Frames From Recycled Tin

Artists Margaret Taylor and Simone Wilson make a variety of folk art and home furnishings from reclaimed and re-constructed materials which are sold through Miss Taylor’s Atlanta-based company, dryads dancing.
The one-of-a-kind, pastel quilted tin frame pictured is made from antique ceiling tin, house molding and beaded board.
available in pink, blue, or green and various sizes up to 16×20″ priced ranging from $38 to $250 @ dryadsdancing.com

Time to Sit on the Floor

Does your back ever begin to crinch after spending time on the computer? Check out these low-rider, funky, eco-friendly rockers that find your own, unique balance point. These are all constructed of FSC-certified wood, natural latex, organic cotton and steel screws, with hemp twine used in assembly and a recycled paper instruction manual.

The Bean Rocker Series is a family of bean-inspired, body conscious, low rocking seats designed with balanced posture and ease of breathing in mind.

It just might be time to get out of your high-chair and onto the floor.

comes in 4 sizes in green, chocolate or black prices range from $150 to $250. Find them at koend.com

A Pretty N.E.E.T. Magazine

N.E.E.T. Magazine captures the essence of recycled fashion and jewelry as a new form of art. They put eco-garage hipster style artists on the map with their creative and intuitive sense for trash can aristocracy.

Recycled Bath Tub Lounge Seat

After cruising around some other blogs I found this post on Alternative Consumer that was unique and cool. Someone had a vision and it begat Max the bath tub chaise. U.K. based Reestore dubs this a twist on the sofa briefly featured in breakfast at Tiffany’s. Created from a vintage cast iron bath and upholstered in fabric of your choice.

Repurposed as a single seater sloucher or a cozy sofa for two.

allow 4-6 weeks for delivery

Eco Friendly FASHION trade Show

Pooltradeshow is the original independent tradeshow, established in 2001 for the boutique market and better retailers worldwide.

It is a semi-annual event occurring every February and August in conjunction with the MAGIC Marketplace, when the apparel industry converges on Las Vegas for the most influential week in the business of fashion.

Pooltradeshow showcases the best emerging designers, featuring new product ranging from women’s and men’s apparel, to shoes and accessories, and including a variety of lifestyle products — from art, to music, to home.

Last Season pooltradeshow open their Second Show featuring Green, artists and designers. This platform gave eco-conscience designers and brands the opportunity to showcase their designs in a special environment highlighting their designs as well as tasks and mission. This February will be the second time they open door for their eco- showcase. If you have any desire to see who is up an coming in the world of fashion and recycling check out the pooltradeshow this February in Las Vegas.

Designs You Can Play With

 

The folks over at Particle Reconstruction have come up with another way of reconstructing old ideas to re-introduce into today's urban market. This time they strayed away from fabrics and clothing and tried out their skills on old vintage toys and accessories. PLASTIC MILITIA is a collection of Designs You Can Play With.

Each design is original and handcrafted using recycled objects. Also available Dice Earrings & Domino Earrings, for a quick game of Craps or Bones at your next conventions break.

Available for $8 at http://counterculturestore.com

Go Green This Halloween

GO GREEN: If you are planning on going green this Halloween you couldn't of picked a better year. On-line retailers like CCVINTAGE carry some key vintage pieces that could complete your look. This year the Classics are coming back in High Demand. You don’t have to look like a stripper fairy god mother, or a prostitute princess to have a good time. You also don’t have to spend $100 on a synthetic plastic costume that you will wear only one day then throw into an already bulging land fill. Here are a few Vintage Costume ideas, All recycled and eco-friendly. You can mix and match from your closet or run down to you local Vintage Store to grab needed accessories.

Great Classic Ideas:

Cowboy

Indian

Cheerleader

Security Guard

Flapper

Jock

Cop

70’s guy

60’s girl

50’s Greaser

Vampire

Soldier

Princess

Prisoner

Doctor

Wrestler

Pirate

Nurse

Specific ideas:

Condoleeza Rice

Dracula

Daisy Duke

Big Gay AL

Lieutenant Dangle (Reno 911)

Carmen Miranda

Che

Harry Potter

Caveman (From Geico Commercial)

James Bond

Scarecrow

Barbraella

Luke Duke

Super Hero

Street FighterChun-Li

Jack Sparrow

High School Musical Actors (Any of them)

Hannah Montana

Dwight (the Office)

List provided by the Vintage Factory 2703 Main St. Dallas, TX 75226

Truck Canvas and Tire Tread Shoe

The folks @ Yellow Port have taken the remains of a diesel fume-spewing truck and transformed them into these styling caual shoes designed for low impact, urban transportation.

