T.O.M.T.

If you're into upcycling, then T.O.M.T. is definitely a site that you need to check out. From an ottoman made out of a garden hose to a lamp made out of an old Hoover vaccuum cleaner, you are sure to be amazed and the crazy yet elegant creations you'll find. Oh, and don't call it "recycling" - the good folks at T.O.M.T prefer to think of it as "refitting." And they aren't involved in "waste handling," but rather "object career counseling." Learn more and be amazed at the T.O.M.T web site!

Personalize Your Drink

Sure, your water bottle is BPA-free, but does it represent you as an individual? SIGG bottles now can be designed specifically for you! There are thousands of designs to choose from, but with seven special-edition designs you can actually add your own wording. Just go to Cafe Press to design your SIGG bottle. You can even preview just how it will look clipped to a backpack or sitting on your desk. Now you can cut down on disposable bottles AND be your own unique self while doing it!

With Budget Cuts I'm A-R-Y Stationary

I have a confession to make...I love paper. The eco-conscious and the paper-philes don't generally hang out in the same circles, but this year's National Stationery Show indicates that things may be changing. I did not actually attend the stationery show. Insane, I know, that with huge budget cuts and travel restrictions I was not able to convince the powers that be to allow me to travel to a trade show that has nothing to do with my job. I am fortunate that the good folks at Treehugger reported back on some of the amazing eco-friendly paper products that were showcased at the show.

Now, the stationers that made this best of the best list are doing some amazing work. We're not just talking about 10% post-consumer fiber. We're talking reclaimed cotton, carbon neutral, paper mills running on landfill gas, carbon-footprint labeled eco-friendly stationery! And it's gorgeous! The whimsical designs are matched by whimsical company names like Two Trick Pony and Fugu Fugu Press. Check out the dazzling stationery slideshow at treehugger! If you think you'll forget, just jot a note on your hydroelectric-paper-mill-made-soy-based-ink-printed notepad. Oh, you don't have one? Check out these companies and you can remedy that situation.

Your Insulation Is So Fashionable

So maybe the skinny-leg jeans weren't such a good idea after all. Whatever the reason for being done with your denim, you can now ensure your old jeans will get new life! Cotton Incorporated is holding their From Blue to Green denim drive. Get your denim in by June 30th and it will be converted into insulation...not only will it be recycled, but it's being recycled into something that helps saves energy in homes! That rocks! But your old jean jacket does not rock, so go ahead and send it in to be recycled!

A Gold Project Gone Green

I must admit, my own career in the Girl Scouts was short-lived - one year as a Brownie and that was it. Luckily there are other girls out there who stick with it, and some accomplish some pretty amazing things. Enter Margaret, a high school student from Winston-Salem who decided that for her Gold Award Project, she would teach small groups how to re-purpose old t-shirts into reusable tote bags.

If you're like me, you don't know what a Gold Award Project is. It's a big deal. It is the highest award that a Girl Scout aged 14-18 can earn, and it has been described as the thing that you really want to be remembered for as a Girl Scout. It should be something that the girl is passionate about and that fills a need in her community. Oh, and this one will just happen to impress hipsters, crafters and the eco-minded everywhere, although that is not a requirement.

Margaret chose her project because it combines many of her interests - sewing, repurposing clothing and living green. She is scheduling sewing workshops to teach as many people as possible how to sew the t-shirt tote bags, and she is requesting that each workshop attendee teach at least one other person (how's that for community building?). In addition, she is sewing t-shirt totes to give away at a local supermarket. In each tote she's placing a copy of the sewing instructions and information about the City of Winston-Salem's recycling program.

Margaret hopes that her simple sewing project will empower others by showing them that one person can make a difference and that small steps can be accomplished cost-effectively and creatively...so that everyone can say NO to "paper or plastic."

Congratulations, Margaret, on a thoughtful, needed, timely, creative and eco-chic job well-done!

PaperbackBookSwap

What a cool idea...it's like Netflix, but with books (you remember books, dont you?). And the best part...it's free (for now, at least)! At PaperBackSwap you list books that you are willing to swap with other members. Once you do that, you get two free book credits with which you can order two books online from the more than 3 million available. That book is now your book to keep. For each book you swap, you get another credit with which you can choose another book. Read on....

