MUST HAVE: Earth-Friendly Jeans or WattWash Jeans by M+F Girbaud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htav61XNnCg

It's a payday Friday! YAY! For those of you who are out on a shopping spree, or maybe just out there to buy a new pair of jeans, make sure you grab the wattwashed jeans at Girbaud.

How is it Earth-Friendly?

Before Girbaud started WattWashing their jeans, they're using the stonewash method (which they introduced in the market 40) to give jeans that rustic appearance and design. Stone washing uses *gasp* 175 liters of water per pair of jeans *double gasp!*. So now, M+F Girbaud is pioneering a new method of  designing that "used" look using lasers. They called this methodology WattWash. WattWash uses only 5 liters of water per pair of jeans. That's a really big, but great leap. And, aside from saving lots of water, they can now also make precise and very identical designs.

Check their website out for a cool infographic about their WattWash method

So How Does WattWashing Works?

WattWash is just a laser beamed over the jeans to create the designs. Check out the videos below for a deeper understanding:

Check out these sites for more information:


http://www.wearona.com/posts/wattwash-girbaud-jeans-revolution

http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/daily-news/2010/04/marithe

http://oneco.biofach.de/en/news/?focus=811b7864-b7b1-4283-b712-7071d2e653c4

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Tissue Paper Roll Candy Wrapper

I've been feeling a little off lately that got my ever loving boyfriend worried. He really went out of his way to make me feel better. To show him a small token of my appreciation, I decided to give him a few pieces of Hershey's Caramel Kisses. I know he'd love them even if I just hand it out to hm, but I thought a little extra effort wouldn't hurt.
I have a lot of tissue paper rolls here so I thought I'd make use of it to wrap the kisses with.

Here's the Finished Product:

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Materials for Toilet Paper Roll Recycled Candy Box

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Cut the TP roll to match the size that you need to contain your candies

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Cut one side of the TP Pulls wrapper to elongate the wrapper

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Cut 2 strips from the cut-out side of the wrapper (Ribbons)

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Put the candies inside the TP Roll

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Put the candy filled TP roll inside one the pocket of the wrapper and wrap like a candy

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Tie the ribbons at the ends of the wrapped candy

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When I gave him what I made, he looked a little surprised and smiled at me, asking me why. I'm glad he really liked how I wrapped it. It added intrigue as to what's inside since it's so obvious that it was wrapped with recycled stuff.

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Recycling Facts

I found this in the ladies room of NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) Terminal 2, Arrivals.

Thought I'd share.

Sorry if the image is blurry. I took it in a hurry

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The fact sheet was stuck onto an automatic tissue dispenser. It would have been better if the tissue dispenser didn't work with electricity to pull the sheets out.

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HGTV Carter Can Eco-Friendly Home Improvements

Carter Can is a show from HGTV which aims to help people in renovating their homes. Whenever people think that it's impossible to renovate an area in the house due to budget and/or design constraints, Carter Comes in and saves the day. What's even greater is that Carter uses Eco-Friendly materials for the renovation.

I'm not a fan of watching T.V. but a few months ago, I chanced upon this T.V. show when my sister fell asleep while watching it. I thought, "Hey it's another home renovation show, I love these shows". I wasn't disappointed for watching it since I found out that Carter uses green materials for renovations. There's at least one piece of furniture that is eco-friendly! I love it! At the end of the show, they gave a URL to check out for more renovation and green ideas. It's http://hgtv.com/carter.


I browsed the website found some of the Eco-Friendly furniture and materials that Carter uses in the show. You may want to see the items. Check it out for Eco-Friendly materials for your next home improvement. (http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/going-green-eco-friendly-home-improvement-and-building-products/pictures/index.html).

