Weekly Giveaway: Plarny Yarn Creations!

We've got a fun giveaway this week~ Lynn Adkins is offering one of her Plarny Yarn Creations~ a water bottle with a plarn carrier! Plarn is made from plastic bags made into yarn~ and Lynn is "hooked" on crocheting this post-consumer material into tote bags, purses, hats, fingerless gloves, baby doll clothes, baby shoes and much more!

We'll show you lots more of her creations in just a minute but first let's announce our winner from last week's Giveaway from Groovy Green Glass! We had a whopping 93 entries last week, but we could only pick one: #74~ Jacqueline! Congrats to you Jacqueline! Thank you everyone for supporting our blog and showing so much love to our sponsor~ And thank you, Groovy Green Glass for sponsoring our Giveaway~ You really are GROOVY!

And now we'll tell you more about Plarny Yarn Creations~ Lynn is just getting started on Etsy, but she has tons of her work posted on her Facebook page. These amazing creations are whimsical and colorful, and made from plastic bags of all different colors! Although Lynn says the colorful bags are the hardest to come by, and she offers to meet up with anyone who has them in the area of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They are so lightweight that you could probably send them to her for next to nothing if you'd like, as well! It's a wonderful way to get rid of the worst offenders of our environment and a great way to support upcycling. Plastic constitutes 86% of the debris in our oceans and over 1 million seabirds and marine mammals die from plastic ingestion or entanglement!

It's hard to believe Lynn can take something like this:

And turn it into these Plarny Yarn Creations:

Lynn is working on listing her many plarn and yarn products, but if you see something here or on her Facebook page that you like, be sure to convo her on Etsy! She'll be happy to work on a custom creation made just for you! And Lynn says she loves to hear about new ideas for her to create~ she'll also share her ideas with you on her blog~ Plarny Yarn Creations!

If you'd like a chance to win her water bottle and plarn carrier, you can ENTER NOW!

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!

1. Check out Plarny Yarn Creations on Etsy, favorite the shop and add Lynn to your circle!

2. Become a fan of Plarny Yarn Creations on Facebook!


3. Follow Lynn's Blog!


4. Pin one of the photos here or in Lynn's shop to Pinterest!


5. Tweet or share this Giveaway on Facebook or Twitter!


Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, February 2nd!
 
Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator. 

Good Luck!
 
Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

Wasteless Wednesday~ "Grow Green"!

This Wasteless Wednesday, we offer you another week's worth of tips~ this time for "growing" GREEN!

How does your garden grow? How about your lawn or yard? Do you have plants in your home? How do you care for them? Do you use fertilizers? Pesticides? Do you overwater because you aren't using indigenous species?

Every bit of green you surround yourself with will help sustain our planet but only if you do it without wasting resources while keeping it green!

Here are our tips for the week:

1. Instead of a typical houseplant in a container~ imagine having a little slice of Earth in your home...a terrarium!

Bear Pair Bowl Terrarium by DoodleBirdie

2. Try raising your plants on air instead of water...

Air Plant Dance Valentine's Day Terrarium from Roots in Rust

3. Use organic or natural pesticides~ Did you know fleas can be repelled by Eucalyptus? There are plenty of home remedies to control insects and pests, just make an effort to find them!

Organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil from Natural Earth

4. Consider carefully when you landscape your yard! Use indigenous, zone hardy and low maintenance plants. Use ground cover species instead of grass. Create ecological habitats for birds, bees and butterflies to encourage pollination.

Garden Mosaic Birdhouse from Winestone Birdhouses

5. Create a "Rain Garden" to catch the potential polluted run-off or stormwater from your property.

5. Use upcycled garden decor or statuary in your yard, patio or outdoor areas~

Yellow Flower Metal Art Sculpture from Metal Art Dude

Metal Flower Garden Candle Holder by Tink and Designs

6. Support and consume organically grown foods and products. Local if you can, but always consider the source!

Gourmet Chinchilla Yummies from Brizel4theAnimals

7. Encourage others to grow their own or "Grow Green"!

Veggin' Out Seed Kit Gift Basket from Humble Seed

We hope you found a way to Waste Less last week and PLEASE spread the word about Wasteless Wednesday~ Have a great week!

Greener Shopping: Plastics 101

Conscious Consumerism:

Plastics 101, or is it Plastics 1-7

Plastic is everywhere. The word plastic means capable of being shaped or molded. And it has shaped itself into almost every aspect of our daily lives.  However, scientists are finding that an unseen cost to using plastics may be the health of our planet and our bodies. The production and disposal of plastic contribute to an array of environmental problems.  If we take some time to understand plastic, we can became a wiser about using it, and therefore make better choices for our health and our environment.