The Myra Street shoe is made in Brazil in a sweatshop-free environment.

Find at Green is Back

Recycled Cassette Coin Purse

In an age of mp3s, DVDs, and CD-RWs, you may wonder “where have all the cassette tapes gone?” Following the reuse-and-recycle design trend, these clever little coin purses pose one solution, turning old tapes into usable vessels for all your stray pennies. Hand-made and one-of-a-kind, the cassette tapes are available from Marcella Foschi, Italy.
Considering most change purses cost only a few bucks, these are still a bit pricey, but what a great idea.


$39 on Design Boom.

Recycled Solar-Power Bag

Here is product that uses both re-usable bags and solar-power. We found a post on on Alternative Consumer and though that it was so cool that we would post it also. This solar beach bag from Reware Solarsistem let’s you plug-in and charge small electronic devices while transporting all your essential suntan products and snacks to the beach or lakeside.

Some features:

• charges a wide variety of small electronic from cell phones to mp3 players
• heavy duty cotton webbing handles
• large roomy inside pocket
• gadget pocket for holding your phone or camera
• natural cotton “duck canvas” frame
• removable interior bottom support
• rugged Cordura® nylon cover for a water-resistant bottom
• each Juice Bag comes with a universal CLA/Car charger female socket

The Reware SolarSistem allows you to remove your solar panel for use separately from the bag, or to allow you to clean your tote.

So be the envy of all your greenish friends and techno geeks with the ultimate in re-usable bag utility.

on sale now for $199.99 @ the http://www.rewarestore.com/product/beachtote.html

Teva Branches Into Recycled Shoes

Teva is branching out in a green way with a new style of recycled shoes. Using post-consumer PET canvas (which makes up the lining) and post-consumer recycled rubber (which makes up the sole) they’ve come up with a cool shoe for today’s sustainable shopper. The uppers are suede and they come in dark brown or sandstone. $74.95 at Amazon

This pair of Tevas has a lining made out of recycled soda bottles, while that big rubber outsole is from recycled rubber. They also come in an Olive color. $69.95 at Amazon

Dallas Boutique Revolutionizes Shopping Experience

For the entire month of August Counter Culture Store at Mockingbird Station is having a donation drive called "PROJECT JUXTAPOSITION". Individuals throw away 67.9 pounds of used clothing and rags each year. Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that's a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year. Fortunately, they can make sure they reach the people who need them rather than find their way into already-bulging landfills.

They are making it as easy as 1,2,3 to make a difference.

1. You drop off your old clothes in our donation bin

2. They give you a 10% discount on new, vintage or refurbished clothes

3.They make sure your old clothes make it to those in need through local charities.

Take the train, ride a bike, skate or drive a friend. They guarantee that once you revolutionize your shopping experience, you will want to teach others how they can.

Counter Culture Store is located at 5331 E. Mockingbird Ln. Suite 110 Dallas, TX 75226

Not Just A Load

When slapped with an order to clean up the poop of 12,000 dairy cows, the Hefer Valley Cooperative Society built a manure-driven power station to solve their problems. The first of its kind in Israel, the plant was inaugurated this week and is expected to process 600 tons of manure a day and generate 2-2.4 megawatts per hour (MW/h) within the year. At present the plant is operating at about half its capacity, and most of the energy is feeding back to the national grid.

The project is a joint effort between Tambour Hefer Ecology Ltd and Granite Hacarmel Investments Ltd. Granite Hacarmel CEO Amiaz Sagis said, "This is unquestionably an important milestone. This facility fits in with Granite Hacarmel's strategy to invest in infrastructures and ecology. The company is also investing resources to developalternative energy, water treatment, and desalination.” While it wasn’t made cheap – the new plant located in Hadera cost about $10 million to build, which included a $2 million grant from Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture to help improve Israel’s much-polluting dairy industry. First the manure is sterilized, then the solid and liquid waste are processed to produce methane, which drives
the generators. This Story was Originally Posted by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on Tree Hugger.