Here are some of the materials and how they were used that I really loved:

Photo	Used as	Material
	Paper Countertop	Tree Pulp
	Bamboo Plywood as Cabinet Doors, Drawers, and Sink	Bamboo laminated together with low-VOC adhesive
	Rubber Mulch	Recycled Tires
	Recycled Plastic Carpet	PET plastic turned into yarn
	Cork Flooring	Cork Oak Bark
	Bamboo Buthcer Block	Formaldehyde-free Bamboo
	Biodegradable Hemp and Wool Carpet	Hemp and Wool Fibers

All these materials and how they are beneficial for use and for the environment can be found on HGTV. (http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/going-green-eco-friendly-home-improvement-and-building-products/pictures/index.html)

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5 Tips to be Green this All Saints and All Souls Day

I've been to 2 cemeteries already and I'm glad to just rest tomorrow. There isn't, however, a rest for being green, especially now that it's a long weekend here in the Philippines. Long holidays mean vacations or spending a lot of money on food and drinks because of cemetery hopping. The All Saints Day Holiday means family reunions and get-togethers in the cemetery. So how do you continue being green?

Tip # 1:
Carpool to the cemetery.
If you have space in your car, let your other relatives ride with you, or ride with them. It doesn't make sense to bring one car each if you can squeeze into one car. If you live far from your relatives, you can leave your car at their place or vice versa, then carpool to the cemetery. Not only are you saving on parking space, you're one less car on the road, and of course, you have a smaller carbon footprint

Tip # 2:
Bring your own food
Bringing your own food means food will definitely be cheaper. It's funny how food prices inflate inside the cemetery. When you buy food in the cemetery or outside the cemetery, you'll be using plastic spoons and forks, plastic/paper/styro plates and bowls, plastic/paper/styro cups and not to mention, using a plastic or paper bag to carry everything you bought

Tip # 3:
Bring your own drink
Reduce the use of plastic bottles. It's just so wrong in many ways. Nufsed.

Tip # 4:
Use washable utensils
Don't be too lazy and buy paper plates and plastic cups. Bring the sturdy plastic ones. You can bring water for washing the plates. Just rinse the flat- and silverware with water and wash them properly at home

Tip # 5:
Mingle
Instead of using your gadgets while passing the time in the cemetery, mingle with your family or go spelunking with your cousins. We once played hide and seek in the cemetery. It was so fun :)

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Think Before You Print Email Signatures

UPDATE 11.8.2011 : Fixed he broken link for the Mozilla Thunderbird Tutorial, added borders for the tutorial list and fixed a few grammatical errors in the post, added a link to the Badges and Signatures page

There's no doubt that we use a lot of paper in the office. Whether it be for printing memos, documentations, notices, and even *gasp* emails.

It's one thing to be conscious about printing and saving paper, it's another to encourage others to do so too. At times though we may come on as a nag if we keep on badgering colleagues to think before they print.

So instead of verbally reminding them, we could add the nifty pictures (found below) to our email signatures to make our email recipients "think before they print". The images are in a .png format with transparent backgrounds. There are versions with white-colored backgrounds on the Badges and Signatures page.

These pictures will make them stop and think before hitting the print button.




For instructions on how to add any of the images to your email signatures click on any of the links below:

For:	Link
Mozilla Thunderbird	http://email.about.com/od/mozillathunderbirdtips/qt/et_tb_sig_image.htm
Outlook	http://email.about.com/od/outlooktips/qt/Insert_a_Graphic_Animation_in_Your_Outlook_Email_Signature.htm

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How To Think Green

In order to live a green life, you need to change how you think. We have grown accustomed to having new stuff and making life easier. We have learned that there are shortcuts that we can take to speed anything that we want to do, and this demand for shortcuts have endangered our plant, our lives.

The "New is Better" Mindset

I must say, the marketing campaigns of the 70s have successfully transformed our minds into thinking newer things means better things. Quantity over quality. A lot of people would rather buy 10 of the same cheap shoes than buy one quality shoe that would last year. "At least I have shoes that are 10 times new".

Imagine how much energy is spent in making just one shoe? Most shoes use virgin materials, meaning materials that are made out of the earth's resources. Imagine how many trees need to be cut and animals slaughtered to procure raw materials; imagine how much smoke was released in the atmosphere to turn the raw materials to virgin, workable materials. Imagine how much gas was used to ship raw materials, virgin materials and finished products from material warehouses to manufacturing warehouses. How much CO2 was emitted by airplanes and trucks for shipping? How much oil seeped in the oceans.