A Small Chemistry lesson… Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs. ~Wikipedia

In 1988 The Society of the Plastics (SPI) Industry developed a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. The resin identification coding system is used internationally to allow efficient separation of different polymer types for recycling. The most common plastics have a resin code in a universal recycling symbol often found on the bottom of the product. It is an arbitrarily-assigned number that has no other meaning aside from identifying the specific plastic.

While doing my plastic research, I thought The Healthy ChildHealthy World Organization summarized the safety of the resin codes the best:

PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate): AVOID
Common Uses: Soda Bottles, Water Bottles, Cooking Oil Bottles
Concerns: Can leach antimony and phthalates.

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Milk Jugs, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, aka Vinyl): AVOID
Common Uses: Condiment Bottles, Cling Wrap, Teething Rings, Toys, Shower Curtains
Concerns: Can leach lead and phthalates among other things. Can also off-gas toxic chemicals.

LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Produce Bags, Food Storage Containers

PP (Polypropylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Bottle Caps, Storage Containers, Dishware

PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam): AVOID
Common Uses: Meat Trays, Foam Food Containers & Cups
Concerns: Can leach carcinogenic styrene and estrogenic alkylphenols 

Other this is a catch-all category which includes:
PC (Polycarbonate): AVOID - can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA). It also includes ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile), Acrylic, and Polyamide. These plastics can be a safer option because they are typically very durable and resistant to high heat resulting in less leaching. Their drawbacks are that they are not typically recyclable and some need additional safety research. New plant-based, biodegradable plastics like PLA (Polylactic Acid) also fall into the #7 category.

Now go look at what number is on all of your food containers.  What are they? While 2, 4, 5 are the safer, they are sometimes hard to find. For instance when it comes to condiments, I can’t find a ketchup or mayonnaise bottle without a one on the bottom.

If there is NO resin code on your plastic containers, call the manufacture and ask.  Since the resin codes are only for recycling, this would tell me that the manufacture doesn’t care about the environment and recycling the plastic they are creating!!!

To further understand plastic and its numbers, let’s look at the second part of recycling it…what is plastic being recycled into?  That ketchup bottle with a resin code of one isn't turned into another ketchup bottle. It is recycled into polyester fibres, which are a base material for the production of clothing, pillows and carpets.

Here’s a quick summary of what the resin codes tells us the plastic can become:

Polyester fibres, thermoformed sheet, strapping, and soft drink bottles.

Bottles, grocery bags, milk jugs, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, playground equipment, and plastic lumber (like outdoor deck flooring).

Pipe, fencing, shower curtains, lawn chairs and non-food bottles

Plastic bags, 6 pack rings, dispensing bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory equipment

Auto parts, industrial fibers, food containers, and dishware

Desk accessories, cafeteria trays, plastic utensils, toys, and insulation board and other expanded polystyrene products (e.g., Styrofoam)

Bottles, headlight lenses, and safety shields/glasses, (and may leak bisphenol A in the food & environment).

Whether it is upcycling, buying handmade or reducing plastic use, becoming ethical consumers is something that everyone should look into. Does value or values determine your purchases? Educating yourself about the products you buy & their affect on the environment is vital to our future and the future of our planet. 

Look for our next article to discuss safer options that we, the consumers, have to reduce, reuse and recycle the plastic in our lives. 

Understanding Green Branding

I recently wrote to you about my continued quest to become an ethical consumer, by discussing ways to Greener Your Shopping List. It was also important to understand green brands & their marketing verbiage while on this sustainable shopping mission.

"Green brands are those brands that consumers associate with environmental conservation and sustainable business practices." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green brands

We all know what a recycle symbol looks like & what the three R’s mean. I understood what organic & natural meant, or did I? When I started looking closer at the green items I was purchasing the labels started to get a little confusing. This one said all natural but not organic, that one was organic but made with only 70% organic ingredients. I could buy eggs that are organic but not cage free, but could I buy eggs that are cage free & not organic? To clear things up, it was important to stop & understand the verbiage of the green branding universe.

Here are some basics terms needed for understanding green product claims. You may already know them, but do you know what they mean on the products you buy?

Natural: is very broad term when it comes to food products available in our grocery stores. In fact, the FDA has not even established a formal definition of the word natural. It is used on packaging to attract health conscious consumers but doesn’t mean all the products ingredients will be natural. Best thing to do, read the ingredients list on the label. Vague terms like natural are not allowed on the ingredients list, with the exception natural flavorings.