The Electronics Recycling Superguide

It is hard to keep up with which manufacturers and retailers offer which services for recycling your old electronics. PC Mag has developed a comprehensive list that can help you figure it all out! Their folks researched all of the major electronics manufacturers to find out what kinds of recycling programs they offer, where they are available, and whether there is a cost or opportunity for cash back associated with them. Also included in the Superguide are programs run by major retailers and opportunities for cash back or gift cards when you recycle your used electronics. It's all in the Electronics Recycling Guide...Landfill shmandfill!

Even His Font Is Green...

We've all heard about printing less and printing double-sided to save paper, but what about saving ink? Creating those cartridges uses up natural resources as well. SPRANQ, a company based in the Netherlands, has created ecofont, a green font that uses less ink than your more traditional fonts. When enlarged, you can see that the letters in ecofont have holes all over them. At regularly-used font sizes, the holes cannot be seen, but 20% less ink is used. Ecofont is free to download, so check it out and save some ink!

rent A toy!

Our kids do it now just as we did it to our parents a generation before...beg for a toy and then tire of it in a month or two. A friend of mine asks her son to choose several of his toys to donate to less fortunate kids every year before the holidays and his birthday - a great idea for extending the life of an item and making somebody else's life happier. Another idea is to check out rent A toy. It's kind of like Netflix, but with toys instead of movies. Pick out the toys you and your little ones want, have them delivered to your house, and send them back when you're done! What if one of the toys becomes a cherished favorite? You can purchase the item for a below-retail price. The Web site gives all of the details. My favorite part of the rent A toy site? The description of the staff members includes their favorite childhood toys...that tells you much more about a person than most employee descriptions I've seen!

Combine Artist and Do-It-Yourselfer, Mix with Reuse and Sprinkle with a Dash of Humor

That's my best attempt at describing Jim Rosenau and his This Into That collection. Rosenau uses second-hand books and turns them into functional works of art. His pieces range from themed bookshelves to bird houses made from books about birds. Shown here is a piece Rosenau calls "One Fish." Five different fish-themed books and a giant hook make a wall-mounted bookshelf. Past shelf themes have included cooking, gardening and woodworking. He'll even do custom made designs. Creative reuse of materials is a topic of interest to lots of eco-smart consumers out there. Jim Rosenau has made it into a fine art!

Who'll Take My MTV?

We've been hearing a lot about electronics recycling in the computer industry, but what about old TVs? The Electronics TakeBack Coalition, a national coalition of non-profit organizations promoting green design and responsible electrionics recycling, has launched the Take Back My TV Campaign. On their site you'll find the TV Recycling Report Card. It grades 17 television manufacturers and retailers on their recyling efforts. Companies are evaluated on the scope of their program, the level of responsible recycling provided, program visibility and volume, and public policy. With the TV digital deadline quickly approaching, responsible disposal programs will be more critical. Find out how the brands measure up!

Cell-ebrate

Did you get a new phone over the holidays? Lucky you! What should you do with your old phone? Why, recycle it, of course. One way to do this is through Earthworks' Recycle My Cell Phone program. Sending in your old phone (and batteries, chargers, etc.) is free and tax deductable. Your phone will be refurbished or recycled, so you can enjoy your new gadget without worrying about where your old gadget will end up. You can even go crazy and collect old cell phones from friends and family. Cell-ebrate your way to the new year!

Thinking Outside the Box

Haven't you ever scrounged for boxes before moving day, only to find that they're not as sturdy or clean as you had hoped. Well, before your next move be sure to check out UsedCardboardBoxes.com. There you can order cardboard boxes that have been gently used or that were overruns, misprints or returns. Now you can get the boxes you need quickly and easily without using as many natural resources. As the folks at UsedCardboardBoxes say "you don't have cut down a tree to make a used cardboard box!"

Now You Can Recycle Your Caps!

