Archive for recycle
Valentine’s Day Heart Garland Eco-friendly Craft for Kids
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back to the Planet Forward blog, today we are getting ready for Valentine’s Day with a fun eco-friendly craft for kids and adults. We’ll be making a Valentine’s Day heart garland, which is inspired by the paper chain garlands that we made for Christmas. This craft is the perfect way to decorate your home, a classroom or even a Valentine’s Day party. The Valentine’s Day heart garland is an inexpensive way to celebrate the holiday. Our craft today comes courtesy of Martha Stewart Living Television. Let’s get crafting.
Tools and Materials:
• Heart garland template
• Card stock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Glue stick
Directions:
1. Create a heart-shaped template, or print out the heart garland template, and place it on a stack of 4 sheets of card stock. Staple the center of the hearts and cut out the shapes.
2. Make a 1-inch vertical cut at the pointed end of a heart; cut heart to about 1 inch wide all the way around the inside. Make two 1/2-inch horizontal cuts from the center of the point of the heart. Repeat with other hearts.
3. Link two hearts through the cuts at the points; glue and trim the cut ends to create a point. Continue the process until all the hearts linked.
When making this eco-friendly craft for kids you could have children cut out hearts inspired by the pattern for a more homemade look. For a classroom it would be cute if every child made one heart for the garland and decorated it, this would add color and personality to this sustainable craft. If you have a certain area where you want to place the garland, like on a long wall or in a doorway, measure the space first so you have an idea of how long the garland needs to be.
This is the perfect eco-friendly craft for kids to make well before Valentine’s Day when the weather is inclement. Another reason this heart garland craft is eco-friendly, aside from the fact that you are repurposing items in your home, is that you can store it and reuse it the next year. If you fold the garland carefully and place it in a bag you can then stow it away with your other holiday decorations. Remember that children should never be left unsupervised when crafting. For younger children you may want to pre-cut the hearts and just have them decorate them, as scissors may not be safe for them to use. This is a fun, and sustainable way to decorate for Valentine’s Day. Have fun and happy 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 !
Toddler Skeeball Eco-friendly Craft for Kids
Posted by: | CommentsEco-friendly crafts are more fun when they have an ongoing purpose afterwards. That’s why this week we’re making a Skeeball game that while aimed at toddlers, will be fun for the whole family. The skeeball game is a great eco-friendly craft for kids as it uses up items that you have on hand. A skeeball game like this would be a great addition to a school’s carnival day or even a daycare center’s playtime.
This eco-friendly children’s for Toddler Skeeball craft comes by way of allcrafts.net. Now Let’s get crafting.
Toddler Skeeball eco-friendly craft for kids (Image Credit: allcrafts.net)
Supplies Needed:
• 1 big box (diaper boxes work great)
• 3 (24oz) cottage cheese containers or any other similar containers you have
• utility knife
• small balls/plastic eggs
• printer to print the numbers/letters
Directions:
1. Place the 3 containers on the top of a box and draw a circle around the base.
2. Then use a utility knife and cut the holes that you just marked, but cut them just a little bigger so that you can push the containers in about halfway.
3. Print out the numbers/letters, cut them out and tape to the inside of the containers and put them in the holes you cut in the box.
4. Lean the box up against a wall at a slight angle so that if a ball is in a cup it will stay in and not roll out.
5. Now is the fun part for your toddler. Let him/her place or throw some small balls or plastic eggs into the cups.
This eco-friendly skeeball craft is a fun family activity because everyone can play and you can keep score to see who got the most points after 10 throws. The numbers you placed in the cups will help young kids learn their numbers because you can ask them which number cup their ball went into. If you want older children to be a part of this craft, have them decorate the box after you cut out the holes for the cups and before you place them inside. They can cover the box in images they cut out for magazines, or pieces of construction paper. If you cover the box in a plain paper you can let them draw or paint on the box.
Remember, that only adults should use the utility knife and that children should always be supervised when crafting. You can use soft balls, or even small beanbags to throw in the cups, anything you have on hand that will fit in the cups works well. This is an entertaining eco-friendly craft for kids that is useful at playtime and a great way to spend an afternoon. Plus it allows you to turn things that would otherwise be recycled into a great green craft and enjoyable family game. Have fun.
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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 !
Welcome back to the Planet Forward blog for another edition of our weekly green news highlights. This week: transforming plastic bags with 12 DIY tips for upcycling; a BP whistleblower files a lawsuit for wrongful termination after he complained about BP’s oil clean up practices; and alternative fuel apps that tell you where the nearest alternative fuel station is based on your location. Just click on the links to learn more.
Throw Rug weaved from Plastic Bags (Image credit: huffingtonpost.com alamy)
This one is crafty. Reuse Plastic Bags: 12 DIY Upcycle Tips. Plastic bags often clog our landfills so we thought it was appropriate to explore ways to reduce waste. This list of 12 Do-It-Yourself Upcycle tips from the Huffington Post allows you to reuse plastic bags and turn them into fun crafts, toys, art or use them for food storage and baking. Beyond the obvious ways to reuse your plastic bags like lining your waste baskets, you can do fun projects to transform and upcycle your plastic bags into something unique. The list includes making a soccer ball from plastic bags, weaving a throw rug, designing a tote bag and more . Planet Forward would also like to add a 13th to this upcycling list with our popular craft for recycling plastic bags to make jewellery beads.
Ex-BP worker files whistleblower suit over cleanup. A whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against BP by a former employee who claimed “he was fired for airing concerns about the cleanup of Mississippi’s shoreline after the Gulf oil spill.” The suit was filed last Friday in New Orleans by August Walter, who claims that “one of his BP bosses manipulated data on shoreline cleanup and didn’t give the Coast Guard “the true status” of what substances needed to be cleaned.” Walter helped develop the cleanup plans after the 2010 BP oil spill (Deepwater Horizon) and he contends that he was fired in retribution for complaints that BP wasn’t adhering to environmental regulations and was “picking and choosing what oil to pick up.”
Alternative fuels smartphone apps are available for Android providing a GPS guide to the closest alternative energy refuelling stations for any travel route.
“The Alternative Fuels apps include:
• the ‘Alternative Energy Fuelling Directory’ which provides essential information for identifying and locating fuelling/charging stations
• ‘Where to get Biodiesel’, for those users driving vehicles that burn diesel fuels that want to go green
• ‘Where to get NGV’, for those users driving vehicles running on CNG, LNG, or LPG
• ‘My Plug-In Directory’, for users driving vehicles that only re-fuel from electric charging stations
Fuels the apps can help you locate:
• ethanol and methanol
• compressed natural gas (CNG)
• electric fuelling stations
• hydrogen
• liquefied natural gas (LNG)
• biodiesel
The apps will allow users to find the most convenient fuelling stations/charging points, search for alternative fuel stations by zip code, get driving directions, website addresses, facility hours and facility phone numbers.” With these apps it’s easy to drive and service your green car.
And that’s it for this edition; stay tuned for more green news.
January 26, 2012
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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 !
