Archive for Recycling
3 Top Green News Weekly Blogs of 2011
Posted by: | CommentsIn part 4 of our 5 part ‘best of 2011’ series this week, we look back at the weekly green news we highlighted from other green blog sites to establish our top 3 from Planet Forward blog readers. To recap this week, our ‘best of 2011’ series has included our 3 most popular Meatless Monday vegetarian recipes; the 3 top corporate social responsibility initiatives; and our 3 most popular green posts. Our weekly green news segment touches on several different articles covering various environmental issues, sourced from other reliable green blog websites. When we took a look at the year in review, green news subjects included green chefs, coffee-powered cars, the Greenpeace Green electronics guide, organic food and recycled homes, to name a few. Let’s see where these topics ranked:
EcoARK built from 1.5 million plastic bottles
In 1st place 10 Green Chefs, Coffee-powered cars, Health and Climate, Recycled Structures and Boeing. A wide range of topics I know. 10 Green chefs included a list of chefs serving up wholesome food whether it be vegetarian, vegan and/or sustainable. We found the concept of a coffee-powered car intriguing, and it took us all the way to England, where coffee grounds were used to power a modified Rover SD1. This edition also featured Health and Climate Change: 7 Ways You Are Being Harmed. Then we explored 5 amazing structures made from recycled plastic bottles which included the astounding EcoARK (see photo), which is located in Taipei and is built out of 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles. And finally, Boeing 787 declared its 787 Dreamliner will use 20 percent less fuel and produce 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized planes.
In 2nd place, the Greenpeace Green Electronics Guide, Home Depot Holiday Light Exchange and Buying Organic Foods weekly green news roundup. Greenpeace released the seventeenth edition of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics which rated companies on a scale of 1 to 10 and placed them in either a green, yellow or red zone contingent on their performance. Electronics providers were evaluated based on policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products and make their operations more sustainable. This edition also included Home Depot’s Holiday light exchange program, which offered customers the opportunity to exchange their old holiday lights for a 30% discount off new, eco-friendly LED lights. And last but not least, we incorporated a report from the Organic Trade Association which indicated that 78% of American families are now buying organic foods.
3rd place showcased recycled 747 Jets, recycled homes and recycled art which brought the concept of upcycling to a whole new level. Architect David Hertz actually used recycled materials of a 747 jet from a California scrap dealer to make a beautiful home for organic gardening and green enthusiast, Francie Rehwald. Then we covered The Daily Green’s list of ‘Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers’. Shipping containers are commonly used for importing and exporting goods, but they can be recycled and upcycled into fantastic homes, offices or classrooms. Make sure you check out the truly remarkable Container City™, which includes a series of eco-friendly, condo-like homes housed in upcycled shipping containers. If you want something more private, you can’t go wrong with Ecopods, individual homes also constructed from steel shipping containers. And finally, we discovered some pretty amazing upcycled art with 10 stunning animal sculptures made from recycled materials.
And that concludes part 4 of our ‘best of 2011’ green news weekly blogs. Tune in tomorrow for our final instalment in our ‘best of 2011’ series which will include our top 3 eco-friendly crafts.
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Eco-friendly Craft for Kids at Christmas – Wrapping Paper Chains
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back to the Planet Forward blog for another holiday-inspired eco-friendly craft for kids on this chilly Friday. Everyone has made or seen a paper chain either hanging in a doorway, across a wall or as a garland on a Christmas tree. These chains are usually made out of construction paper but today’s eco-friendly craft makes use of wrapping paper remnants from the end of rolls or oddly cut scraps left from gifts. Keep in mind that the patterned paper will make gorgeous chains for this holiday season. Let’s get crafting.
Items required
- Wrapping paper
- Scissors
- White glue
- Glitter or other decorative items (optional)
image courtesy of littlebuttontin.blogspot.com/
Directions
- Cut the paper into strips. 1 inch by 6 inches is a good size for kids and perfect for larger chains for doorways and ceilings. For tree garlands make narrow and short strips.
- Set the paper in piles, so a pattern can be made from the various wrappings.
- Put glue on one end and loop the piece back to form a ring. Putting the pattern on the outside.
- Insert another piece of paper through the ring, then put glue on one end and loop around to make the second link.
- Continue until you have reached your desired length or run out of paper.
Remember that when making any craft adult supervision is required and children should not use scissors unsupervised.
The holiday wrapping paper makes the chain look more festive but you can also use festive looking images from magazines if you happen to have some. Remember no piece of paper is too small as the combination of foil gift wrap, traditional or recycled paper and even cut up bags will make the chain more interesting. If you want the chain to really stand out you can add glitter to the strips before they are linked together so that they shimmer.
You can also have children write a message, holiday greeting or their list for Santa on the underside of the strips, and add to it every year. This will make the chain not only a family heirloom, but it will show the progression of their handwriting and holiday wishes every year.
This eco-friendly craft for kids can really be used to celebrate any holiday using the appropriate wrapping paper
Happy Holiday crafting.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Eco-friendly Christmas Craft for a Wall Advent Calendar
Posted by: | CommentsIt appears the holiday season is officially upon us so as we head into December, our eco-friendly Christmas craft today, for kids and adults, will be a perfect way to count down the days until December 25th.
We have previously featured many crafts from the very talented Belinda Graham of kidspot.com.au and we continue today. Although you may have to purchase product to make our wall advent calendar, you can reuse items that you might have around the house which will teach resourcefulness and add to its eco-friendliness. It also stirs up some creativity and makes for a beautiful home decoration. Feel free to reuse boxes of varying sizes and shapes. You can also use leftover/used holiday wrapping paper, tissue paper and bows/ribbons to decorate the boxes. This craft is an excellent way of putting these leftover items to good use. I would recommend using colours, tones or designs that complement one another though. I’ve included the directions from Belinda’s Wall Advent Calendar post minus the store references so read on and have fun.
Image courtesy of kidspot.com.au
What You’ll Need
- 24 papier mache boxes, small gift boxes or mini cereal boxes
- Scrapbooking paper
- Ribbons
- Rub-ons (stickers or decals)
- Buttons
- A white gel pen
- Other crafty supplies – glitter, cutters, confetti, cut-outs. You’re limited by your imagination.
Instructions:
- Work out a pattern on the floor – the boxes in this formation were mixed up between vertical and horizontal for interest and more flexibility in the decorations on the front.
- Now get decorating! Vary using rub-ons and your own handwriting to date the boxes and use a similar colourway on all boxes in a range of different materials for a cohesive look.
- Once done, fill the boxes and stick to the wall with 3M removable tape and enjoy the nightly countdown ritual!
There may seem to be a lot involved in this craft but it’s worth working your way through and it can be a work in progress. You don’t have to sit down and complete all 24 boxes at one time. You can set aside special time each week to build your calendar and use the time in between to plan how you will decorate and fill them. Or if 24 days is too much, you can also do a “12 Days of Christmas” themed calendar and keep it to 12 days. Try to use what you have in the house so the craft keeps an eco-friendly and resourceful focus while fueling creative minds for hours.
An eco-friendly Christmas craft is a great way to pass the time while the kids are stuck indoors plus you get a pretty nice decoration out of it too.
Enjoy and our thanks (again) to Belinda.
For the latest green related stories and headlines, connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
