Category Archives:Living

14
Jan

Fabric Recycling: Reader Question

Fabric Recycling

We got an excellent question on fabric recycling from a reader. I tracked down one resource, but I'd also love to hear your suggestions!

This fabric recycling question comes from reader Sara, who asks:

Is there a way to recycle fabric (bedding,clothing) that is not suitable for re-use (torn and worn)?

That's a great question, Sara, and I think I have the answer for you! There is an organization called SMART - Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles - that's a trade group for companies that use those overly-worn textiles. SMART doesn't accept fabric donations directly, but they have some consumer tips on their page that are worth checking out.

This tip comes from the SMART Consumers page:

Look for collection boxes in your neighborhood. Check with your local charities, thrift stores, or government recycling coordinator for drop-off locations or to get pick-up information.

  • Your favorite local charity
  • Ask your town or city if they have a textile recycling program
  • Call or visit the website of your local transfer station or town landfill or dump to see if they have collection boxes
  • Check your mail for charities that offer curb side pick-up

Fabric Flower Bouquet - Handmade Easter Decorations

Of course, even a well-worn garment often still has some usable fabric on it. Try a project like this fabric scrap bouquet to reuse as much of your worn-out clothing as possible!

Have you had any luck finding fabric recycling services online? Feel free to share links to your favorite resources in the comments!

Posted:   |   Categories: fabric, fabric recycling, Living, Recycling, Recycling Services, Shopping+Services, SMART
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14
Jan

Fabric Recycling: Reader Question

Fabric Recycling

We got an excellent question on fabric recycling from a reader. I tracked down one resource, but I'd also love to hear your suggestions!

This fabric recycling question comes from reader Sara, who asks:

Is there a way to recycle fabric (bedding,clothing) that is not suitable for re-use (torn and worn)?

That's a great question, Sara, and I think I have the answer for you! There is an organization called SMART - Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles - that's a trade group for companies that use those overly-worn textiles. SMART doesn't accept fabric donations directly, but they have some consumer tips on their page that are worth checking out.

This tip comes from the SMART Consumers page:

Look for collection boxes in your neighborhood. Check with your local charities, thrift stores, or government recycling coordinator for drop-off locations or to get pick-up information.

  • Your favorite local charity
  • Ask your town or city if they have a textile recycling program
  • Call or visit the website of your local transfer station or town landfill or dump to see if they have collection boxes
  • Check your mail for charities that offer curb side pick-up

Fabric Flower Bouquet - Handmade Easter Decorations

Of course, even a well-worn garment often still has some usable fabric on it. Try a project like this fabric scrap bouquet to reuse as much of your worn-out clothing as possible!

Have you had any luck finding fabric recycling services online? Feel free to share links to your favorite resources in the comments!

Posted:   |   Categories: fabric, fabric recycling, Living, Recycling, Recycling Services, Shopping+Services, SMART
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25
Dec

Merry Christmas from Green Upgrader!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! It's quiet around these parts today. Andrea, Tim, and I are spending the rest of this week with family and friends, and we hope that you are having a lovely Christmas week, too!

Since we are keeping it low-key around here today, I put this article together in advance with a little bit of light reading. Sort of a tour through our archives, in case you have a little bit of down time this week and need something fun to peruse.

Relieve Holiday Stress

New Year's Resolutions

Just for Fun

Get Crafty

We hope that you are having a merry Christmas, if you celebrate, and that you're having a wonderful week no matter where you are and what you're doing!

Posted:   |   Categories: Christmas, Living, Merry Christmas
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24
Dec

Bike Sharing Programs Across Europe

Bike Sharing

You know that we think Sharing is Good, so we were excited to run across this infographic with some great information on bike sharing in Europe.

In population-dense cities, riding a bike instead of driving a car makes a lot of sense. You get to skip the traffic jams and cruise in the bike lane. But owning a bike outright isn't for everyone. If you're a tourist visiting a city, someone who only rides bikes occasionally, or someone who just can't fork out a few hundreds of dollars, bike ownership might not make sense.  That's where bike sharing comes in.

Bike sharing programs work by allowing you to borrow a bike - usually for a small fee - so that you can ride without having to own a bicycle. If you're new to a city or traveling there for the first time, sorting out how different bike sharing programs work can be a little bit tricky.

The infographic below from travel company Momondo is a handy primer on bike sharing programs in a few major European cities. This graphic represents a handful of cities, and there are cities across the globe that have bike sharing programs. Do you have any experience with bike sharing? How did it work? Let's talk about this aspect of the sharing economy more in the comments!

