We’ve talked here before about the scourge of single-use plastic , so you can imagine how it warmed my heart to run across this video, where kids are taking plastic bottles and upcycling them into building materials: 1800 children in Guatemala collected 2.5 tons of trash and over 10,000 plastic bottles and used them to help build a school for themselves.

See the article here:
Building a School from Plastic Bottles

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From costumes to candy to decor, we spend a lot of money on Halloween. In fact, we’re projected to shell out $5.8 billion on the holiday this year

Follow this link:
Reduce Your Impact this Halloween

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Remember The Uniform Project ? Sheena Matheiken wore the same little black dress for a whole year to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation, which focuses on education for Indian children. Thanks to Sheena’s efforts and that little black dress, the Uniform Project raised over $100,000 and put 273 children into school! Now, the project is back for its second iteration

Original post:
The Little Black Dress that Does a Lot of Good

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Emily Burger is an organic fabric designer , former preschool teacher, and a mom. Now, she’s teamed up with two other crafty moms to launch Cuddle Organics.

Excerpt from:
Handmade, Organic Baby Bedding from Cuddle Organics

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In 2008, 9-year-old Aaron Castle started Hats for Hunger, selling his hand knit hats to raise money for Heifer International . He raised $1500 that first year, and the project has only gotten bigger and bigger.

Go here to see the original:
9 Year Olds Knitting Hats for Hunger

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With summer vacation just around the corner here’s a fun and simple DIY project you can do with your kids on a rainy day… Joel Henriques of Made by Joel shows us how to make these little seafaring vessels out of walnut shells, toothpicks, a small piece of paper and a little candle wax.  These are perfect for the calm waters of the bathtub or even the raging rivers that form along the street and in the yard during a heavy rain (and you wont feel that bad if one ends up in a storm drain). If you want to make your diminutive dinghies even more natural, try replacing the toothpick mast with a twig and the paper sail with a leaf! Checkout the instructions over at Made by Joel

Here is the original post:
Rainy Day Project: Walnut Shell Ships

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Sex and the City devotees already know what an impact a pair of shoes can make. But why should the glee of buying new shoes end there? What if along with a snazzy new pair of kicks, you ended up with the good feeling that comes from supporting a worthy cause and changing someone’s life for the better?

Read more:
Walk This Way: Footwear That Can Change A Life

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All of us celebrate something at least a few times a year with holidays, birthdays, and other celebrations. Often, these celebrations, especially the elaborate ones, end up with a lot of disposable waste that is not very environmentally friendly.

Green living can take a bit of creative thinking on your part, especially when putting together a party atmosphere but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, after you’ve done one or two celebrations with more eco-friendly items, you begin to enjoy thinking of fun ways to add more to the mix.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you celebrate the green living way:

• Crafty decorations
  For those of you who are crafty, you can make your decorations and not only save money, but save on plastic packaging that it comes in fro the store. Plus it’ll be fun and you can include the kids!
• Shred your costs
  Instead of buying tissue paper (the price is way too high for that stuff anyway!), why not just use paper that needed to be shredded in the office anyway?
• Decorate with recyclables
  Instead of wrapping paper for gifts, why not creatively use old magazines or have the kids color on a cardboard box? You’d be surprised how much people appreciate the personalized effort.
• Donate to charity
  There’s nothing as great as giving a donation to a person’s favorite charity in their name. You’re helping someone else in need, and saving the planet by not buying packaging materials as well.
• Reusable containers
  When you send your friends home with goodies and leftovers from the party, be sure to use reusable containers so that you’re not adding more disposable waste to the landfills.
• Potluck party
  Why not have everyone bring something to eat/drink to the party. They can all bring something in their own dishware and they’ll be taking their own dishes home. Not only is this idea eco-friendly, but it saves you from cleaning up a lot of mess.

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