Green Spot

Greencessories, otherwise known as personal accessories for the home or yourself that are eco-friendly in nature, have become quite popular in the last few years. Aside from reusable bags and canteens, consumers have adorned themselves and their daily habits and houses with items that help to foster a green way of living.

For instance, check out the Personal Home Recycling system. With this trash-can sized receptacle, you can be notified of the next recycling-day pick outside your home or building to ensure you don’t miss the chance to add to your municipality’s recycling program. It has an oder-eliminator for the different compartments of paper, plastic or other material sections, and can compact all items to hold items efficiently.

The Ultimate Green Store sells solar charges and Jewelry from post-consumer materials, and the Ree Store offers desks from post-travel airplane wings and repurposed shopping carts as office chairs. By utilizing eco-attentive outlets such as the ones mentioned above for greencessories, not only does it support a grassroots industry created by families and small-business owners (not big conglomerates), but it also tells large, corporate outlets such as Target to research and develop their reuse and repurpose programs for consumer products as well. Consumer demand can help the world reduce waste and ensure recycled materials become commonplace.

Do-it-yourselfers such as Liana Kabel and the good people at Elsewares, provide found objects remade into wearable jewelry, toys, tableware and more. By ensuring products are pulled from garage sales, donation bins, or dollar-boxes at local vintage shops, artists such as the ones mentioned provide inspiration for a new dawn of people looking to provide crafts as gifts, and spread awareness of reducing, reusing and recycling for people to greencessorize today.

DIY Jewelry

Post-consumer material become Wearable!

Then say hello to that new pair of shoes in a reusable bag, starting with Puma. The 3rd largest sporting goods manufacturer behind Nike and Adidas, has redesigned their shoe box that will in turn, reduce their energy and water usage by over 60% within the year after it rolls out.

“Puma estimates that the [new packaging] will slash water, energy, and fuel consumption during manufacturing alone by 60%—in one year, that comes to a savings of 8,500 tons of paper, 20 million mega joules of electricity, 264,000 gallons of fuel, and 264 gallons of water.“

Employing the know-how of a world renowned industrial designer, a unique cardboard structure was built to encase and protect its shoes within a reusable bag made of PET, something we know a lot about. The new cardboard “skeleton” which takes form upon being wrapped by the reusable bag, uses 65% less cardboard than a shoe box and has no laminate - making biodegrading or recycling easier. Hopefully other companies will follow suit and follow in the greener and sportier footsteps of Puma.

VID: See how PUMA says good bye to shoe boxes.

Guess who's leaping into even more eco-friendliness?

Bub and Bob get thirsty too y’know, after all, they’ve been producing bubbles that bob them to victory since the 1980’s. If and when they do, dragons tend to live sustainable lives. They don’t waste lighters or matches, or require a heating and gas bill - fire comes easy to them. And clothes? Nobody is going to bust a dragon for any indecency laws. Beyond that, they’re eco-friendly and possibly make use of the Bobble.

This one-of-a-kind, sturdy, BPA free water bottle has a filter built in to its body, so as you sip, tap water gets filtered. As of today, the filter needs to be replaced about every 2 weeks, and they can supply that as well. By utilizing the Bobble, not only do you reduce plastic bottle waste and save money on water purchases, but you help to reduce the amount of oil that goes in to the manufacturing of plastic as well. Not to mention a colorful way to make your portable water needs a simple solution towards a greener life.

Bob and Bub and their Bobbles

After quite a hiatus we are back to blogging daily! We would like to wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year, it’s the year of the Tiger and we are very excited to see how this year will be even better than last year.

I would like to start this off with a blog about Gifts.com . After browsing the web for a while i stumbled upon this great section under the already popular Gifts.com . They have a great selection of items that cater to the über-earthy Natural Woman and the eco-fabulous Trendanista at the same time.

Follow this link to check out some great ideas and comparisons of gift ideas : Eco-Friendly Gifts for Every Style.

Here are some great gift ideas that i thought were worth browse:

Sun Jar

The Sun Jar shown above comes equipped with a solar-powered cell and rechargeable battery. Its energy efficient LED light will automatically switch on when it gets dark to give you 5 hours of candle-like light. I thought this idea was pretty cool! Basically your catching the ” Energy of the Sun ” in a jar!