Vintage T-Shirts 101

"The t-shirt is a symbol of freedom, but also a rebellion to society". Rin Taken. Did you know that the t-shirt is as North American as apple pie and blue jeans.

It wasn't until after the fighter pilots in the South Pacific returned home from WW2, in the 50's, that it was finally acceptable to wear an undershirt as a t-shirt. The first Surf Board Shapers had no idea that screen printing their logo on a t-shirt would change North American fashion forever. In the 80's T-shirt branding evolved from a grass roots marketing tool, to a billion dollar industry. Before a sneaker logo could sell a t-shirt, it had to have a great print or be a billboard and say something only a t-shirt could get away with. From Novelty tee's to brand tees no one could resist the comfort of a cotton tee

The first thing to look for when searching for authenticity of the perfect vintage tee is the tag/label. Before the store brand sold a tee, it was the brand on the blank itself that sold it. Knowing what to look for will save a lot of time during the hunt. Different tags can tell you about the era you tee come from. Current day American Made t-shirt manufactures continuously try to match the one of a kind comfort and feel found only in a 80's Screen star t-shirt blank.

Rock concert tees tell others that not only did you support the art of rocking by purchasing the newest 8 track released by your Rock Mentor, but you attended these ground breaking rock services yourself. Beware these are not to be mistaken as current day overprinted reproductions sold to the squares at urban corporate mall stores; but a genuine rare black market concert tee. Only recognizable traits are in the original print, date, tag and quality of blank. Some concert T-shirts will sell for well over $1000 in the dealer trade. The authenticity and timeless prints set these apart.

Find Vintage Tee's Retail :: CCVINTAGE.COM

Find Vintage Tee's Wholesale :: DUSTFACTORYVINTAGE.COM

 

 

For The Wine Lovers

These nifty chairs were created by hand from genuine white oak recycled wine barrels, each chair is branded with the winery’s original name. Not only do these comfy chairs work well inside or out, but they only get better with age. I have heard of that before?

Previously, $349.00, now on sale at $279.00 for a set of two chairs at

Available at: GAIAM

JOIN the REvOLUTiON

Retail Vintage Clothing :: Open A Store Yourself

With an estimated 1 million tons of textiles being thrown away each year, anyone with dedication can start making a difference in their city or town. Weather it be from just wearing vintage or recycled clothing, or by providing the option to find it easier to their friends and neighbors. Our years of retail experience with vintage clothing have led us to a formula that is easily transferable to someone wanting to run their own Counter Culture Store. This combined with our unique ability to provide inventory makes it a very profitable business for the right investor.

Our passion is educating people about sustainable business and lifestyles. Our business is selling vintage clothing, eco conscience brands and accessories; including jeans, T-shirts, corduroys, boots, dresses, sunglasses, jewelry and related items; much of which can be supplied by our wholesale division. The daily operations are easy by comparison with a minimal number of employees and relaxed business hours.

Broad support will be offered in terms of a detailed operations manual, sales and operations training, proactive idea sharing between stores, and 10 years of retail experience just a phone call away. Our experience includes extensive merchandising and buying knowledge, as well as, expertise in public relations, marketing, sales and vintage clothing.

With retail mark ups being the highest in the clothing industry, opening a vintage clothing store is an excellent business venture. If being your own boss and working in this profitable, fun environment appeals to you, this just might be for you.

If opening a store is something you always wanted to do, but never knew where to get started click here to view our Retail Start Up Questioner

Large Microwave Converts Plastic Back to Oil

New Scientist Enviorment had interesting information on a US company that is taking plastics recycling to another level – turning them back into the oil they were made from, and gas.

All that is needed, claims Global Resource Corporation (GRC), is a finely tuned microwave and – hey presto! – a mix of materials that were made from oil can be reduced back to oil and combustible gas (and a few leftovers).

Key to GRC’s process is a machine that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. As the material is zapped at the appropriate wavelength, part of the hydrocarbons that make up the plastic and rubber in the material are broken down into diesel oil and combustible gas.

GRC's machine is called the Hawk-10. Its smaller incarnations look just like an industrial microwave with bits of machinery attached to it. Larger versions resemble a concrete mixer.

Anything that has a hydrocarbon base will be affected by our process," says Jerry Meddick, director of business development at GRC, based in New Jersey. "We release those hydrocarbon molecules from the material and it then becomes gas and oil."