Bike Sharing Infographic

 

Posted:   |   Categories: bicycling, Bike sharing, Bikes, Living, sharing, sharing economy, Sharing is Good, Travel
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23
Dec

The Culinary Cyclist: My New Favorite Book

CulinaryCyclist-570x354

Don't you just love when someone gives you a gift that just FITS? I recently received the cutest 'Secret Santa' gift from my coworker that just fits me so well, I wish I had written it myself. Alas, The Culinary Cyclist was written by Anna Brones and adorably illustrated by Johanna Kindvall. And it might just be the perfect gift for the foodie and/or bicyclist on your list! Buy those super last minute books here!

cc_cover

Part cookbook, part guide, and part biking love story, The Culinary Cyclist connects the dots between a love of local, lovingly prepared foods and the joy inspired by the bike riding. According to Brones, these two ideas are intimately connected and both are important on the road to the good life. Like Michale Pollan's healthy eating manifesto, Brones has similar, simple guidelines for us to follow:

"The rules for living well, if you can call them that, are simple and a pleasure to follow. Eat local and mostly plants. Ride your bike, even on rainy days. Say yes to dinner invitations. Always bring your signature desert. Invite people on picnics. Bike in the sunshine. Follow a morning ride with a strong French press. This might all sound like a utopian hipster dream, but the bicycle and food are two of the simplest things we have at our disposal [despite the fact that] committing to a healthy eating habits and a two-wheled lifestyle are often devalued in the face of speed and stress."

The recipes in the book are simple and sweet. All gluten-free and mostly vegetarian, they are the types of recipes meant to become quick favorites; your new go-to dessert, quick breakfasts and easy salads for those bike-ride picnics. She shares simple instructions for stocking a healthy pantry, choosing quality coffee, and guides us through the bulk aisle and shows us tips for packing all this food on two wheels (hint: go to the store more often for fresher produce and reduced loads!). Everything about this book is just so terribly adorable. I just got it a few days ago and have not yet made the recipes yet, but the Chocolate Sea Salt Cake and Cardamom Currant Scones will be the first on my list.Screen-shot-2013-06-20-at-8.48.03-AM-425x273

And no doubt the recipes will be amazing– Brones is one of the founding members of Foodie Underground. Foodie Underground was created so that you can find "a space where food is simple yet conscious, where loving kale and quinoa doesn’t make you pretentious and where the conversation about food is open, honest, sometimes snarky and at all times inclusive." Like in the book, recipes on Foodie Underground are simple and straightforward. Some of the recipes and posts that caught me eye:

I am really looking forward to spending more time with this book and this website. I'll let the author take the closing of this post, which will hopefully inspire you for a whole life of living well:

"A bike ride can take you around the block or across the country. A meal can do the same. Now put the two together? Now that's a formula for living well."

Screen-shot-2013-06-20-at-8.47.52-AM-425x274

 

 

Posted:   |   Categories: Living
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17
Dec

E-Waste Jewelry: Creative Upcycling

E Waste Jewelry

Artist Marcele Godoy creates striking jewelry from reclaimed e-waste.

E-waste is a huge environmental problem. When we toss out old electronics, they eventually decompose in ourlandfills, leaching toxins into the ground water and polluting the surrounding soil. E-waste recycling is a little bit better, but unfortunately not all discarded electronics get recycled.

Godoy makes a powerful statement about the problems with e-waste with his new upcycled jewelry line created from discarded computer cables, cords, plugs, and wires. Right now, the line is exclusively of necklaces, but he's planning to expand into other creations.

E Waste Jewelry

The line is simply called "elle," and the jewelry is a personal project. Godoy is a Chilean grad student studying here in the U.S., and he observes:

I am surprised by how quickly multiple objects are considered garbage and you can easily find them on the streets every day. I have collected objects many times to reuse them in projects or for personal use. This is because they are generally discarded for a better, a nicer or a newer one, and not because its useful life is over.

Rather than let those objects go to waste, he reclaims them and turns them into striking pieces of jewelry. How's that for craftivism?

You can view more photos of Godoy's jewelry on his website and check out some of his other beautiful design projects.

h/t: Moco Loco

Posted:   |   Categories: Clothes+Accessories, Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, e-waste, e-waste crafts, e-waste recycling, electronic waste, Living, upcycling
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12
Dec

Reader Questions: Coffee Cans for Crafting and Recycling Old Shoes

 Reader Questions

One of the things that I love most about this site is the amazing community of readers that we have. I enjoy receiving your emails with questions, comments, and suggestions! Over the past couple of weeks, I have gotten a couple of great questions that I wanted to share here in case anyone else was wondering the same thing or has additional suggestions for these folks.

Question 1: I would like to know if you would know where I can get about 100-200 tin coffee cans for a project I'm doing.