Solar Powered Path Lights.

These solar powered path lights are great items! They not only improve the appearance of your yard but they also provide safety lighting. These lights on a full solar charge can last up to 10 hours!

Orvis Wine Barrel Dog Bed

“Crafted from an actual retired white oak wine barrel and solid white pine, this wooden dog bed is perfectly sized to fit our small round Dog’s bed. Dog’s nest not included. Measures 13″H x 27″W x 10 1/2″D. For dogs up to 25 lbs.” We’ve seen numerous attempts at eco-friendly dogs beds but this one is pretty interesting as well as ingenious. Orvis has actually decided to Re-Purpose these retired wine barrels rather than just throw them out. We feel that whenever you can give a item a second life you are taking that one extra step to a sustainable lifestyle.

For more great gift ideas please stop by: Gifts.com

This is the sixth in a series of many Greencessories posts that will once again bring to light alot of cooltastic accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. Kind of like the canteens and bags found at simplygreensolutions.com.

This post will spotlight earth-friendly containers made by “EcoForms“. Whether used for planting, plating or decoration, these earth-toned receptacles are made from grain husks. Using this material is a statement of this company’s commitment to sustainability, as grain husk material is biodegradable and very durable. It is resistant to freeze-damage, which can break many plastic plant or plate containers. Grain husk material is formulated from rice, starch and water. In its 5 year life span, if you were to place your EcoForm container in the ground with a plant inside, it would biodegrade faster, making for a natural transplanting! Plus placing it in the ground wouldn’t pollute…

Their largest pots sell for around $15, and the plates around $5. Any apprehensiveness in price should subside upon your first planting, when you realize that in your hands lies a tiny alternative way that leads to many larger roads to a world of eco-friendliness. More greencessories to come!

This is the fifth in a series of many Greencessories posts that will once again bring to light alot of awesomelicious accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. Kind of like the canteens and bags found at simplygreensolutions.com.

This time, we’d like to introduce you to Elsewares. They “…endeavor to work with and buy from manufacturers and vendors who respect worker rights and the environment.” From hand puppets and tin can bracelets, to repurposed beer bottle glasses, items found on Elsewares are from independent ‘cottage industry‘ manufacturers that produce items made responsibly and with detail in mind. The playful array of goods available is reminiscent of the local, Los Feliz-based Wacko offerings. Great gifts can be had and all proceeds support unique artists and crafters that toil in their homes and garages to bring an off beat product to homes in desperate need of something different, something eco-friendly, and something else.

This is the fourth in a series of many Greencessories posts that will once again bring to light alot of mega-rad-cool accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. Kind of like the canteens and bags found at simplygreensolutions.com.

This Greencessory trip takes us to Melbourne, Australia to the Macintosh Computer and eco-centric company Haul. The name is derived from the actual ‘haul’ in which there products are born - junked license plates, old vinyl billboard substrates, used tires and more. All reused materials to create a plethora of goods to be reused by Macintosh Computer users for laptop sleeves, CD/DVD Cases for those on the go, sleek, rubberized messenger bags, and even dog collars - ALL out of reused material in the name of reducing waste.

The company is based on the principal of sustainability, as most green-friendly companies are. By having sustainability and waste reduction as a guiding principle, business like Simply Green Solutions and Haul can effectively ensure less garbage enter our ecosystem, and hopefully teach a thing or two to consumers everywhere.

This is the third in a series of many Greencessories posts that will once again bring to light alot of mega-rad-cool accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. Kind of like the canteens and bags found at simplygreensolutions.com.

Our first stop takes us to a hip area of Los Angeles called Los Feliz. Off of Hillurst Avenue, nearby the Greek Theatre, Griffith Park and more, is undesigned. Using bamboo denim and organic cottons, Los Angeles native Carol Young makes all her clothing locally, donates fabric scraps to schools and part of her sales to the ‘One Percent For The Plant‘ earth-friendly business collective. Her clothes are almost silk-like in nature, are evocative of the wind and made especially for sexy urbanites on-the-go.

