecloth.  The Japanese Ministry of the Environment created a very useful chart explaining all the different ways the cloth can be folded, wrapped, and tied to accommodate its contents:

Click the image for a larger view!

A quick YouTube search also turns up many instructional furoshiki videos, such as this one. With a little creativity and resourcefulness, you can help cut back on paper waste this holiday season!

Oregon’s Original Living Christmas Tree Company has been providing Portlandians with their choice of evergreen — various species, six to seven-and-a-half feet tall — for twenty years.  The company will even deliver your selection, with its roots wrapped in burlap, to your door, and then pick it up in a few weeks so it can be replanted by a school, church, private homeowner, or landscaper to live out its next 70-80 years.  The Living Christmas Tree Co. in southern California offers a similar service to residents of the Greater Los Angeles Area — but replants the trees in a cooler locale!

Living with a tree is easy.  Just make sure to give it one to two pints of water per day, and keep it away from heating vents so it doesn’t dry out — or start to think spring has come early.  Avoid decorating with large light bulbs and using flock, too.  It’s worth noting that some studies suggest a correlation between music and healthy trees, so don’t be afraid to sing.

And you don’t need to live in Portland or L.A. to decorate your home with a lovely live tree for the holidays.  You can source, transport, and replant one all by yourself!   The Original Living Tree Company suggests calling local plant nurseries to inquire about four or five -foot conifers — due to the weight of the roots, the company recommends purchasing a shorter tree for ease of moving.  Trees can be set diagonally in the trunk of a car (with a cable to secure the hood) or in a truck bed.  In January, replant in the yard for use in 2012, or call local community organizations and offer to donate it.  You could even post an ad to Craigslist and let someone else replant your tree near their home.

Ha Schult, a German artists, is world renowned for his work with garbage.  He has made “trash people” that have been featured  in famous places throughout the world.  The “trash people” are life sized and are made from mostly recycled cans and old computer parts, but Shult incorporates anything and everything that he finds. These statues make a definite statement, however, the meaning of that statement is left to individual interpretation.

Dr. Evermor has created the world’s largest metal scrap sculpture as well as an entire park devoted to his creations. The park is located  in Wisconsin and it incorporates metal from as far back as the 1880’s.  Dr. Evermor’s work began nearly 30 years ago with just a simple exhibition. Evermor always liked collecting odd metals and other objects. As time went on he let his inner child free and decided to make something extraordinary out of his hobby.

Based in London, Tim Noble and Sue Webster have created multiple exhibitions that allow people to  see garbage in a beautiful way. They accomplish this by playing with light and shadow. They create  art pieces that look like nothing more tha a pile of trash, but all it takes it the  right amount of light to be able to see a shadows of the most amazing forms.

There are many other artists such as the ones described above. They all work to bring awareness to the growing problem of  pollution and the importance of recycling, reusing and re-purposing your old materials.  Along with conveying an important message, the artists are revolutionizing modern day art.

These versatile bowls can be used to hold a variety of things such as fruits or salad. They also will look elegant and expensive on the dinner table.

The serving platter has a nice texture and very appealing colors. It is made of the highest quality wood and is hand carved.

This utensil vase is a very original conversation piece.  It is carved from mango trees in Thailand, with  tree bark accents.

To see the full assortment of our new kitchen products, please visit our website. http://www.verdelifestyles.com/Wood-Kitchen-and-Dining-s/314.htm.

BeadforLife is an organization that allows women to work.  The women make bracelets, necklaces from recycled materials and even shea butter. The profits made from the sales are used to develop the community and enrich the lives of many women. Since the larger part of the population lives in extreme poverty, new members are always joining. The goal is not to give handouts or aid but to enable the members to live independently. 

Fashion, Love, Africa is an another organization located in Kenya.  Mothers, grandmothers who can not afford food or do not make a steady income are given an opportunity for work. They make purses from recycled consumer plastic bags. Each bag is unique and varies in size, shape and even color, since it is handmade. The ten dollars earned from each sale is put into a fund that will provide money for loan, child care, and relocation programs.

Programs like, the two described above, are a good way to help the people in countries that are suffering economically.  It is also incredibly easy to contribute. You can volunteer, you can donate to the programs, and you can buy the products for you or your loved ones.  A small purchase, such as a  5-15 dollar bracelet can change the lives of not only one, but several women in Uganda and other third world countries.