Whatever does not have a hydrocarbon base is left behind, minus any water it contained as this gets evaporated in the microwave.

"Take a piece of copper wiring," says Meddick. "It is encased in plastic – a kind of hydrocarbon material. We release all the hydrocarbons, which strips the casing off the wire." Not only does the process produce fuel in the form of oil and gas, it also makes it easier to extract the copper wire for recycling.

Similarly, running 9.1 kilograms of ground-up tyres through the Hawk-10 produces 4.54 litres of diesel oil, 1.42 cubic metres of combustible gas, 1 kg of steel and 3.40 kg of carbon black, Meddick says.

Powerful Poop

If you have dog then you already know how much crap those animals can produce. Imagine if that poop was worth something more than putting in a brown bag and lighting it on fire, like kids do. The guys over at inhabitat had a cool write up on some new initiative in San Francisco. Anyone who’s ever spent time in San Francisco (and perhaps stepped in a stinky patch in Duboce park) knows that this is a city that loves its dogs. So much so that dog poop is a real issue in terms of urban cleanliness — pet feces currently makes up nearly 4 percent of San Francisco’s residential waste! So its about time then, that someone came up with the brilliant idea to put San Francisco’s dog poop to work and find a better use for it than simply filling up garbage cans (and getting stuck on people’s shoes). The forward-thinking environmentally-friendly city will be the first in the nation to use dog feces as a renewable energy source through the production and combustion of methane gas.

6,500 tons of dog poop is produced in the San Francisco Bay Area every year. Rather than view this waste as a problem, San Francisco’s waste management contractor, Norcal Waste, saw this as an opportunity for the already environmental city to go a bit greener. Since January 2006, Norcal has been collecting dog feces throughout the city and now has dog-waste collection carts with biodegradable bags set up in Duboce Park, one of city’s most popular dog parks.

The poo-to-energy scheme works like this: the pet poop is first put into an anaerobic digester, which uses bacteria to convert organic waste into methane gas. Burning that gas produces energy in the form of electricity, natural gas, and liquefied natural gas. This gas is then captured and used to power equipment that normally runs on natural gas, such as a kitchen stove or a heater. The 2 week long “digestion process” also produces valuable compost for agriculture.

Despite the chuckles this project may elicit — it will provide a very tangible benefit to San Francisco by helping the city reach its goal of diverting 75 percent of its waste from landfills by 2010, also providing a clean new energy source! The city piloted another innovative bio-recycling program in 1996, collecting food scraps from houses and restaurants and turning them into fertilizer for local farms and vineyards. This project was very successful and still continues to this day.

Rag & Bone "Textile Recycling 101"

The folks over at Waist Online have a detailed page with allot of useful information about Textile Recycling. They note that textile recycling originated in the Yorkshire Dales about 200 years ago. These days the 'rag and bone' men are textile reclamation businesses, which collect textiles for reuse (often abroad), and send material to the 'wiping' and 'flocking' industry and fibres to be reclaimed to make new garments. Textiles made from both natural and man-made fibres can be recycled.

Why Bother:

It is estimated that more than 1 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year, with most of this coming from household sources. Textiles make up about 3% by weight of a household bin. At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable, however, the proportion of textile wastes reused or recycled annually in the US is only around 20%.

Although the majority of textile waste originates from household sources, waste textiles also arise during yarn and fabric manufacture, garment-making processes and from the retail industry. These are termed post-industrial waste, as opposed to the post-consumer waste which goes to jumble sales and charity shops. Together they provide a vast potential for recovery and recycling.

 

Recovery and recycling provide both environmental and economic benefits. Textile recovery:

• Reduces the need for landfill space. Textiles present particular problems in landfill as synthetic (man-made fibres) products will not decompose, while woollen garments do decompose and produce methane, which contributes to global warming.
• Reduces pressure on virgin resources.
• Aids the balance of payments as we import fewer materials for our needs.
• Results in less pollution and energy savings, as fibers do not have to be transported from abroad.

Reclaiming fiber avoids many of the polluting and energy intensive processes needed to make textiles from virgin materials, including: -

• Savings on energy consumption when processing, as items do not need to be re-dyed or scoured.
• Less effluent, as unlike raw wool, it does not have to be thoroughly washed using large volumes of water.
• Reduction of demand for dyes and fixing agents and the problems caused by their use and manufacture.