How about some fruit? Try MySpaceFruit. Rebecca Crawford seems to be self-taught in nature - in more ways than one. All her crafts, cards, jewelry, and more, are made from reclaimed and recycled material. Elegant, almost museum-quality necklaces are made to order, and her artist-ambitions leads her to also exhibit work, create dolls from reclaimed fabric and from a recent blog post: “I’ve been busy making a dress for friends wedding.” Quite the eco-friendly busy bee.

Remember, if you’re going to accessorize, grab a greencessory instead. Not only will it make a unique gift or personal item, but its a personal gift for the Earth too.

This is the scond in a series of many Greencessories posts that will again bring to light alot of very cool accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. By the way, as of the last post, if one was to do a Google search for “Greencessorize” or “Greencessories“, nothing would come up. As of this post, Google is indeed ranking it first, second and third and so on. So you heard it here first people - when working on a movie set, shopping for new outfits or gifts, remember to look for greencessories so you can do your part to greencessorize and look good for a good cause.

The world is awesome, and we’re a group of progressive, upstart designers and do gooders out to make sure the world stays awesome. As designers, we appreciate good ideas that look good. As Simply Green Solutions, if its good for the world - ’nuff said.

Our second venture into Greencessorizing your life takes us to Finland yet again, to the doorstep of designer/artist Jouko Kärkkäinen.

Using abandoned wood scraps, and refurbishing plywood from junkyards, abandoned building projects and more, Jouko manages to create art pieces such as his serene and undulating Ply Wall Elements. Some of these “junk scraps” are put to really good use as is the case with the inspirational gift the Tree Seedling. Representative of the Finnish lifestyle (simple, natural and functional), the small, recycled wood box dons a hole in its top. Pour water inside every now and then, keep the wood box near light, and soon a tree seedling will grow - making optimum use of its previously discarded casing.

An “I wish I thought of that” moment occurred as I lay eyes on Jouko’s Cookery Boards. Reworking found wood scraps into a stiff cutting board, this ingenious designer then laser-etches favorite recipes into an upper corner of the board, giving it a subtle difference that allows it to stand out amongst the many cutting boards of the world.

His art is renowned in Finland and can be seen in places such as the Wood Technology Department in the University of Finland, and the Stockmann Department Store in Helsinki.

His personal agenda for the recycled wood art produced by studio Jouko tries to conjure an empathy for our interaction with one of the first Earth materials and “mother-elements” that have allowed us as a species to evolve, progress and survive. To give back to this great element is to practice good, green habits such as using recycled substrates from paper mills that are FSC Certified, printers that use soy inks, not printing documents if you can help it, and if you must print, use both sides of the paper.

But if you’re going to accessorize your life, make it a greencessory and give back to Mother Nature.

This is a first in a series of many Greencessories posts that will bring to light alot of very cool accessories available to consumers that are made from reused material, and are just plain earth-friendly. By the way, as of this post, if one was to do a Google search for “Greencessorize” or “Greencessories“, nothing would come up. Let’s see how long it will take for it to post in the rankings. We’ll revisit that later.

The world is awesome, and we’re a group of progressive, upstart designers and do gooders out to make sure the world stays awesome. As designers, we appreciate good ideas that look good. As Simply Green Solutions, if its good for the world - ’nuff said.

Our first venture into Greencessorizing your life takes us to Secco. Started as a small business (and environmental movement) in Helsinki, Finland, and with a new location in Japan, the Secco network of designers and distributors reworks post-consumer industrial waste into repurposed goods for home and humans alike.

They’ve got belts, purses and handbags plus necklaces and pins made from used tire-rubber. Keyrings, notebooks, hairbands and magnets made from old computer keyboards and circuit boards. Clocks, bracelets, and rings made from old records. And even earrings made of old mobile phone parts and serving dishes from old washing machine drums.

Secco tells a whimsical tale of its surroundings in the Wasteland where atop mountains of computer waste you can view the far hills of rubber and the qwerty river of keyboard keys flowing through arches in the towers of old records. They even hold workshops where you too can learn how to repurpose goods to turn them into greencessories.

Spread the good green energy to friends and family as gifts and order online, or if you happen to be in Helsinki, tell them we said “Haloo”.