To think green we should have the:

Quality over Quantity Mindset

To live green, we need to change our mindset to quality over quantity. Buying lesser shoes would mean a lower demand for shoe manufacturing. Maybe you're thinking that you're just one person, and purchasing less wouldn't move the demand for shoes? Well, that's where you're blinded. Sure one person wouldn't make much of a difference, but if you count how much shoes you buy in a lifetime, you'll believe me in saying that it's enough to make an impact in the demand for sure. Now imagine that if 100 people all over the world changed their mindset, that would make a drastic impact in the demand.

"Good For the Planet, Bad for Me" Way of Thinking

I am surprised to find that a lot of people would rather put first their own comforts versus the sustainability of the world. Take straws for instance, people would rather use a drinking straw cause ice-cold beverages can damage teeth and their roots (or so they say), or that the drinking glasses weren't cleaned properly and they might get diseases from drinking on the rim (this excuse really had me wondering if the person who said it really understood what he's saying).

I'm still waiting for my front teeth to fall off, or something else, for not using straws. So far, I haven't had toothaches my teeth aren't that stained. And as for dirty drinking glasses, whatever's in the rim of that glass might as well be in the glass, since when the glasses are washed, they put everything in a tub of water, so the germs are pretty much all over.

 To think green we should have the:

"Right for the Environment, Right for Everyone" Way of Thinking

It's the age old saying, "Good doesn't mean it's right". It's time we stop fumbling with good and bad, and start working with right and wrong. Using a straw may be good for you but, it's not right for you simply because it's wrong for the environment. Whatever the earth is suffering now, we will suffer it back, twice- or maybe thrice-fold.

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DIY Cosplay Costumes for a Halloween Party Introduction

Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what that means! Halloween Costume Parties!

Though it is quite easy to rent and buy (though I would suggest the former since it's more earth-friendly), there's nothing like making your own costume. More often than not, it costs less, plus you get that extra satisfaction when you win best costume! Besides, who wants to see someone else in the party dressed the same way as you are?

Though this entry won't contain step-by step instructions on how you can make cosplay costumes (that would be on another entry), it would give you ideas on the materials and tools that you'll need.

Currently, I'm making an armor set (plate, arm guards, leg vambraces, shoulder guards). I'll be using that costume for an All Saints Day Cosplay. I'll go as Joan of Arc. I'll post the how to as soon as I finish it.

I'm also planning to make knife that goes on top of my head to give an illusion that my head was butchered.

So what are the basic materials that you'll need?

• Lots of paper. Strips or pulp for making paper mache
• Lots and lots of glue
• Cardboard to make your costume a little strong
• Plastic PET bottles
• Old clothes or cloths
• Paint
• Varnish (if using poster paint or to make it water proof)
• Water
• Masking or paper tape (paper tape is sturdier and sticks better)

And let's not forget the basic tools:

• A pair Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Measuring tape
• Paintbrush
• A helping hand (to speed things up and to make some tasks easier)
• Stapler
• Puncher
• Glue gun

There are some basic steps that you'll do everytime you'll be making a costume

1. Draft how the final costume will look like
2. Measure the body part where the costume will go. It's always good to have at least 2-inches allowance so you can move and air can flow. Write down the measurements
3. Make paper strips or paper pulp for paper mache (strips is probably the best option)

Watch out  for my costume how tos this week . I'll post them as soon as I finish so you can start making your own too.

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Today I joined Greenpeace Philippines. You Should Too!

I've been looking for an environmental group in the Philippines that will let me do more in helping the environment, it turns out, I've been using the wrong keywords in Google to look.

Anyway, I found Greenpeace Philippines which I did not hesitate to join. I've known Greenpeace to have such a strong enforcement on environment protection, the first time I read about them, I told myself that I'd join if they have a chapter here in the Philippines.

Greenpeace is a non-profit organization aimed at protecting and conserving the environment. Mostly, Greenpeace launch campaigns against environment criminals, governments and companies who forget and/or fail to protect our environment, our future.

There are different ways to get involved with Greenpeace and saving the environment. You can be a cyberactivist who are people who make a claim, make a stand, by just a click of a button. You can also be an office-volunteer or an intern where you volunteer to help in the Greenpeace office. You can opt to be a volunteer which are more hands on, physical activities on helping a campaign follow through.

