Just say no to those electric mosquito zappers. Several studies have shown that they are inefficient at killing the pesky biting insects, but great at turning beneficial ecologically important bugs into charred insects.

Part of the problem is that traditional zappers merely emit UV light as an attractant, however mosquitoes could care less about the light. Newer models, such as the Mosquito Magnet, release CO2, which does excite the biting bugs. All and all they work better, but do cost a bundle.

I still recommend just using a good old eco-friendly spray to keep those mosquitoes at bay.

I love this purse made from recycled soda cans. It is so cute and of course eco-friendly.

Supplies Needed:

• Soda Cans
• Stapler & Staples
• Purse Template
• Knife & Scissors
• Ruler
• Copier
• Naugahyde or Similar Fabric
• Glue
• Wire
• Nail or Hole Punch

Step 1 -
Trace out a purse shape (including the handles) onto paper, you just need the two large sides. Then, on the template draw squares & rectangles within the purse outline using your ruler.

Step 2 -
Next, number each square & rectangle shape and make a copy of the paper. Cut one of the drawings up, so now you have a bunch of numbered shapes. The other sheet will serve  as a master copy of how the shapes went together.

Step 3 -
Then, take a bunch of soda cans, clean them and cut the tops & bottoms out of them with a knife and then regular scissors. When complete you will end up with sheets of the aluminum can.

Step 4 -
Trace the cut out shapes onto the cans. Then cut out the shapes leaving about quarter on an inch (maybe 5-7 millimeters) edge. To make it easy, write the corresponding number on each piece. If you are using a variety of sodas, make sure to think about the color combination and layout when you are cutting out pieces. Then folded the edges under, to hide the sharp edge of the can. You can use a ruler to help you.

Step 5 -
Next, arrange the shapes back into the purse template and use a stapler with regular staples to join the can pieces. You want to make sure the stapler can reach each piece to connect it, so be sure to begin joining the cans together from the middle and work your way out. Remember, the can pieces are not overlapped but side by side.

Step 6 -
For the bottom and sides of the purse, created one long strip of soda can pieces.

Step 7 -
After you have all three pieces of your purse, trace out the purse shapes onto naugahyde, or some sort of vinyl or pleather would probably work fine, just as long as its durable. Then, glue the material onto the soda can purse shapes.

Step 8 -
Then take a small nail and punch holes at regular intervals around the edges of the purse forms. Then take wire and lace all three pieces together.

Now, you’re ready for a night out on the town!

Thanks, RaraAvis for sharing your up-cycling eco-crafts with us.

Threadless.com is a super fun popular t-shirt design community that recently lunched their peliCAN tee designed by community members Frederik Wepener and Ross Zietz for only $10.

What makes the peliCAN tee “Green”?
With every purchase you make, you are helping the clean up effort in the Gulf. That’s right, 100% of the proceeds from the peliCAN tee will be donated to the Gulf Restoration Network, which is a 15 year old environmental non-profit organization committed to uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf Region for future generations.

Plus on top of all that, Threadless used an eco-friendly water-based ink to print these new tees.

Help the clean up in the gulf by buying this fun new tee from Threadless. It’s only $10!

TOMS is an incredible shoe company founded on a simple premise: “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.” TOMS calls it One for One. They use the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good.

TOMS shoes are also eco-friendly, taking advantage of materials like pesticide-free cotton, all natural canvas and recycled EVA scraps. TOMS even offers Vegan shoes options.

And not to mention…Their shoes are totally cute! Check out this ad for their new girlie wedges.

Buy your pair now!

What do you do with your old magazines you already read?

Instead of trashing them, Mark Montano made a bathroom trash can out of his old magazines.

You can get a detailed how-to guide in his Big-Ass Book of Crafts, but you basically coil strips of paper together & use hot glue to hold the coils together. The bottom part is one big disk with a bead of hot glue to fill in the center hole.

Thanks Mark for sharing your eco-crafts.