Every recycling program has slightly different rules regarding what they will and won't accept. Sometimes plastic bottle caps can pose a problem, but now there is a solution! Recycle Caps With Aveda is a new campaign aimed at providing people with a way to recycle their bottle caps, keeping them out of the landfill. Individuals can go to their local Aveda store or salon to recycle their caps, and schools can collect caps and get special shipping labels from Aveda to send them in for recycling. Any rigid, polypropylene caps (#5) are accepted, so start collecting!

Recycling at the NC State Fair!

The NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance is working with the NC Department of Agriculture to coordinate recycling stations for the collection of plastic bottles and aluminum cans throughout the fairgrounds during the 2008 State Fair. We are seeking volunteers to help staff these stations to prevent contamination of the recyclables. The fair will be held in Raleigh off Blue Ridge Road Thursday, October 16, 2008-Sunday, October 26, 2008.

There will be 4 recycling stations throughout the fairgrounds that need 2 volunteers per station per shift. The stations will be located by Dorton Arena, the Midway, the Green NC booth and by the Village of Yesteryear. The shifts will be 3 hours each starting at 10AM and ending at 10PM. Volunteers will NOT need to haul or sort recyclables but will be asked to communicate with the public about sorting their recyclables from regular trash. Volunteers will be given: 1. A worker day pass to get into the fair for free to work their shift, 2. A parking pass (if you sign up to work 2, 3 hour shifts - they do not need to be consecutive shifts) , 3. Fair t-shirt, and 4. Gloves. Keep in mind, parking is very limited and using the Park and Ride may still be your best option to get to the fairgrounds. Bus passes may be available.

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete this form (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XYkyYrhXkJTUE0xJYU_2f7Lg_3d_3d) with the preferred days and times you can work, along with the location you would like to be stationed at. NC DPPEA will contact you closer to the event to confirm your date, time and station.

Throwplace

Another great option for getting rid of items you no longer want without sending them to the landfill...Throwplace.com. Their tagline says it best - "Take what you need & throw what you don't." Users can list goods that they want to give away, and charities, businesses, or individuals registered with Throwplace can search the site and make requests for items. It is free to list items that you are giving away, and as a thrower you can designate whether you want the item in the charity, business, or free-for-all section. Charities can then request items listed in the charity section for free. Businesses must pay a small subscription fee in order to take things listed in the business section. The free-for-all section is pretty self-explanatory. So, shed your excess and get it to people who need it...at Throwplace!

Earth and Wallet Friendly Printing Tips From Lifehacker

If you have never checked out LifeHacker, you owe it to yourself. The Wall Street Journal, Oprah and Wired Magazine can't all be wrong! It's a daily blog packed with tips, tricks, downloads and shortcuts to make things in your life more efficient. Start by checking out "Smart and Easy Ways to Reduce Printing Costs" on LifeHacker. It takes you step by step not just on what print-settings can help you save some dough and be easier on the environment, but where you go to change those settings. It even includes tips on digital photos and avoiding wasting ink on unnecessary graphics. It's totally geek-chic, and now green to boot!

Re$ycle Some More

Yesterday I told you how you could get some money for recycling your cell phone. Turns out this works for more than just cell phones. Check out Gazelle, a site through which people have already kept 5 tons of electronics out of the landfill! Look up your used electronic device of choice (digital camera, laptop, camcorder...you get the idea) and the folks at Gazelle will make an offer on it. They send you the box to send it back to them in, and once they inspect your gadgets they will send you the money. They pay you for recycling! C'mon, it can't get much easier than that!

Re$ycle

Want to be green and maybe get some green? (That has been so overused...I don't know why I just wrote that). The Cell For Cash web site lists hundreds of cell phone. Simply indicate which one you have and Cell For Cash will send you a box to send it back to them for free. For some models, they will then send you a check! The company refurbishes the cell phones and then sells them is developing countries where cell service is often the most reliable type of communication.

Take Charge of Your Printing

Don't you hate it when you print something and you get that last page that has nothing on it? Well, now you can kiss that page goodbye! Check out GreenPrint, a free download that highlights and deletes unwanted pages, lets you choose what you really want to print, and even keeps track of all of the paper and money that you're saving while using it.