Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

Vintage Handmade and Reused Kitchen Items on Etsy

Check out this treasury list I did on Etsy filled with vintage, handmade and reused/re-purposed items for the kitchen.  Kitchens are so much fun!

Levi's Waterless Jeans

Levi's new Water<Less jeans have begun hitting stores in the U.S.  The jeans are made using significantly less water.  According to Levi's the average pair of jeans uses a staggering 42 litres of water in the finishing process. 

The Water<Less collection reduces the water consumption by an average of 28% and up to 96% for some new products in the line.  Jeans in the collection are still "washed" but the washing occurs using stones and as a result drastically cuts the amount of wet washing needed.  The new jeans average 11 gallons less of water per pair.

The first collection of Water<Less products are in stores now and are focused on men's including over a dozen classic Levi’s® jeans, including the Levi’s® 501® jeans and the popular 511 and 514 jeans, as well as the Levi’s® trucker jacket.

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

Handmade items always make wonderful gifts for the holidays.  I've selected some handmade items I think represent some excellent ideas for holiday gifting this year.  Don't worry there is still plenty of time to get the perfect gift.

Crabby Kitten Pet Bed in Pumpkin and Barley by Prairie Dog Art Shop.  Beautifully made and available in a variety of colors.  $40.

Hachimitsu Needle Felted Weasel - incredibly charming this adorable creature is handmade by a current student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). $25.

Eco Friendly Resuable Sandwich bag - Perfect practical stocking stuffer.  Made with unbleached cotton and nylon lined.  Made in Providence, RI.  Many other styles.  $8.

Eastern Bluebird - handmade by a Connecticut-based artist who specialises in felt birds.  Check out her shop she has many birds available. I am giving one of her delightful birds to a bird loving family member this year. $41.

See more gift ideas from our 2010 holiday gift guide.

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide: Computer Accessories

Today's installment of the holiday gift guide includes suggestions for green computer accessories. 

FELTPLANET:  5mm Merino Wool Felt Mousepad.  I've used one of these for several months and love it.  $15

CUSHCASE:  Corduroy laptop case.  Available in many sizes designed for Apple laptops but fit most others.  I've used one for a while its both functional and stylish. $18.95

PORTEL:  Laptop case.  Available in many sizes, also cases for iPad cases.  $69-81

See other recommendations from the 2010 Sustainable Gift Guide

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Vintage Antiques

 
A sure bet for wonderful holiday presents are vintage items.  Buying vintage items is the ultimate in sustainability.  Here are some wonderful ideas I found from Etsy. 

NICK HAUS:  Victorian Black Forest Wall Shelf.  Openwork beautifully carved wood. This shop has a coupon for 15% for all items enter NHBLACKFRIDAY2010 at check out through Monday 11/29.  Shop has more than 60 carefully curated items. $75.

CALLOOHCALLAY: Vintage set of small copper molds with tin lining.  Shop has hundreds of other items. $25

MOXIETHRIFT:  Vintage planter white and brown light blue inside rectangular.  Shop has hundreds of other items. $8

HINDSVIK:  Mid Century Wood and Metal Lamp.  Lots of visual pop. Shop has more than 50 other items. $89

JOHNNYVINTAGE:  Retro lunch box.  Shop has more than 100 other items.  $23.

 

See the other recommendations from the 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

See my list on ETSY of additional gift suggestions

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Practical Presents Dryer Balls

Today's installment of the Holiday Gift Guide focuses on practical presents for the home.  For eco-friendly practical presents there is no better place than Etsy.  Etsy my favorite place to look for handmade and vintage items from small businesses all across the country and globe.  Etsy has made tremendous improvements in their site over the last few years and it really makes it easy to search and find wonderful items.

Today's focus is on dryer balls - makes the perfect stocking gift.

Farm Fresh Fibers:  Wool Dryer balls.  Made from wool from their farm's Romney sheep and Angora goats in Vermont.  Dryer balls help reduce drying time without the use of harmful chemicals or toxic plastics like many of the conventional versions.  These natural dryer balls also do not leave a residue on clothes like dryer sheets.  Farm fresh also sells a lavender scented version.   $12 for 3.