Did you know that normal plastic bags never biodegrade? Well, at least not for a thousand years or so. That’s why Sam Paul & his team invented Green Genius bags. Bags that are biodegradable but still had the strength and price of regular trash bags.

Check out this animated narrative explaining the science & technology of Green Genius biodegradable plastic trash bags.

Buy your Green Genius Bags today!

Vintage cake stands are all the rage these days.

Make your own from old missed matched plates, candlesticks, and other fun timeless glass crystal things. It takes only a few minutes & the results are stunning.

Supplies Needed:

• Vintage plate
• Glass candlestick (or an old fashioned tulip shaped sundae dish, or a drinking glass, etc.)
• Crystal drawer pull (this is optional)
• Epoxy glue (slow drying if you are making more than one vintage cake stand)
• Ruler
• Sharpie
• Popsicle stick
• Q-tip
• Something to mix your epoxy in (I used a recycled aluminum tray)

Step 1:
Find the half way point on the back of your plate and place a dot using a Sharpie or other marking device.

Step 2:
Pour your epoxy in a well ventilated area & mix it using a Popsicle stick per the instructions.

Step 3:
Dip Q-tip in epoxy and coat the rim of the candlestick.

Step 4:
Adhere candlestick to back of plate using fingers to press it into place.

Step 5: (Optional)
If you are adding a drawer pull to the other side of the plate, place a dab of epoxy glue on the drawer pull. Turn plate over and adhere to middle of plate.

You can also make two tier cake stands using one small plate and one dinner plate. Just make sure the base is good and sturdy. The last thing you want is your goodies to topple over!

A special thanks to Intimate Weddings for sharing their eco-crafts with us!

Holidays, birthdays, Mother’s day, bridal showers, and any other gift giving occasion can add to curbside trash, sometimes as much as 25% more. Instead of throwing out your used gift wrap, what if you could plant it and grow real flowers.

Well, Little Kay Gardens has done just that. They have created pretty gift wrap paper that is made from 100% recycled newspapers and is embedded with wildflower seeds. So, after the recipient opens their gift, they can plant the paper and grow flowers!

In each pack you get 4 large 24″ x 36″ sheets of paper, 2 colors of raffia ribbon, plus 6 gift cards with instructions. You can use the paper as wrap for up to 8 shirt boxes or as tissue paper in a gift bag. The paper includes wildflower seeds for Corn Poppy, Red Coreopsis, Plain Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan, Baby Snapdragon and more.

Check out their video for more details:

Planting Instructions:

1- Loosen topsoil of garden or planter to a depth of 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches)
2- Place the paper down, cut to size if necessary
3- Sprinkle a very light layer of topsoil or peat moss over the paper to hold firmly against wind. Don’t cover with more than 1/8” of soil
4- When the paper is in place, soak with a fine mist until the paper is saturated and appears to melt into the topsoil
5- Keep well watered – water at least once a day until plants are established 3 to 4 inches high

NOTE: Plants can be thinned out when established and transplanted to other garden areas. Early growth resembles weeds, do not weed area for first 4-8 weeks

Make the world greener – one gift at a time with Little Kay Gardens!

Tell the world what you do to make it a better place by wearing this totally unique t-shirt by STAY VOCAL.

Each of these tees is emblazoned with a patch that says, “I make the world better by _______ what do you do?” The fill-in-the-blank design is for you to tell everyone what you are doing to make the world better.

STAY VOCAL is a Green America certified ReUse apparel company. All of their tees come from either thrift stores finds, donations, or are brand new t-shirts that were going to be destroyed because of a misprint or over printing.

While many eco-enthusiasts have incorporated recycled bottles into their decor, the Thai monks from the Sisaket province have taken it to a whole new level.

The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple or the “Beer Bottle Temple” is about 400 miles northeast of Bangkok in the city of Khun Han close to the Cambodian border. Construction started in 1984 using Heineken bottles (green) and Chang Beer bottles (brown). The monks were able to clean up the local pollution & create a useful structure that will be a visual reminder for years to come.

Thanks to Greenupgrader for these spectacular images.