I stumbled upon these really cool bracelets a while ago, and they have an interesting story. First, they are all hand made, and this takes hours upon hours to do. Second, the proceeds go to support the work of artisans in impoverished regions of the world (in this case, Indonesia). Third, the cans are literally trash that people found on the side of the road. I cannot stress enough how awesome that is. To me, at least. How about to you?

I mean, think about it. The thing you’re wearing on your wrist is a neat little trinket, but that’s not the whole story. It was made in a factory somewhere in the world and shipped to Indonesia, where it sat on a store shelf until someone decided to buy it. After drinking out of it, this stranger in a foreign land tossed it onto the ground, where it sat and created a blight on the landscape. Then these people come along, pick it up, make a bracelet out of it (of all things), then they sell it to you in North America. That’s a pretty amazing tale of misuse and redemption for the little guy, and I personally think that it’s really awesome to be wearing something on your body that was trash in Indonesia a little while ago. There’s just something uber-kitschy about that. Maybe it’s just me.

Yes, I understand that there are definite concerns over getting something from Indonesia instead of something that was made in the US or Canada. However, I think it’s such an interesting tale for a can to go on, that I’m just pulled into the fantasy of it like the sucker that I am. I mean, come on. It’s hard not to just let yourself go sometimes and let yourself be taken in by the cool stories of some of the stuff you can buy for yourself. These days. This can never saw it coming.

These bracelets are a great example of this, and they are a cool, fun way to get an environmentally friendly gift for yourself or someone else that won’t cost a fortune. The basic premise of the wrist bands is that they are made out of recycled t shirts. The shirts are cut into strips or strands of fiber, woven very tightly, and then strung together to form a bracelet. The result is a great, colorful mixture of old shirts that come together to give you a very unique product that will be different from any other that you can find out there. This is especially true with these bracelets since they are made out of uniquely different source materials, meaning it’s literally impossible to get two bracelets that look identical.

I think that that’s really one of the best things about buying “up-cycled” stuff– especially clothing. Not only are you getting something that is really great for the environment, but you are also getting something that is totally unique. I never really understood why people clamber for the latest fashions in magazines, when they’re really just going to end up looking like every other person that reads that magazine. Why not be a little more unique? And at this price, it’s really easy to get something cool for a price that won’t put you in the poor house. To me, that’s a win/win situation. I know that there are lots of people in my life that would love something like this.

With all we know about the damage that our trash does to the world around us, I think it’s great that there are so many great ways to turn trash into treasure. All you need is a little creativity.

Let’s get it straight first: they’re decommissioned. Second: land mines are absolutely horrifyingly evil. Over the course of our militaristic history, land mines have been used tactically to scare the opposing army out of trying to cross a specific territory. What the vile scum that laid these things into the ground never seemed to do was pull the terrible things out and get rid of them. Since the mines weren’t laid down in countries with highly developed infrastructures, the general mentality was that they should just be left there to blow the legs off of some kids while they play soccer in an old field.

Enter the many non-profits that work tirelessly and bravely to pull these things out of the ground and make life safe again for children and farmers. After all, why should they have to live with the constant fear that the next step they take could be their last? This model of jewelry is crafted out of the metal from the old land mines that are pulled out of the ground and decommissioned. They are specifically crafted by local artisans that are given a fair shake at getting a good price on something that they work hard on, further helping the local communities that were once ravaged by these land mines.

Everyone that reads this knows that I’m a huge fan of recycling. However, what you may not know is that I’ve been involved with a few non-profits over the years that work to pull these terrible things out of the ground. This is a great way to contribute to a cause, while simultaneously buying yourself a notable conversation piece.

This guy right here.

While there are a lot of things that we’ve talked about that are made out of recycled materials, most of those things are pretty heavy duty things. Whether it’s bike chains or old flip-flops, we have seen that there are a number of consumer materials that can have new life breathed into them with a minimum of work for maximum reward. However, while we often look at stuff like that as a way to maximize the use we get out of all our crap, we rarely look at the modest cola can as the genesis of a fashion accessory. While this specific type of kitsch may not be for everyone, this is definitely a cool accessory to look into if you’re interested in having something that pretty much no one else you know will have.

What is “this”? Well, its a bracelet made out of old pop tops on soda cans. It has a number of cool features that come with it, but one of the most important ones is that it looks cool and is recycled. Now that that’s out of the way, a lot of people have reported that it’s very cool how light the thing is, too. After all, it’s just made out of pop tops that have been crocheted together, so you can’t expect it to weigh all that much. Another thing that people are raving about with this thing is that the jingling the bracelet makes is way more pleasant than you’d expect it to be. It reminds you a little of wheat heads bopping against each other in a gust of wind. It’s pretty unique.

Who knows what else they’ll turn into fashion. It’s so great that the fashion industry is starting to embrace philosophies like this. For an industry that is so historically wasteful, it’s nice to see this kind of forward movement.

That’s really the rub when it comes to making your own clothes out of yarn. A lot of yarn manufacturers don’t make their yarn out of strictly woolen or natural materials. Some companies actually use a lot of synthetic fibers to make up their “yarn”, and this can end up really taking a toll on the environment over time. If you decide that you want to try and find more natural fibers for knitting, you will find that those fibers can end up being amazingly expensive. If you are looking for a way to be more environmentally friendly when you knit, but can’t afford the strictly natural fiber, then consider buying yarn that has been made out of post-consumer waste.