 
Certified Organic: It is important to know that each country regulates their food certifications differently. In the US & Canada, they have passed organic legislation making it so the term “organic” may be only used by certified producers. Anyone involved in the food production process can be certified organic. That’s everyone from seed suppliers and farmers to retailers and restaurants.

In the US, the federal legislation defines three levels of organic. A company can use “100% organic” on their product label if the product is entirely made with organic ingredients & methods. Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word “organic.” Both these levels may also display the same USDA organic seal. The third level is for products who ingredient lists contains at least 70% organic ingredients and they may use “made with organic ingredients” on their packaging.


 
Fair Trade: Consumer product packaging from other countries can be labeled with this eco term. Fair Trade Certification is an organized movement aimed at helping developing countries improve their trading conditions & promote sustainability. The Fairtrade Certification system covers a growing range of products, including bananas, honey, coffee, oranges, cocoa, cotton, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, and even wine. Fairtrade International (FLO), along with many others, helps to head up this international certification & reports in 2008 that an estimated 7.5 million producers and their families were benefiting from fair trade funded infrastructure, assistance and community development projects.

This movement has its critics & many see this label as a marketing ploy that does not challenge the world’s trading system. The best thing to do is research the specific products & companies you are buying from. There are a number of fair trade labels that can appear on packaging.

Besides understanding consumer products & their environmental impacts, knowledge of green branding gives us a way we can vote with our dollars for sustainable changes in our communities & world!

Urban Mining and E-Waste by Eco Warrior Jeweller

photo by JohnJMatlock

Urban mining is a term used to described the process of reclaiming the compounds and elements in building, products and waste. Apparently,  1 gramme of gold can be reclaimed from 41 mobile phones.  Unfortunately, precious metals and base metals are needed more and more in the production of technological gadgets. Electronic goods nowadays have a life span of only a couple of years before they become e-waste, as the technology advances so fast the consumer feels the need, for different reasons to constantly update his collection of electronic gadgets. The problem is not going to go away, we need to recycle all electronic items. We should be recycling all our waste but that is not technically possible, but even more importantly we should be seriously tackling the issue of packaging, and consumerism, which in the past 25 years has increased to near unsustainable levels.

photo by manbeastextraodinaire

The recycling of electronics is not a solution to the growing problem as there are many hazardous elements that need to be extracted in adequate conditions to protect the worker. At the moment too much of the e-waste is being dumped on the developing countries to be "recycled" in more often than not primitive conditions . Greenpeace is working on trying to bring awareness to people, but it is an issue that we should all address when buying a new phone, computer, MP3, etc.

This article was originally posted by Laurette, author of Eco Warrior Jeweller. It was also reposted by Urban Mining.
Another post by the Eco Warrior Jeweller:

The Impact and Pollution of Gold Mining in the Amazon Rainforest

Laurette sells jewelry made from recycled, upcycled, salvaged and found materials in her shop, Becycle, on Etsy. She is also a member of Upcyclers, an Etsy team of artists whose members Love 2 Upcycle.

Wine and Apple Juice bottles were used to make these beads.

The Upcycler's Gift Guide for Her This Holiday Season!

'Eco-friendly Holiday Gift Giving for Her!' by tubbytabby

Check out all the awesome gifts from teamupcyclers! Perfect gift for the environmentalist on your list.

Mod Purple Uber Cuff - ... butternutsquas... $18.00	Mini One-Snap Wallet - ... JeniLuScraps $3.00	Large Vintage Ball Maso... doodlebirdie $38.00	Recycled Skateboard Sta... alldeckdout $16.00
Azure Waves Beach Glass... RerunBaby $28.00	Frankenstein Book Purse bibliobags $60.00	PEACE x FORK YOU x ROCK... jjevensen $30.00	Upcycled Magazine Tree ... TheColorfulLif... $35.00
Phoenix Art Necklace Sw... christinesbead... $250.00	Once in a Blue Moon - R... EcoImbiber $8.50	GP Plantable Tags STAR ... GreenPost $8.50	burst of brights mirror colorstorydesi... $62.00
Pinwheel Garden 1 - ori... whimsyleaf $9.00	Safety pin bracelet, to... hundredsofbutt... $26.00	Free shipping, 15% off,... 5orangepotatoe... $8.00	Rudolph the Red-Nosed R... upcyclebooks $12.00

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