How, what and where of recycling textiles:

The majority of post-consumer textiles are currently collected by charities like The Salvation Army, Good Will and Chalk. Some charities, for example Good Will and The Salvation Army, sort collected material selling it on to merchants in the appropriate sectors.

Some postindustrial waste is recycled 'in-house', usually in the yarn and fabric manufacturing sector. The rest, aside from going to landfill or incineration, is sent to merchants.

Collection Method's:

At present the consumer has the option of putting textiles in 'clothes banks', taking them to charity shops or having them picked up for a donation drive.

The Salvation Army is the largest operator of textile banks in the US. On average, each of these banks is estimated to collect about six tons of textiles per year. Combined with door-to-door collections, The Salvation Army's textile recycling operations account for the processing of in excess of 17,000 tons of clothing a year. Clothes are given to the homeless, sold in charity shops or sold in developing countries in Africa, the Indian sub-continent and parts of Eastern Europe. Nearly 70% of items put into clothing banks are reused as clothes, and any un-wearable items are sold to merchants to be recycled and used as factory wiping cloths.

Processing and Outlets for Waste Textiles

All collected textiles are sorted and graded at a "Rag House" by highly skilled, experienced workers, who are able to recognize the large variety of fiber types resulting from the introduction of synthetics and blended fiber fabrics. Once sorted the items are sent to various destinations as outlined below:

Post industrial waste is often reprocessed in house. Clippings from garment manufacture are also used by fiber reclaimers to make into garments, felt and blankets.

Some selected items will be sold to the "Vintage Market" and reused by designers fashioning garments and bags from recovered items. Companies like Dust Factory Vintage grade the textiles even more to produce mixes that will sell in trendy Vintage Shops in te US, Japan and Europe, however this is a very small sector within the overall destinations of textiles. For more information on what happens with Vintage Clothing click here.

What You Can Do:

• Take your used clothes to a textile bank. Contact the recycling officer in your local authority if there are no banks in your area and ask why; they may collect textiles through other means. Alternatively you can take used clothing to local charity shops.
• Give old clothes/shoes/curtains/handbags etc. to jumble sales. Remember to tie shoes together: part of the 6% of textiles which is wastage for merchants are single shoes.
• Buy second-hand clothes - you can often pick up unusual period pieces! If bought from a charity shop, it will also benefit a charity.
• Buy things you are likely to wear a long time - a dedicated follower of fashion can also be a green one if items are chosen carefully.
• Look for recycled content in the garments you buy. This should be on the label, though at present there is no conventional marking scheme and some companies do not always advertise the recycled content.
• Buy cloth wipers instead of disposable paper products as the product can be used repeatedly.

 

Recycled Wallpaper

Wallpaper for commercial applications must be a hardy, sturdy product to withstand daily wear and tear. LSI Wallcovering is making wallcovering waves with the market's first ever recycled vinyl wallcovering for commercial applications, which is also stylish enough for high-end applications. The manufacturer launched its recycling program Second Look last year and will premier the fruits of this endeavor in three new collections—Versa, Cirqa, and Plexus—this Spring at contract furnishings tradeshow NeoCon World’s Trade Fair. Composed of 20 percent recycled content and a minimum of 10 percent post-consumer content, Second Look meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s criteria for LEED certification. A low VOC, Type II, 20-ounce wallcovering, it uses water-based inks, can be installed with water-based adhesives, and is also available with Permavent, a hi-tech feature that allows walls to breathe. Have vinyl wallcovering from a recent renovation job? LSI accepts used vinyl wallcovering from any manufacturer, which can be sent to its factory for recycling.

Japan calls for 50% reduction in emissions by 2050

Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, unveiled ambitious plans the other day to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 that would include the world's biggest emitters, the US and China.

"There is only one earth, and there are no national boundaries for the air," said Mr Abe, who will put the proposals up for discussion at next month's G8 summit in Germany.

"Even the most outstanding strategy would be meaningless unless all people living on earth participate in it. If the framework required economic growth to be sacrificed, we cannot expect many countries to participate.

We must create a new framework which moves beyond the Kyoto protocol, in which the entire world will participate in emissions reduction."

