We published a resource guide to help you have a handmade holiday last year, and since giving handmade gifts is very important to us here at Green Upgrader, we’ve updated the guide for 2011! The holidays are so close I can practically taste the stuffed mushrooms! That also means you’re probably working on that holiday gift list.

More here:
Handmade Holiday Resource Guide 2011

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Remember that amazing machine that turned plastic into oil ? Well, a new company called Plastic 2 Oil is taking that idea and running with it. They’re not using the exact same technology

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Plastic 2 Oil Turns Plastic into…Oil!

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Can you believe that summer is so close to being over? School starts back up as early as the first week of August in some places! Back to school shopping has traditionally meant hitting up the big box stores for school supplies, but you don’t have to support huge corporations to outfit your child for classes

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Etsy Finds for Back to School

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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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Here is a note I just sent out to friends and since you are my friend, too: Hi Folks– Sorry for group email. I'm just writing to a group of friends who have, at one time or another, expressed interest in my Zen school.

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NYers: Really cool event at my NYC Zen Center on Friday. Please come!

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Cycling is a great way to stay fit, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately, whether you’re commuting to work or running errands on the weekend, interacting with cars on the road is often stressful for everyone involved.

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Urban Cycling Etiquette

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This piece comes from my Zen school's newsletter and I just thought it was perfect in the face of all we're dealing with in environment. It's a gift for all of you who are working to save the world for the rest of us. The first part is a letter from a student to Zen Master Seung Sahn, who founded the Kwan Um School

Excerpt from:
When saving the world threatens to overwhelm you

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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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I just learned that the kids here in Atlanta start school again on August 9th! That seems crazily early to me. Didn’t school start closer to fall when we were kiddos

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Back to School at Etsy

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There are so many reasons to buy handmade. Small-scale artisans have a smaller impact than big box companies. When you’re dealing with an individual instead of a corporation, you can expect more transparency and a much more personal experience.

Read the original:
An All Handmade Search Engine for Shoppers and Makers Alike

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