Visit their site for more information: http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/

Earlier today I sent my volunteer application form to the volunteer coordinator, and he told me to give him a time for when I want my orientation. I'm excited! I have to balance my new volunteer work with my current work load and my Church work, not to mention finding time to blog, for upcycling crafts, for my family and for boyfie. Whew! I seem to have a lot in my plate lately and It'll take a lot of time management skills to be able to do everything I am passionate about!

If you want to join too, I can give you the email address of where to send the application form to. Hit the comment box below I'll get back to you as soon as I could

God bless me to fulfill this new endeavor!

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Recycled, Personalized, Adjusting Calendar

I woke up at the wrong side of the bed today and I feel tired, sleepy and worse, uninspired. I kept myself busy with work while thinking about what to blog about today. I was so uninspired that it was making me sad. I kept glancing at my calendar, waiting for Thursday to come and get that well deserved vacation. Then it hit me, the calendar I have at my cube! That's it!

My calendar was made from mostly recycled paper. Recycled bond papers and craft papers. It's also magnetic.

The concept behind my calendar is, instead of having a calendar that uses  lot of pages of paper, I just have a calendar where I move the numbers around every month.

The idea started back in my first job. They gave me a small space in the cork board and I decided that I want a calendar in that small space where I can post my schedule for the month. I bought push pins that can be written on for the numbers.

I don't have step by step pictures for creating the calendar, but I can just show you pieces of my calendar.

My current calendar is magnetic, because our office cubes are magnetic. The magnets I used are craft magnets which are pliable and can be cut by regular scissors. I think you can buy some at craft stores, but for me, I bought it in Daiso Japanese store here in Ortigas, Philippines.

Step 1 - Create the calendar box borders

I made mine by  cutting boxes from an orange construction paper. You need 7 boxes across and 5 boxes down. Measurement of mine is:
Entire calendar boxes: 280 cm wide, 170.5 cm long
Size of one box (measurements are the inside of the box, not the border): 30.2 cm wide, 20.6 cm long

Step 2 - Glue the calendar box in a sheet of colored/decorative paper

I used an old orange parchment paper for mine. (Take note that mine already has a decorative paper at the back cause I already made it before). This step is not required if you're using push pins/cork board.

Step 3 - Create the months of the year for your calendar using old bond papers

I didn't create any for mine cause I thought it was a waste of paper.

Step 4 - Write down the days of the week on old bond papers. Decorate and cut out

Step 5 - Cut a magnetic strip and attach at the back of the day of the week you created, using double sided tape

--or---

Step 5 - Just stick it to your calendar using glue or double-sided tape

Step 6 -  Write down the dates of the month on old bond papers or used cardstock.

Decorate and cut out. I chose cats a design for mine

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Step 6 - Write the dates of the months on the space provided on the pushpin heads. Decorate if you want.

Step 7 - Cut a small magnetic strip, small enough to fit in the date you created and attach it at the back of it, using double sided tape (skip if using push pins)

Step 8 - Assemble your calendar

 

Step 9 - Using old bond papers cut out small squares (smaller than the size of the calendar box). These will serve as the event tags in your calendar. Put it in a small box.

So my finished calendar looks like this

You can make this calendar for office for school, or even at home! It's a great way to be organized!

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EcoATM: Sell your old, broken, useless cellphone

Do you have an old cellphone that's not working? Do you want to dispose of this cellphone already but yo're having reservations because it might still have value, OR just throwing it out would pollute the earth more?

Well, you'll be glad to know that there's a machine that would gladly take your old phone and dispose if it properly, and best of all, it pays you what your old cellphone is worth. Yes, even if it's not working anymore. Too good to be true? Oh yeah!

Since I did my thesis in college, I've been thinking of different types of reverse vending machines, how I can implement the machines, and how I can market it to gain more popularity.My thesis in college was a Reverse Vending Machine wherein used aluminum cans will be collected and compacted, then the person who recycled it will get electronic load as compensation. (For more details about this, visit VenChinX: A Reverse Vending Machine)

While wondering about what kind of reverse vending machine is available out there, I came across this video from Techcrunch. After hearing about the concept of this reverse vending machine, I was like "COOL!". The machine is called "EcoATM" (EcoATM Demonstration at Tech Crunch). You can also check out their website at http://www.ecoatm.com/.