The 1997 protocol commits industrialised nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5% from 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. The US withdrew from the agreement, however, and has said it will continue to oppose any proposals that it believes will harm its economy.

Discussion on a post-Kyoto agreement is expected to dominate talks at the G8 meeting, with countries divided on whether they should be bound by mandatory numerical targets, an approach favoured by the EU.

Japan, which will host next year's summit, is concerned that an insistence on numerical targets will discourage the US from signing up any agreement, particularly if other big emitters, such as India and China, continue to be exempted.

Today officials in Tokyo were quick to stress that Mr Abe's "Cool Earth 50" proposals were part of a non-binding "vision" for dealing with climate change.

"When we talk about 2050 ... we do not have sufficient scientific knowledge to be concrete and precise in identifying a goal," Koji Tsuruoka, the director general of global issues at the foreign ministry, told reporters.

"It is going to be a vision that could be shared as a target that could be accepted ... by all the countries of the world."

Earlier this week the Japanese foreign minister, Taro Aso, said that persuading China, India and developing economies to do more to cut emissions was more important than establishing targets.

"I think opinion is divided on whether it is easier to participate by setting a numerical target or whether it is easier without it," he said. "We need to make sure that major emitter nations will take part."

The British foreign minister, Margaret Beckett, said on a visit to Tokyo this week that it was unlikely the G8 countries would agree to numerical targets in Germany and made a point of praising the US and China for recent attempts to reduce their carbon footprint.

Japan, meanwhile, appears likely to fall short of its Kyoto target of a 6% reduction. Despite improvements in energy efficiency, its greenhouse gas emissions as of March last year were 14% higher than in 1990.

Used Cardboard Boxes

We found this interesting on alternativeconsumer.com. Did you know that 80 percent of all residential moves take place during the summer? For an earth-friendly (and low-cost alternative) to moving your home goods in slick, new cardboard boxes, try ordering from new company, Used Cardboard Boxes. Providing high quality, previously-used boxes, the website (with locations in Los Angeles and New York) guarantees the lowest prices, delivers boxes in one to two business days and doesn’t charge for shipping.

Just think of how many trees you’ll be saving - $120 billion of boxes are produced each year around the world, typically used once and tossed out, according to Used Cardboard Boxes.

With Co-op America’s seal of approval, check out usedcardboardboxes.com
for more info.

You can also visit U-Haul’s Box Exchange to see if anyone in your area has boxes to give away or sell @ www.uhaul.com/boxexchange/.

BOOKLAMPS by Atelier Bomdesign

The Dutch are up something special, or at least the crew at the design shop Atelier Bomdesign that features several products fabricated from recycled materials. By far, one of our favorites is the Booklamp (or Boeklampen, in the native tongue), a clever and innovative take on reading light- proving that books are for both learning AND lighting. Used books are beautifully re-crafted and shaped into shades that emit a soft glow. As they are handcrafted, the Booklamps are perhaps more art than everyday fixture, and are priced accordingly (200-400 euros).

Don't Buy It Make It

The innovative people at Wardrobe Refashion, are helping get people involved into the recycled side of fashion by putting together a pledge. "I pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing ... that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract."

Take the pledge today. Everyone's doing it! Sewing is undergoing a big revival right now, the thrifty desire to recycle, concerns about sweatshop labor and over consumption, as well as a growing online 'craft' community have fueled sites like 'Wardrobe Refashion', a community blog, based in Australia, with participants worldwide. Wardrobe refashion community members have all taken a pledge not to purchase any new manufactured clothing for a set period, instead all clothing must be recycled, renovated, pre-loved, or handmade.

This is a great idea that we applaud, for direction or ideas check out some of our recent stories and DIY fashion recyclers like Particle Reconstrution, Dust Factory Vintage and online boutiques like Counter Culture Store.

The Pledge

I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings! Signed__________________.

The Rules

1. No buying new! (handmade is excepted; So this allows for Etsy purchases etc!!) All clothing must be Recycled, Renovated, Preloved or Thrifted, or Handmade only for the term. Employment related and special needs clothing (ie sports, school),
shoes and undies are excepted from the rules, although you are encouraged to have
a go at making these.

2. In extreme circumstances, maybe a special event, or the worlds greatest and most amazing never to be repeated sale that you simply can not pass up, you may use the Get out of Refashionista Jail Free card. You are able to use this card once during the 2 month part of your contract; ie 1 for 2 months, 2 for 4 months etc. Of course you need to fess up on the blog and display the button!