Finding reclaimed craft supplies in bulk is always tricky, and I have to be honest: I was pretty stumped here! Chances are most coffee shops get their coffee in burlap sacks, but smaller places that brew less fancy coffee might use cans. Maybe trying gas stations etc is her best bet? The other options I came up with were placing a "wanted" ad on Freecycle or Craiglist's "Free" section.

What do you guys think? Any ideas on where this reader can get a huge amount of reclaimed coffee cans?

Question 2: What about fabrics too worn out to be worn or sewn, and old shoes? And when locations say textile recycling do they generally mean that stuff too?

I found a very helpful article on Apartment Therapy (AT) with some resources for fabric recycling. The main article is about an artist using reclaimed fabrics - the list begins about halfway down the page. A lot of places that talk about "recycling" old clothes really mean donating them, but the AT list has companies that actually recycle worn out fibers.

Recycling shoes can be tricky as well, and right now no shoe is 100% recyclable. Earth 911 shares a great resource for recycling old shoes - the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program.

Have you guys run across any organizations that recycle worn out fabric or old shoes? Let's keep the list of resources for both going in the comments!

Image Credits: Creative Commons photos by Jeffrey Beall and Martin Lopatka

Posted:   |   Categories: coffee can crafts, fabric recycling, Living, Recycling, recycling fabric, Recycling Services, reuse, reusing old shoes, Shopping+Services
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10
Dec

Winter Gardening: A Cover Crop that Prevents Weeds

cover crop

Are you trying your hand at winter gardening? I just ran across a very cool cover crop that supposedly helps keep pests at bay naturally!

My family recently visited Atlanta Botanical Gardens, so that my son could get a picture with Santa there. They have a pretty amazing Santa! He sits in front of a tree of poinsettias, and his beard is real. He also sang "Wheels on the Bus" to my 8-month-old, which won his little heart.

Winter gardening wasn't really on my mind on this visit, but I did want to check out their edible garden when we saw it on the map. I love that they are promoting the idea of growing food, and I wanted to see what they were growing, since I imagine the same food plants will thrive in my yard. Their selection of winter food plants was pretty much what you'd expect:

  • collard greens
  • mustard greens
  • beets
  • cabbage
  • Swiss chard

Growing alongside all of their food plants was this beautiful ground cover. It reminded me of some varieties of moss that I've seen, and apparently it's good for winter gardening and for deterring pests! The plant is called hairy vetch, and as you can see on the sign that I photographed, it is:

...a cover crop that prevents weeds  and attracts beneficial insects

Those sound like good qualities in a cover crop! I did a little research, and it turns out that hairy vetch - or vicia villosa - is a common cover crop in organic gardening. It's pretty beneficial in general, but once you plant it, it can be hard to get rid of, so make sure you choose its location with care.

Hairy Vetch: Beyond Winter Gardening

It also turns out that hairy vetch isn't just a cover crop for winter gardening. It's beneficial year-round. The plant improves the soil quality where it grows, which makes it a great companion crop, especially for acidic plants like tomatoes.

Hairy vetch might also make a good replacement for grass in your lawn! Folks use it as ground cover on pasture land. If it can stand up to trampling from big, four-legged mammals, I bet that it can withstand you and your kids playing in the yard!

It's moderately winter-hardy, and you can grow hairy vetch from seed in the fall. That means that if you hurry, you can plant it before the first freeze! Vetch plants don't handle extreme cold well, unless they're covered in snow. Hairy vetch is the variety of vetch that's most suited for winter gardening, but it may not survive the winter if you experience extreme cold for extended periods without snow.

You can get the down and dirty about hairy vetch in this article from Purdue University's Department of Agronomy. It's a little bit dry, but it goes into a lot of detail about vetch and about hairy vetch specifically.

Posted:   |   Categories: Gardening, ground cover, hairy vetch, lawn alternative, Living, natural pest control, natural weed control, organic gardening, vetch, winter gardening, Yard+Garden
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09
Dec

Homemade Food Gifts for the Holiday

cookiejar 002-001

vegan cookies-in-a-jar from Vegan Richa

There are so many reasons to choose homemade foods. Not only do homemade foods always taste better than their packaged, boxed and plastic-wrapped counterparts, homemade foods are infinitely more healthy. Processed foods are notoriously laden with sugar, salt, fats, oils, preservatives, chemicals and fillers. When you make your own goodies, you know where everything comes from, what the ingredients are, and you can infuse all your foods with love and positive energy.

One of the best ways to share homemade foods is to give food gifts for the holidays. I've already decided that my friends and family will be receiving either homemade granola, cookie mix or homemade sauerkraut for this year. Everyone is always asking after my recipes, so what better way to share my foods and hopefully inspire people to find their path to healthier living?! Here are some of the best ideas I found for homemade food gifts to share this holiday season (there are a few bonus homemade non-food items too!). What's your favorite homemade gift for the holiday?