This yarn is just as warm and durable as anything else that you’d buy in the store, with the notable exception being that it is made out of completely recycled materials. Companies like Frabjous Fibers offer a wide selection of “hand picked” recycled fibers that give you a really great mixture of size, texture, and color. These yarns are very attractive, and they really don’t even cost all that much. They would be perfect to use in something like a hat or gloves, since the colors are exceptionally unique and may therefore not be very easy to match with larger things like sweaters.

This is just one more way that we can all make better choices without spending an arm and a leg in the process. Whether you are a knitting pro or you are just thinking about taking it up, Frabjous Fibers and companies like it are a great way to get the fiber you need with the low impact you want.

For one thing, who the hell knew that you could even do this in the first place? I never even thought that you could ever use newspaper to make earrings. I mean, I’m no crafty son of a gun or anything, but I consider myself to be a fairly wordly type of person and I had never even thought that it was possible to do something like this. Upon further inspection of the process, I felt a little embarrassed that I was so thoroughly impressed by this whole thing, but I stand by my amazement. It’s a good idea, and good ideas deserve an appropriate level of amazement to mark the occasion.

So, here’s the background. The company that makes these Recycled Newspaper Earrings is a co-op in Cambodia. They work to put kids in school and keep them off the streets. The newspaper you’re wearing was actually something that they found on a street in Cambodia. They use a water-based varnish on the paper to keep it in the ball shape– but it’s water-based so it doesn’t agitate your skin or anything. I thought it was pretty great that they were not only helping to keep Cambodia clean, but that they were also working to help kids get an education that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. No matter how you slice it, this is a cool little piece of kitsch that actually looks cool.

The name is sort of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is the fact that it’s made out of old scrap cloth. On the other hand, they’re built to last. Scrappy, as it were. The great thing about these scarves is that you will literally have a one-of-a-kind scarf that will never be found elegantly draped around the neck of another person. This is something that I personally look for in just about anything I ever buy. I mean, if I’m going to be spending money on something, why on Earth would I want something that looks identical to thousands of other things? Especially when it comes to clothes, this kind of automatic individualism is a really great thing to have as an extra feature.

The quality is nothing to shake a stick at, either. Too many people seem to have it in their heads that an article of clothing made out of recycled clothes will just fall apart around them. Not so with this product. In fact, they seem to overcompensate for the old fabric by making sure to reinforce the joints of fabric to make sure that the whole thing holds together nicely. It doesn’t detract from how attractive these scarves are, and they will go with just about any type of outfit you can think of. Whether you like to dress a little funky or super-straight, you’ll be able to get a scarf that looks great with what you’re wearing. All that for a pretty decently reasonable price when compared to other types of “artisan” green clothes out there.

It doesn’t hurt that their shoes are completely awesome, either. They take a lot of care in how they construct their shoes, making sure to keep even the tiniest little extras in mind. When you run in their mocs, it’s really easy to tell that they’ve listened to the input of a lot of minimalist runners– it really shows. By listening to the feedback of runners that use their shoes on a bunch of different surfaces, Soft Star has been able to produce some of the best quality running shoes that you can buy in North America.

I’m a huge fan of buying from businesses that actually contribute to their local economies instead of sending all their money overseas. It really says a lot about a company when they make a point to say “listen, we’re going to stay here and make the best damn product we can.” End of story. That really makes me happy, and I’m glad that I’m able to support a company like Soft Star. They’re located in Corvallis, Oregon so keep that in mind if you decide to peruse their site for something that catches your eye. Happy running, and be sure to take it slow if you want to give the minimalist thing a shot. You’ll be glad you did.

We (humans) are animals. It’s the way it is. We evolved over the course of time to become a species of runners and MAN are we good at it. In fact, not that many people seem to realize just how good of runners we are. Everyone always looks at the brain of us humans as our only real advantage over other animals– with their powerful jaws and immense speed. But did you know that we actually have a physical advantage over other animals as well? We are, bare none, the most efficient long-distance runners in hot temperatures in the entire world. When the temperatures climb, a human being in good shape can outrun a Siberian Husky and even a deer over the long haul. This is because of many different components of our physiology, but two of the major ones are our ability to sweat and our ability to control our breathing as we run.

Anyway, long story short, we are born to run– every one of us. Since I’ve never seen a baby born with shoes on, I’m fairly certain that we’re born to run without shoes, but this isn’t what we’ve been taught in the west. While you need to be careful if you decide to switch from running in clunky old shoes to minimalist shoes, you’ll be glad you made the switch. I for one have totally eliminated my knee pains thanks to shifting the way I run.

One great way to keep yourself fit while staying eco-conscious is by taking a look at the Brooks Green Silence line of shoes. These are minimalist shoes that are built out of recycled materials throughout, making them one of the most responsible shoes you can buy today.

This might not seem like such a big deal when you look at it in the light that says “well, I’m not eating it so who cares?” Well, you should care. There have been reports in India that farmers who allow their goats to graze on harvested cotton plantations are seeing massive die-offs in their goat herds. They are also reporting rashes and all sorts of other things. In fact, there is a growing body of research that has found a possible link between GM cotton clothing and skin rashes or allergies in adults and children.

To avoid all this garbage, I just buy the organic cotton. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but I just plain love the cotton/bamboo mixture. It feels so amazing on your skin that you won’t be able to believe that it’s made out of bamboo. Shirts like this one from the Natural Clothing Company are a really great way to do something good while also making yourself more comfortable. For my money, the comfort of these shirts just can’t be beat by the “franken-cotton” that most people are wearing these days. There’s no itch, no stiffness, and man do these shirts dry way faster than plain old cotton shirts.

It really is crazy to think about just how many ways GM crops are invading our lives without most of us knowing anything about it. Thankfully, it’s really not that difficult to avoid them if you know where and how to look.