How it works
So here's how it works, you put in a mobile phone that you want to sell in the machine. I just have to reiterate it (cause the idea of this feature makes me really happy), it doesn't matter if it's working or not. The machine will buy your phone and the company that maintains the machines recycles the cellphones that were sold in the machine.After putting in your phone, the machine will detect what kind of phone it is and appraise it depending on what the phone is and any damages that the phone have sustained. It performs it widgety magic to detect phone errors and other damages. COOL!

If you can't believe what you're reading, then check this video out:

Can't wait for this machine to arrive in the Philippines, or for someone to think of creating one. Maybe I should suggest this to management?

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What the Number Inside the Recycle Symbol Means

Have you ever wondered what the numbers inside the recycling symbol means? As a kid, I used to think that it meant the number of times the item was recycled, but how very wrong I was. It turns out the number inside the recycling symbol is the type of resin or plastic that was used in making the material.

It's important for us to know what these symbols mean so that we can properly recycle items and avoid items that are difficult to recycle. So when buying something, check the code and make sure that it's easily and readily recyclable

Number 1 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyethylene Terephthalate

Found In: Plastic drinking bottles and common food packaging

Characteristics: Lightweight, usually squeezable, thin

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, polyester fibers (used in carpets and other fabrics), furniture, bags

Health Risk: Low

Number 2 Plastic

Chemical Compound: High Density Polyethylene

Found In: Detergent bottles, bleach bottles, shampoo bottles, condiment bottles

Characteristics: Moderate weigh, rarely squeezable, thick

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, bags, pens, fence

Health Risk: Low

Number 3 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyvinyl Chloride or Vinyl

Found In: Electronic cables, pipes, toys, furniture, almost in everything
Characteristics: Elastic when thin, very tough when hard. Tough. Not easily weathered. Water- and flame resistant

Readily Recycled: No, very difficult to recycle because it contains heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Very few accept PVC in recycling because of it's environmental and health threats.

Recycled Into: Cables, paneling

Health Risk: Moderate. Do not put near food, especially when flamed.. Do not burn or incinerate. PVC contains Dioxine which is a man-made poison that can kill. It stays in the body for a long time and weakens the body.

Number 4 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Low Density Polyethylene

Found In: Wrappers, grocery bags, sandwich bags, sqeezable wrappers
Characteristics: Very thin, very lightweight. can be crumpled

Readily Recycled: No, very few recycling programs accept it as a recyclable. Probably due to its weak and lightweight characteristic

Recycled Into: Same items as it is found in
Health Risk: Low

Number 5 Plastics

Chemical Compound: Polypropylene

Found In: Condiment bottles, medicine bottles, yogurt tubs, rope, straws

Characteristics: mostly squeezable, heat intolerant

Readily Recycled: No but are slowly gaining acceptance in recycling programs

Recycled Into: Fibers, brooms, brushes, trays

Health Risk: Low

Number 6 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polystyrene

Found In: Disposable plastic spoons, forks and cups, CD cases, egg cartons, foam food trays
Characteristics: Very lightweight, bulky. Also known as Styrofoam

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to decompose. Very few programs accept it

Recycled Into: Egg cartons, foam packin
Health Risk: Moderate to high. When ingested, can block the digestive system. Production is petroleum based and uses a carcinogenic called benzene

Number 7 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Combination of any or all of the above plastics/resins or other resins that don't fit into the above items.

Found In: bullet-proof materials, 5-gallon water bottles,

Characteristics: Very thick, heavy duty

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to recycle because of the diversity of plastics in it

Recycled Into:  plastic lumber,

Health Risk: Low to moderate. Depends on the type of plastic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the recycle symbol and any of its variants. A watermark is placed in the images to protect my intellectual property right of making the image based on the symbol and it's variants. The watermark is not intended to own the symbol or imply any meeting related to owning the recycle symbol.

