So as a few of you may know, the reason I’ve been MIA was due to the great airline shutdown which left me stranded (although not unhappy) in Hawaii. You can imagine I spent quite a bit of time on a few different airplanes. Skimming the provided magazines, I came across some neat items that add to the fast-growing popularity of going green.
Going green of course means to use alternative methods and materials in order to save our valuable resources and lessen polution, among other things. One huge movement of going green was popularized by Al Gore and his film, An Inconvenient Truth.
Being a fashion mag addict, I’ve seen eco-friendly products popping up all over the place. I just want to mention a few I ran across recently that piqued my interest.
Bamboo
Bamboo has recently been found to be easily duplicated here in the states and is a lot cheaper than other kinds of woods. And since it’s technically a grass, harvesting it is a lot less harmful than tearing down whole forests. Bamboo is used for multiple products - in Asia it’s always been a staple for centuries mostly as furniture. Here in the states we are slowly discovering this and currently the hot trend is bamboo flooring. Bamboo is also used in clothing.
I read about a bamboo bike that is being produced and it will hopefully be used in 3rd world countries as a cheaper mode of transportation.
http://www.bamboobike.org/Home.html
Recycled Shoes
Who says being eco-friendly can’t be fashionable? Simpleshoes.com offers casual sneakers (or ecoSneaks) for men, women and kids made of recycled goods, hemp and organic cotton in a variety of fun designs and colors. Laces made from plastic bottles, and soles made from car tires can be quite fashionable. The site also offers sandals, bags and a few other accessories. Not only are they eco-friendly but wallet friendly, too!
In addition to reusing materials, SimpleShoes.com will donate $5.00 to StopGlobalWarming.Org with each sale of these cute special edition ecoSneaks:
Neither Paper Nor Plastic
A recent trend that has been booming is the alternative to bagging your groceries in paper or plastic with reusable shopping bags. Most grocery stores are offering shoppers with reusable bags for free or dirt cheap. You can also purchase more durable bags and totes on sites like ResuableBags.com, Baggubag.com and BagsOnTheRun.com.
And not only can you shop in style AND lessen the amount of waste you produce, you can purchase stylish totes and bags and help donate to charity, too.
Although priced at what seems a high $59.95, the purchase of one UN World Food Programme’s FEED bag
I’ve really been inspired to change some things in my life and go green! How have you gone green? Let GEN know and post!
April 13th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
i definitely think it is very important to cut back on the carbon footprint that everyone leaves. ive been thinking about getting organic pwned tshirts, not sure yet because i have to look into the pricing.
Anyway, great article
April 15th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Thanks for writing this up doll! Lots of great info!
April 15th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Dang!!! What happened to my comment? It won’t post!
Anywho… this is a great post! A little bit goes a long way!
Recycle.com is also a great site for anyone looking for more tips and recycling facilities in your area. Check it out! GO GREEN!!
April 16th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
@ Traycee: That happens to me too …
I myself recycle and I have, well at least since Jan., begun taking my own cloth bags to the store to carry groceries in. Every little bit helps.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Oooohh nice suggestions…. I would love an organic pwned shirt!!