3. You must post on the blog at least once a week to let the community know what you've been up to. This will not only give you brag points, but inspire and encorouge others! Of course you need to display the button on your blog and have copied the pledge in at least one post, and provide a link to your pledge under the button.

4. You need to be honest and admit when you've fallen off the Refashionista Wagon! Go directly to Refashionista Jail, do not pass GO and do not collect $200! Apply for parole once there.

Go to Wardrobe Refashion and sign up for the pledge now.

How to Go Green In Your Wardrobe

Here's the irony: fashion is short-lived while fabric and pollution are not. After all of the inspiration, design, and excitement pass, the clothes remain. Heavy Flannel, Acid-washed denim, Break dancing pants. They're out there still, in closets, thrift stores, and land fills. Eco-savvy fashion choices mean not only reducing post-consumer refuse, but also pre-consumer waste and pollution. After its origins on the farm, forest, or oil field, each jacket spent some time morphing into its present form. What chemicals were used to grow it? Were the dyes safe? As more designers and manufacturers create with eco-concerns in mind, it's easier to find satisfying answers. Through smart wardrobe management and consumer choices, you can cut down on closet clutter, support clean industry, and look fabulous.

The FAQs below provided by TreeHUgger will help you navigate all of the terminology and find the best ways to green your wardrobe.

1.Shop with a plan

When you bring an article of clothing into your life, it’s kind of like adopting a dog or cat. That cute little number has to have a place in your wardrobe, and you’re agreeing to provide for and give it the longest possible life with you. Abandoning the impulse buy may sound boring, but how exciting is a closet full of stuff that doesn’t work? In the long run, knowing what you're looking for before you shop will save time and eliminate clutter. You'll get more use out of a piece that looks and feels great: What colors work for you? What fits work the best? How will the piece get along with everything else in the closet? If the answer to "Will I still want to wear this rhinestone-studded bustier in two years?" or “Can I eventually find a way to use it in a craft project?” is no, skip it

2. Love your duds

Whatever you've chosen, take good care of it. When you get home, change out of work gear and into your famous dressing gown or leisure suit. Don’t cook or check the tire pressure in clothes you want to wear in public. Learn how to sew a button back on, or how to coax a nimble friend into doing it for you. Get the name of a local tailor or seamstress for major repairs or alterations.

3. Don't go dry

Though the industry has improved much since 1992, there is still a high likelihood that your trusty corner cleaner uses
perc (tetrachloroethylene), a known carcinogen. See if there is a local green cleaner employing "wet cleaning" or liquid CO2 techniques. Many articles whose tags ask for the dry clean treatment can actually be hand washed, especially silk, wool and linen.

4. Buy vintage or used

People unload clothes for all types of reasons, and you know that adage about trash and treasure. From Oscar-worthy vintage dresses to Freecycled denim, you can likely find the piece you’re looking for second hand. You’ll be giving a cast-off garment a second life, and possibly supporting charitable work in the process. See Counter Culture for more.

5. Wash well

Washing wreaks the most havoc of all. It requires lots of water and energy, so only do it when you absolutely need to and have a full laundry load. Turn articles inside out and use the lowest temp possible. If you know you glowed all over a piece,
make a thin salt paste and soak the affected fabric for a half hour before washing. Choose phosphate-free and biodegradable detergents and line dry as much as possible. Treat stains quickly with nontoxic removers. If you're buying a new washing machine, look for one with an Energy Star label.

6.Wear organic

Though cotton is marketed as clean, fresh, and natural, conventional varieties are anything but. It takes a third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to produce the cotton for one T-shirt! That means lots of direct, unhealthy exposure for farmers and nearby wildlife, and heaps of unnecessary pollution. Luckily, organic cotton is becoming easier and easier to find. As mega-stores get into the game, however, it's important to stay vigilant about what organic means, so you know you're really getting clean clothes. Also know that though the cotton may have been organic to start with, your T may be full of processing chemicals and metal-laden dyes. See below for more info on labeling and certification.

7. Find a re-construction

A re-construction garment used to be another or many other articles. Designers all over the globe have taken on this transformative challenge in recent years, with very wearable results. This means a one-of-a-kind look for you, a new life for old fabric, and a livelihood for maverick re-users. See Particle Clothing for More.

