Eco Friendly Product Guide

Sure, you know that reusable shopping bags are great for the environment.  But they are also becoming a major fashion statement.  All kinds of artists and designers have taken to creating hot new styles which have become a status symbol among the shopping elite.

A perfect example are these Spring in New York bags from RuMe.  Inspired by the most prestigious New York locations, the set of three comes with one each of the blue “Hamptons”, green “Greenwich” and orange “5th Avenue” bags.  Additional features include:

• individual bag size 15.5” x 15.5” x 4”
• handles are 11.5” long
• three bags roll up to 6” x 2” x 3”
• each bag holds more than 50lbs*
• water resistant/machine washable
• double stitched seams
• square sides and bottom
• made in a South Korean Fair Trade Factory

You can get this chic (and green) set of reusable Spring in New York bags on the RuMe website for $29.85, or buy them individually for $9.95 each.

The messenger bag has really become a stylish way to carry stuff around. While being a guy and carrying one may subject you to various “murse” comments (combine “man” and “purse” and you get…murse), they still thrive for their functionality and somewhat hipster image.

So, Fleurville has decided to take the messenger bag one step higher, with their Re-Run Messenger Bag. The bag is totally eco-friendly, and each one is made from ten 600 ml plastic water bottles. There are a variety of colors and patterns to choose from, so both male and female can take advantage of the situation.

Not only is the bag environmentally compatable, but it has a variety of features, including external pockets, earbud pass-thru, a fleece lined Mp3 player/sunglass pocket, and it is PVC-free and Teflon-free. All of these features, and a totally green bag for just $75.

So go ahead and check it out. Keep some of those plastic bottles out of a landfill and enjoy the convenience of a great messenger bag while doing so.

A handbag is an important accessory to have. As many will tell you, one can never have too many purses. There are ones to go with different outfits, ones for different occasions and handbags that were simply impulse buys while you are walking around the store.

In keeping of the tradition of unique bags, there is also one that is made from recycled material, and looks really cute, too. The Hand Bag available from Chopstick Art is (as the name may lead you to believe) made from recycled chopsticks. In addition, the lining and strap are both made from hemp, making this bag a nice, eco-friendly way to carry all your stuff.

This bag available from Chopstickart.com will only set you back $32, which is a small fraction of the price of some of the purses you see being carried around these days.

The wine bottle is commonly welcomed as a gift with open arms at many social events. I’m not going to lie to you, if I see you show up at my door for a dinner party and you’ve got the trusty wine bag in your hand it means you have come bearing gifts…and ultimately, found the key to my heart.

Nubius Organics sells these Vintage Sari Wine Bags by Kismet, which win on many levels: they meet fair trade standards, are recyclable, and reusable. Not to mention, all Kismet products are handmade with eco-friendly items (stuff that is recyclable, vintage, you name it). This means that you also get a unique product each time you purchase one.

Each bag is made from a vintage sari by hand, so you are guaranteed a unique wine bottle bag every time.

In addition, it’s reusable, so you can think up all sorts of clever uses for the bag after the bottle of wine is out. This is one gift people will be ok regifting.

So going for $9.50 each, you get a one-of-a-kind bag that holds a standard bottle of wine, and is good for the environment. I’ll toast to that!

The brown-bag lunch has long been an American staple, from school kids to even the office worker throwing his/her lunch in the fridge at work (commonly also with things such as “Steve’s lunch…DO NOT EAT” written all over it).

In keeping with the green lifestyle, lunchbags should be a simple thing to come by. The Recycled Paper lunch bags from NaturalValue.com are a great alternative to the traditional brown paper lunch.

Take your lunch to work, or send the kids to school with these bags. Doing so will provide a good feeling, knowing that even something as simple as packing up that lunch can be good for the environment. When you are done, you can just toss the bag in the recycle bin and send it back to which it came. It’s the perfect lunchtime scenario, really.

These recycled paper lunch bags are available through Greenfeet.com for only $1.79 per 50 count of bags.

More than just handbag fashion, the Coupe Handbag is made from 100% recycled tire inner-tube.

This product is eco-friendly simply for that reason: it is made entirely of recycled material. What a great idea, turn those old truck inner tubes into a fashion statement! As is any handbag, it’s perfect for holding all of your valuables/products of interest when you hit the town for the evening. In addition, it’s got a bold look to it.

The Coupe costs $115.99, and is another environmentally happy product that you can add to your wardrobe.

EcoBag makes a lot of products that are eco-friendly. With a name like EcoBag, this should be no surprise. Not only are their products environmentally friendly, but they are manufactured according to fair trade and fair labor practices. You can’t go wrong with such a combination.

You can even buy the products straight from the EcoBag website. One cool bag in particular is the EcoBag Organic Cloth Sack, which is perfect for carrying small items, or even bringing back fruits and vegetables from the local farmer’s market!

If you are curious about some of the other products offered by the company, cruise around the EcoBag website. You might just be able to find that sweet tote you were looking for to use on your beach getaway.

This bag in particular varies in price, starting at $3.75 per bag. The more bags you buy at once, the cheaper the price per bag is…kind of a nice way to do business, really.

Why should you buy something you can get for free? Fair question — in fact a Frequently Asked Question.

The company Baggu that makes these things reckons that free plastic shopping bags are far from free. “The costs are paid for by our environment and our society.”

They also make the point that many grocery stores give you a 10¢ credit for bringing a reusable bag so a Baggu will pay for itself in only a few months.

Check out the colorful pics and persuasive arguments at Baggu or make the call and order right now from Clean Air Gardening where you will get 4 reusable bags for $19.99.

Just what the world was short of — until now –a tote bag with a built-in solar panel so your phone, iPod and camera “stay totally charged while you are on the beach”.

As the manufacturers say with a breathtaking lack of self-consciousness: “We have built the world’s first heavy-duty solar beach tote that incorporates our high-tech flexible solar panel. With the Juice Bag Beach Tote, your phone is good to go, and your camera is always ready for that one great shot — no matter how far you are from a power outlet.”

Obviously, you’re a deeply environmentally aware person, which makes you intelligent and sensitive, not to mention clued-up and sensible. I therefore ask you to consider whether a Reware price tag of $249.99 for this piece of insane vanity can be justified in any way.

Instead of just throwing stuff in the garbage, why not make something out of it in which you can store garbage or throw your dirty laundry?

A certain designer was sitting around thinking and came up with this very pertinent question.

I am happy to report that he/she came up with a riveting answer to this conundrum and immediately employed a bunch of disabled and disadvantaged Cambodians to make his/her dream a reality.

The solution? Laundry “bags” and wastepaper “baskets” made out of discarded plastic rice and feed sacks of Eastern origin.

You can like it or lump it but these startling-looking objects are now being manufactured and imported to our dear land so that we can make an environmental statement every time we chuck away a tin can or deposit our dirty jeans in the wash bag … using junk reconstituted and imported from Cambodia.

New junk from old

If you do not mind your place looking like, well, a place where foreign garbage is disposed, then you will probably love these items.

Made from durable fabric used in authentic feed and rice bags (not the other, ersatz type of feed and rice bags) we are told that these containers provide “an unconventional, stylish alternative to standard containers. Handles on the laundry bag make it easy to tote.”

So bear in mind that you will have to tote this laundry bag in public as you wend your way to the laundromat.

If you must have a Rice & Feed Laundry Bag or Wastebasket, then buy one.

VivaTerra will let you have a Laundry Bag for $36 and/or a Wastebasket for $20.