Sources:

1. http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/187/1/Recycling-by-the-numbers.html
2. http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321

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VenChinX: A Reverse Vending Machine

I remember my thesis back in college, it's so fitting that my group mates and I chose (to enhance) a thesis that is environment friendly. Our thesis was, in concept, a reverse vending machine. You feed it an aluminum can, it gives you prepaid load for your mobile phone.

Segregate Effectively

Reverse vending machines paves the way for effective segregation. How? The promise of reward makes people do the extra effort of segregating their trash. Imagine if you're walking around the mall, drinking your soda from a can, once you're finished with it, would you just toss it in the bin or head towards the nearest reverse vending machine knowing that in doing so would be helping the environment AND will give you a reward after doing so?

Saving Energy

The segregation and recycling of aluminum cans do save a lot of energy - and apparently, nature too, by reducing the quantities of ore to be mined. Quoting from my thesis documentation (Chapter 1):

In order to create an aluminum can, companies need to mine and smelt bauxite ore. The smelting of bauxite ore results into molten aluminum, which is then casted into ingots. The ingots are then rolled into sheets and from the sheets; parts of the aluminum can are cut. The recycling of aluminum cans lessens the consumption of the natural resources needed to produce them and saves 95 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite ore

Let me reiterate that, saves 95 percent of the energy. WOW!

Why Electronic Load?

Why did we choose electronic load instead of just plain cash? Easy.

1. We don't need to put money in the machine, which would require a tighter security for it
2. Load is rampantly used in the Philippines
3. It's easier to detect if the machine is low on load
4. It's easier to reload the machine with electronic load (it can be automated) rather than putting money in the machine.

Again, quoting fro my thesis documentation (chapter 1)

Since electronic loading has become prevalent in the Philippines, turning it to compensation for recycling aluminum cans will help increase the recognition and acceptance and eventually, usage of the reverse vending machine in the Philippines.

How the Reverse Vending Machine Works

Our machine requires you to register or to log in using your mobile number as your credential. It has a monitor telling you what to do, and a numpad for interacting with the machine. When you log in or register, you have 3 options, either to recycle a can, check your points or to send load to your phone.

Let's say you want to recycle a can, it will prompt you to put the can inside the machine and then the machine will scan it's barcode to verify if it's a valid can. During our thesis, we were only limited to drink cans so it needs to be checked against a database. Once the can is detected as valid, it will start the crushing process and give you 1 point for it.

If you want to redeem your points, you just tell it how much load you want (depends on your points) and it will send load to your phone. At that time we were limited to the following networks: Smart, Globe, Sun, Talk and Text and, Touch Mobile. Red Mobile went in the market at the time when our thesis was almost finished and there wasn't a provider for Red Mobile load yet.

The Original Version

I remember the original version of this thesis. It was made by a then-co-officer in our school computer organization. I was so amazed with their concept back then, even if it was a little crude. I don't know much about their interface, but it's detecting mechanism were lasers (kinda like the one in parking lots) and the crushing mechanism was a weight that smashes the can 3 times. It took a long time to crush one can since the crusher was just a weight that is moved by a bicycle(?) chain. It was a mechanical process. Also, you have to crush 60 cans at one go before and then you get your load immediately.

Our Enhanced Version

Enhancements

Our thesis still needs a lot of improvement.

1. What if someone flashes a barcode and fakes his points? So we need some sort of automated door for that. 
2. What if I lost my mobile phone and I have a lot of points. How do I transfer my points?
3. It consumes a lot of electricity because it's using a computer (a laptop at that, and a CRT monitor for display)

Being able to make something like this really inspires me to do more for the environment. If segregation were automated like our vending machine, I think it will drive a lot of people to recycle. Machines like these, if placed in strategic and easy to access places will really be hit.

How about you? Any ideas on how to drive people to segregate? Have you seen cool ideas like this that could help save the world? Share it and this blog :)

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Green Bags and Eco Bags for shopping

A lot of supermarkets and retail outlets are taking the initiative to go green. It all started with bio- and oxo-degradeable bags that don't really decompose (or takes a very long time to decompose). Since a lot of people were thinking that the supposed "environment-friendly plastic bags" were a fluke, retailers started to offer more greener alternatives - that is the Green bags or the Eco bags.

