Osprey Recycled Courier Bag

Plastic bottles fill up more landfill space than any other product we currently use today.  So many people simply don’t think to recycle them or find it too inconvenient to.  While recycling is on the rise, it will be difficult to clear out all of those plastic bottles.  Landfills will be full of them for decades.  However, there are a number of different ways that plastic bottles are being recycled and reused today.

One interesting product that is made from recycled water and soda bottles is the Osprey Recycled Courier Bag.  This bag’s tape, webbing, and mesh are all constructed from recycled plastic bottles.  The buckles are also crated from reground and recycled buckle straps.  This incredible bag has plenty of different little pockets to stash things in, and it’s even got a padded sleeve for your laptop.  The different divisions make it easy to keep it all organized, and the two different carrying straps (one handle, one over the shoulder strap) make for easy carrying.  It even has a mesh pocket for a water bottle which, of course, you’ll recycle after you’re done with it. It’s just as durable as any bag, naturally, so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart.

While it may not empty out those landfills any time soon, the Osprey Recycled Courier Bag will help deal with some of them.  If you’re looking for a great green gift for yourself or one of your friends, this cool bag is perfect.

Coffee Cozies—Get Rid of that Cardboard!

Every time you get a hot cup of coffee or an espresso at Starbucks, you probably get a cardboard cup cozy to help keep you from burning your hand on the warm cup.  But how much cardboard does Starbucks go through in a day?  And how many people recycle these cozies?  Most end up in the trash.  However, several companies have started looking at ways to get rid of these cardboard cozies altogether.

The silicone Cup Cooley is sold by a number of different companies.  These silicone sleeves can be found in several different colors, and they cost about as much as one of those fancy coffees.  They insulate, are slip resistant, and will protect your hand from heat.  They also fold flat so you can store them in your jacket pocket or purse.

Of course, if you’d rather create a custom cozy, that’s certain an option, too.  One idea is to take a sock put your cup down in it.  Get one of the short ankle socks and roll down any extra at the top.  It’s cheap and easy!

You can also find a number of crocheted patterns for creating cup cozies as well.  What’s nice about these is that you can use the cozy as a wrist band as well.  There are also patterns for creating cozies out of several different items, including old neckties or the sleeves of an old shirt.  No matter what kind of coffee you love, these types of cozies can be easily customized and decorated in any way you like.

If you’re a big coffee drinker, think about purchasing or making one of your own cup cozies.  You’ll save a good amount of cardboard, especially if you purchase a coffee every morning before work.

Dealing with the Trash

No one likes taking out the garbage, especially when you realize just how much garbage you make.  Many of us do our best to recycle everything we can, but it still seems like the garbage adds up.  However, there are some interesting, unique types of trash cans that can help us control the garbage we make.

By putting a limit on how much garbage we produce, we can find different ways to reuse or recycle items.  That’s the idea behind the adjustable trash can marketed in Japan, anyway.  This trash can has an adjustable depth so it can be a full-sized trash can or a smaller one.  If kept at the smallest level, perhaps people would make less garbage?  So far, no studies have been done, but it does sound like an interesting concept.

Another interesting trash can is the sidewalk collector used in Germany.  This is one of the deepest trash cans around.  What’s interesting is that only the top of the trash can appears on the streets of Hamburg.  However, lurking under the ground is a huge, 400-liter trash can.  The concept here is that larger trash cans need emptying fewer times, thus saving the money associated with weekly garbage collection.

Finally, there’s the Big Belly solar powered trash can.  Now, why would a trash can need power?  Because the Big Belly actually compacts down the trash thrown in it.  This allows it to hold up to eight times as much garbage as a trash can the same size.  Of course, the downside here is that no oxygen can get into the compacted bundles of trash, which causes some issues with decomposition.  However, recyclables can also be compacted down, which can help save space in recycling plants.

Green Living On The Go

Below are some new green gadgets for the On-The-Go lifestyle:

1) Solar Backpacks

The new Solar Backpacks not only look cool but with Solar Panels on the back you can keep all your devices juiced up without ever plugging in. These bags include standard adapters for common cell phones and other handheld devices. Read more