The Yarn Box:  Recycled Wool Dryer Balls.  These dryer balls are made from recycled wool in Seattle Washington and come in a nice little bag.  $18 for 3.

Green Belle Designs:  Dryer Balls 6 pack.  Here is a nice value pack of felted wool dryer balls from Green Belle Designs in Belleville, PA.  This assortment features natural colors which we like.  $24 for 6.

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Toys

Back in its 2nd year the Sustainable is Good holiday 2010 gift guide kicks off today Black Friday.  This year I will be featuring a variety of products over multiple days which can help you choose more sustainable gifts this holiday season. 

Items in this years gift guide are selected by me and must include natural or recycled/re-purposed/reused components and have responsible packaging.  This year you'll see some great handmade items, some wonderful suggestions for vintage finds and of course some excellent products worth mentioning from retailers.

You can always check out last year's guide for some excellent products still available.

Today's gift guide suggestions focus on gifts for kids.
 

Fuzzy Dalmatian Puppet:  Adorable puppet made by Puppets by Margie.  Each Puppet is designed and made by hand.  Margie currently has over 50 puppets for sale in her online shop.  $7.50

Idbids Waverly Eco-Friendly Starter Kit:  Include storybook, soft plush toy and cinch sack made of organic cotton.  Components made from eco-friendly and recycled materials.  Company is participating in Amazon's Frustration Free packaging program which means there is no excessive wasteful packaging.  $19.99 on Amazon.

 

 

Squishy Press:  These books are designed with babies in mind.  They are printed in the US using eco paper, inks and printing process using no harmful glues or chemicals.  They currently have two titles Opposites and Silly Faces.  $11.95

Green Mountain Wee Woolies:  Felted Wool Castle with King and Queen Dolls.  Green Mountain specializes in unique wool items handcrafted in Vermont.  Check their Etsy store for a number of dolls and other fun toys.  $22.00

Klean Kanteen Water.org Water Bottle by Shepard Fairey

Klean Kanteen has a special edition of its reusable stainless steel water bottle designed by Shepard Fairey's Studio Number One.  

Fairey is an artist and graphic designer who is an alum of RISD (Rhode Island School of Design).  He designed the SHFT X Klean Kanteen to benefit the US based non-profit water.org.

Ten percent of teh bottle's proceeds go to water.org.

The bottles are available online at SHFT.

 

Full Circle Home Products Combine Sustainablity and Design

Full Circle has some exciting household products which use green materials and combine them with modern industrial design to create both functional and sustainable items for consumers.

I've tried a number of dish brushes over the years and many of them I don't like either because of the design or the materials used.  Often these products are made entirely from plastic and are designed to be disposable.  That isn't very green.

Along comes the Laid Back brush from Full Circle.  The first thing I noticed was the design and ergonomics of the wooden handle.  The angle is ideal for cleaning dishes.  The handle is made out of bamboo which has been triple coated using vegetable-based oils to protect it from water.  The interesting thing about the Laid Back brush is the part with the bristles is designed to be removable allowing consumers to replace the bristle head after it wears.  This makes the brush different from many others on the market in that it isn't designed to be disposable.

The removable head is made from the plant-based plastic Bonterra and the bristles are also plant-based.  So when the bristles wear you remove and replace the head, not the whole brush..

Full Circle also makes a number of other products which like the Laid Back brush combine elements of modern design with green components.

One of their other products i'm particularly fond of is the stick 'em magnet kitchen towel.  This super absorbent towel is made from bamboo and organic cotton and has a magnet inside so it sticks to a refrigerator or other metal surface.

Full Circle's products are available online at retailers like GreenFeet and others even Amazon.

 

 

WaterGeeks Filtered Water Bottles

Here's an interesting new product - with a built-in filter, WaterGeeks water bottles include a filter with the convenience of a portable water bottle.

Made from BPA-free plastic tops and stainless steal containers and available in a variety of fun colors, these bottles are a stylish way to implement or maintain a green lifestyle into your daily routine.

According to the company the filter removes contaminants including chlorine from water.