8.Approach new fabrics with skeptical enthusiasm

No doubt you've heard the hype around bamboo, soy, or even corn fabric. The idea of finding alternatives to petrochemical-based and conventionally grown options makes us all perk up and we see why many eco-conscious designers are excited about them. Bamboo, for instance, sounds great: it's a fast-growing plant, not reliant on chemicals, and beautifully drapes the human form. Trouble is, bamboo plantations can displace native forests, and the harvesting and fiber processing are often polluting and unregulated. As with soy, corn, and Tencel (which comes from trees), the processing from plant to fabric is energy and resource intensive. For now, approach these as alternatives to poly, nylon, acrylic or conventional silk and await more info. As always, shop with a plan: don't fill multiple shopping bags just because the labels say "eco." Read more about fabric choices below.

9.Choose clothes that work for you

It's hard to feel beautiful in your raw silk dress when it's likely that children's scalded hands were part of the production chain. Conventional clothing might not say it, but clothing made under fair-wage and labor practices will usually advertise it. SweatShop Watch and Behind The Label are good sources of info. See more resources below.

10.Don't throw it all away

Finally, a stain, a tear, or changing fashion threaten to separate you from your favorite dress shirt. Don't just abandon your old friend to the waste-stream! If the condition is perfectly good, you can always donate or Freecycle it (see below for donation resources).

DO MORE

1. Speak up

Tell your favorite boutique or department store that you want clean fabric or re-used options.

2.Get it re-made

Once you have a tailor or seamstress, take in last year's clothes for an overhaul. That stained sweater could become a cardigan, and that too-tight dress, a skirt.

3.Swaporamarama

Get together
with pals for fizzy drinks and a clothing swap. If it's new to you, it's new.
Find out if there's a Swapormamarama in your area. If not, start your own!

4. Activate

Join the Organic Consumers Association's Clothes for a Change Campaign.

5.Make donating a snap

Planet Aid places bins in convenient places to make donating old wearables easy. Is it easy for people to donate in your community?

THE FACTS

1. The average American throws away about 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per year.

2. 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides in the U.S. are used to grow cotton.

3. It takes almost 1/3 of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to grow enough cotton for just ONE T-shirt

4. Seven of the fifteen pesticides used on cotton are considered "possible", "likely", "probable", or "known" human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin) according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

5. Some studies have shown that organic farmed soils have a better ability to absorb and retain carbon, which would be beneficial in the fight to reduce global warming.

6. Organically grown crops also use less fossil fuel than conventional crops, another benefit in the fight to reduce global warming.

7. Pesticides are suspected to be responsible the severe drop in honeybees, the increase in frogs with extra legs and eyes, and annual death of 67 million birds.

8. The U.S. textile "recycling industry" (which actually re-purposes rather than recycles), with some 2,000 companies, removes annually from the solid waste stream 2.5 billion pounds of post consumer textile product waste.

1.What makes clothing organic?

Organic clothing comes from all-natural materials (no synthetics like polyester or rayon) and there are no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, radiation, or genetically modified organisms used when growing the cotton/hemp/linen, or whatever plant we're talking about.

Organic certification is complicated. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic cotton is grown in 12 countries, with Turkey and the United States leading the pack. There are a number of certifying bodies around the globe including: Demeter (Europe), KRAV (Sweden), Naturland (Germany), SKAL (Netherlands), The Soil Association (England), The Japan Organic Cotton Association, The International Natural Textiles Association (Germany), the USDA, and more. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) strives to create international standards, and certifies the certification schemes of individual nations.

The Institute for Market Ecology provides on-location certification on behalf of many of the organizations listed above, and according to the Organic Cotton Blog, is certifying Walmart's and Sam's Club cotton.

The Organic Trade Association has developed certification for fiber processing. What does this mean? Clothes certified organic will arrive having been processed, dyed, transported, etc. in the most non-toxic manner possible.

What are the various meanings of "sustainable" and "organic" clothing? Check out this informative examination from the Organic Clothing Blog. The Fiber and Fabrics section in general is a great place to learn about hemp, wool, bamboo... And the associated Lotus Organics Clothing, Fiber and Fashion glossary contains most of the fiber definitions you would ever need.

So now you know.