Cookies in a Jar: Everyone loves cookies, but not everyone feels like they are qualified as bakers. Take the guesswork out of homemade cookies with cookie mixes in a jar. Choose your favorite cookie recipe, make a cute recipe card, and give away goodness! Here's a recipe and tutorial from Vegan Richa, one of my favorite vegan cooking blogs.

Homemade Granola: This is the homemade granola recipe that I will be sharing with my friends and family. It's so easy, wholesome and deliciously more flavorful than the stuff in boxes. Best of all, oats are pretty cheap, so this gift is a pretty affordable option for those of us on a tight holiday budget. Find unique jars at thrift stores to make it extra special, or use little fancy baggies with handwritten notes.

Homemade tea mixes: Show off your flair for spices and herbs with homemade tea gifts. Choose your favorite tea (red, green, black or white), mix in your favorite herbs (lavender, camomile, vanilla, spices) and place in a cute jar for months of happy holiday memories. Find small, cute jars lying around your kitchen or at the thrift store and get packing! Here's a cute tutorial for homemade chai tea from the Kitchn.

chai52548936dbfa3f2ca800fd1c._w.540_h.433_s.fit_

homemade chai mix from the Kitchn

Homemade Whipped Body Butter: Give the gift of natural beauty! Homemade body butter is made with awesome ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil and more for a luxurious treat for someone special. Here's a Mint Chocolate Body Butter from Mommypotamus. Yums!

For the dog-lovers, Homemade Doggie Biscuits: Even our furry friends need good food! Treat the canine in your life to special treats with this great list of homemade dog treats from the Kitchn.

And of a whole mess of other great ideas, check out this great post from 100 Days of Real food for instructions for making homemade vanilla extract, homemade breads, and homemade spice mixes.

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love your doggies

 

 

Posted:   |   Categories: DIY beauty, gifts, holidays, homemade, Living
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02
Dec

Raw Superfood Chocolate Truffles

chocolate truffles

superfood chocolate truffles with dates, nuts and raw cacao!

During the holidays most of us are overwhelmed with holiday treats of all kinds. It seems like there are always cupcakes at office parties, fancy drinks at cocktail parties, and edible gifts all around. There are a million other ways that junk food infiltrates our life at this time of year, and just like holiday songs that get stuck in your head, these sugar-laden treats linger in your body for days and weeks, making us feel less than vibrant.

If you want to avoid those junky sweets altogether, you can keep your sweet tooth happy by choosing healthier sweet treats to share at events and keep around the house. These Superfood Chocolate Truffles are the perfect answer. These easy treats feature a mix of nuts, superfoods (maca and coconut) and covered in homemade, raw superfood cacao. Super yums for the holiday season or anytime of year!

Superfood Chocolate Truffles

½ cup almonds
½ cup walnuts
Pinch salt
¾ cup Medjool dates, pitted
2 Tablespoons maca powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
Homemade Raw Chocolate Topping
½ cup finely chopped raw cacao butter (I like Navitas Naturals organic cacao butter)
½ cup raw cacao powder
2 Tablespoons honey or agave (optional)
Pinch salt (optional)

  1. Add almonds, walnuts and salt into the food processor. Blend until very fine- much like the texture of sand.
  2. Add dates, maca, cinnamon and coconut oil. Blend again, until mixture begins to thicken and stick together inside the processor. Turn out into a mixing bowl.
  3. Measure out 1 Tablespoon mixture and roll into a ball in you hands. Layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll out all balls, then freeze for 15 minutes (see photo below).
  4. Meanwhile, make the Homemade Raw Chocolate Topping: Add a few inches of water to a small saucepan, and place a slightly larger glass bowl on top. Add cacao butter to the glass bowl. Heat water until boiling, then reduce heat. Cacao butter will melt and turn into a liquid. When it's fully melted, stir in cacao powder and stir until totally smooth. Add in honey/agave and salt if desired. Remove bowl carefully (steam will be trapped, so use caution!) and place onto a kitchen towel (for some images of this process, see this homemade chocolate post here).
  5. Remove truffles from freezer and dip into chocolate using a spoon. Dip once and let cool to solid, then dip again for a richer coating. Return to freezer to set chocolate for at least 15 minutes. Move to refrigerator to keep for weeks.
  6. Note: as you can see in the photos, these can also be made in a candy mold. Add some chocolate to the mold, then add small balls of nut mixture, then cover with more chocolate. Enjoy! Makes approximately 15 treats
chocolate truffles

superfood balls, before chocolate coating!

chocolate truffles

gorgeous chocolate truffles

Posted:   |   Categories: chocolate, Food+Drink, homemade, Living, recipes
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