Eco Bags are the Latest Fad

Gone were the days when we keep paper bags and nice thick plastic bags for bring our stuff to school or to the office. Having and using green bags is now a fashion statement. I don't know with you, but when I see someone using an eco bag, I smile. It makes my heart happy when someone uses buys an eco bag for their groceries or their shopping. It makes me smile more when I see people reuse their eco bags.

My Own Bag Wednesday at SM Supermarkets

I love the green initiative SM supermarkets. It's a marketing strategy for their green bags and at the same time it helps the environment.

When you shop at any SM supermarket during Wednesdays, you won't see any plastic bag being used, that's because there's an extra charge if you want to use plastic. Talk about marketing strategies eh? But still, kudos to SM Supermarkets for cooking this up.

I'd love to post a photo of my SM supermarket green bags, but one is already unfit for use, and the other's been given to someone else (it was used like a paper bag, when you return a borrowed item, you return the item with a bag that the person can keep). Those 2 were the old green bags. The first ones released (big and small bag). My new SM green bags were also given away :(

Toy Kingdom Orange Eco Bags

I frequent the huge Toy Kingdom outlet in SM Megamall. I love window shopping for toys and such. Last Christmas, I bought a lot of toys for my brother and god-children, and while I was waiting in line for the cashier, I fell in love with their orange-colored eco bag. It only comes in one size, which is EXTRA LARGE. I usually bring it with me when I plan to shop for a lot of things, or when I need to lug around a lot of stuff.

Pet Express Yellow Eco Bags

I think Pet Express is another branch of SM retailing (they ask for SM Advantage Cards). I usually buy my cat's pet food in Pet Express Cubao, and there was this time that I had an unplanned shopping spree for my pet care needs. I bought their Yellow Eco Bag along with the other pet supplies. I'll try to look for the Eco Bag. Chances are it's also given away already.

Rustans Supermarket Green bag

I rarely shop at Rustans cause it has this stereotype that it's for the rich. Late last year, I decided to check out the supermarket in Edsa Shangri-La and found that a lot of imported food are sold there. I bought a few snacks for the family and saw that they have this nice green bag. It's made of a thick cheese cloth with green prints on it. Their bag looks neat and a little mature. I like how it looks. I will post a pic as soon as I find my bag. As far as I remember, I put some change of clothes there. Have to find where I put it.

National Bookstore Red Eco Bag

It's a big red bag that's made of high quality materials. It's expensive though, compared to the common eco bags that are made of lightweight materials. I love how it looks and I often use it as a bag to carry groceries and other things, especially when I'm going for a trip. I love how National Bookstore designed this bag. It has a sturdy base and top, with a net for the body. It also has a zipper on top! Too bad they're not selling it anymore. They replaced it with the more common lightweight bag.

CVC Supermarket Green Bag

CVC Supermarket isn't as famous as the other supermarkets. It isn't as big either, but there's one near home so I usually frequent CVC supermarket. It's nice to see that despite the size of their supermarket, they still had the initiative to make an eco bag. It only comes in one small size but you can fit a lot in. I usually have one of their eco bags in my bag if ever I have to do spur of the moment shopping.

Freebie Eco Bags
When I was job hunting, I got a lot of freebies and freebie eco bags. I loved receiving Eco Bags and I usually used them to carry my books and my laptop. Eco Bags are so fab right now that even companies give out eco bags on seminars. Here are few of the ones I got from a recent Data Security Seminar.

Reuse Eco Bags

Buying and using eco bags is a great way to reduce the consumption of plastic, but we're wasting more resources if we don't reuse the bags. Sure it's okay to collect the different green bags from different stores, but do make sure that you reuse them when you're shopping. The problem is that we keep on buying new ones and not care about the old bags anymore. The eco bags are created to be reused, let's not waste the energy spent in creating an eco bag. Reuse it.

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Green School Tips for High School Students

Ah, so you're in high school now eh? It's great that at your young age, you're taking the initiative to make this world a better place to live in.

Making the world a greener place is a job that all of us must do. In our own little way, we can all be earth-friendly and save the world


As a high school student, you might feel like you don't have that much power to help save the earth, well you thought wrong. Actually, you can do more, since now you can choose which school materials you'll use in school.

Here are sure-fire ways for you to go green in school

Simple ways to go green in high school

1. Use both front and back sides of your notebook and pad paper. Although writing on just one side makes writing neater, you're teacher will surely understand if you use both sides of your paper, and won't mark it against you.
2. Bring packed snacks and lunch in reusable containers. Although it is easier if you just throw away the wrapper of your snack and your lunch, it's not really helping the environment. You're adding litter to our already garbage-filled world. You should use reusable containers most especially when you're school does not segregate trash.
3. Bring a water tumbler to school. Sure you have water fountains at school, but imagine how much water is wasted when drinking in the water fountain? While you're sipping and swallowing, most of the water is just falling down the drain. You're lucky if you have water dispensers at school, but make sure you bring a water tumbler too, so as not to use too much plastic/paper cups
4. Follow segregation rules. Most schools already segregate; the only problem is that students don't follow it. Follow the rules even if no one else is following. Also, it doesn't hurt to tell your friends to do the same.

Semi easy ways to go green in high school

1. Write smaller. If you write smaller, you can use more paper
2. Fold your notebook pages in half. Most of the time, we waste the right side of the page because were just taking down notes or outlines. To maximize the space of you notebook, use steno notebooks or fold the pages in half
3. Buy notebooks that are made out of recycled materials. They look a little "oldish", it's usually brown paper, when I was in high school, I loved the vintage look on my notebooks.
4. Carpool, ride a bus or commute. If you're parents or the family driver is bringing you to school, tell your parents to put you in a schoolbus/carpool or just commute. It saves on carbon emissions from the car. Also, if you can walk or ride your bike to school, the better.

So there you have it! Now go and go green!

 

If you have more ideas on how to go green in school, hit the comment box below and tell us all about it :)

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I've been wanting to make a recycled paper coaster for some time now but I haven't had the luxury of time to do it, so I took advantage of the free time I had yesterday and decided to make my paper coaster. 

Over the Internet you can see magnificent coasters made from magazines and news papers. Since I'm not subscribed to any magazine and newspaper (I'm reserving the few magazines that I have for  bead-making), I had to use my scrap office paper which I brought home last Wednesday. My coaster looks a little plain and might have been pretty if I used magazines and newspapers.

Anyway, here's the stuff that you'll need to make paper coil

• A bunch of paper. I used 10 sheets of scrap substance 24 bond paper. You might need more paper if your bond paper is thinner
• Scissors
• Glue diluted in water (you can also use PVA Glue or Mod Podge)
• Glue stick (optional)
• Varnish (the only available varnish I could find was plastic varnish)
• A bowl for the the glue diluted in water and varnish (I used the same bowl) 
• Paint brush for brushing the diluted glue and varnish. I recommend using a separate brush for each because the bristles of my brush stuck together after using the varnish. Maybe it's the varnish I used? I dunno.

How to make a paper coil coaster

Cut your paper into quarters, lengthwise

 

Fold a strip in the middle, lengthwise

 

Open the fold and then fold the left edge towards the middle fold. Do the same for the right edge

 

Open the folds and put glue in the middle, then put back the folds.

 

Fold the strip lengthwise and glue together.

 

Continue making 40 strips. Coil the strips one at a time. Glue each piece to the coil.

 

To make a circle coil, tightly wind the the strips together. To make a square coil, begin with a circle coil using 20 strips and then start to loosely coil the strips and then form a square with the egdes after ward.

 

Dilute glue with water using 2 parts glue and 1 part water

 

Brush the glue mixture to the coil to harden it

 

Dry the coil and then apply the varnish.

 

Let the varnish dry over night

 

Testing if it's waterproof - It was!

I made this coil for 4 hours. It took me a long time since I didn't really do it in a hurry. I was just taking my time, trying to perfect the cutting and folding of the strips. There were a few times when I wanted to stop, but I told my self I had to keep on going.

Since my coil is very plain, I might make another one, and paint it orange to match my favorite color. You can also pimp your coil in any way you want. You can add ribbons, strings, or even the magazine-made beads on the edge. Have it any way you want.

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