It’s Thanksgiving week! What better way to celebrate than with green DIY crafts. If you’re looking to green up your table decorations or just have some fun with the kids here are some eco-friendly Thanksgiving craft projects.

Top 5 DIY Thanksgiving Crafts

1- Upcycled hand print turkey shirt

2- Corn husk recycled jar candle holder

3- Turkey made from toilet paper rolls

4- Biodegradable Thanksgiving placecards

5- Thankful turkeys containers

Happy Thanksgiving!

As the summer starts winding down and school is kicking off again; it’s time to go supply shopping and get organized.

There are lots of choices these days for folders, binders and labels but not all are eco-friendly and offer great design like Des Moines, Iowa’s Naked Binder.

Naked Binder started back in 2008 designing their 3-ring binders to look so good you won’t want to get rid of them.  They have everything you might need to impress a client, store your taxes, organize your class notes or decorate your office / dorm room, plus they are 100% sustainable.

Naked Binder Eco-Features:

• Recycled: We use only board that is 100% post consumer waste and 100% recycled.
• FSC Certified: Nearly all of our materials are FSC certified.
• Stronger: Our binders have been tested to 250,000 flexes without fail, making them perhaps the strongest 3-ring binder in the world.
• No Plastics: Naked Binder does not use plastics, vinyl or other toxins in manufacturing or shipping so everything is easily returned to the recycling stream. This takes pressure off of your waste management system, landfills and reduces the need for new production of virgin resources.
• Recyclable: Our binders are 100% recyclable.
• Innovating: We constantly test new materials to craft the most environmentally safe products that last longer, work better and look great.
• Local: All of our products are made in the USA, minimizing world wide travel to get to you. Our manufacturing plant is in Des Moines IA.
• Community: Naked Binder works and donates to two causes, education and wilderness preservation. Over the years, we have donated thousands of binders to kids who need them across the country. We have discounts for teachers and schools and have worked with organizations who are working to increase access to educational resources. As a member of 1% for the Planet, Naked Binder also works with and donates to organizations striving to preserve wilderness and open spaces.

Buy Now!

Looking to class up your average flower planters around the house? Try this unique and fun DIY project by Chrisjob over at Curbly that turns an old used book into a gorgeous one-of-a-kind planter.

Supplies Needed:

• Book
• Electric drill
• Hole saw
• Safety glasses
• Dusk mask
• Scrap wood – 2 pieces
• Clamp
• Exacto Knife
• Screen
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks
• White glue & small paint brush
• Clear polyurethane spray
• Plant with a shallow root system & dirt

Step by Step Directions:

Via: Curbly

Before you consider an incomplete set of dominoes as trash, think about crafting some unique drink coasters for your coffee table or as a gift for a friend that is a game lover. It’s a pretty simple DIY eco-friendly project when you use this step-by-step guide by NaturalMindset.

Supplies Needed:

• Hot glue gun & glue
• Scissors
• Old set of domino game pieces
• Eco-Friendly felt

Earthship is a radically sustainable green building made of recycled materials and powered by the sun & the wind, catching water, treating sewage, heating and cooling through thermal dynamics and growing food. It’s extreme Green living at it’s best by architect Michael Reynolds.

Here’s a detailed look inside an Earthship:

Credit card companies are always sending me new updated cards to replace my old ones. But what do you do with the old ones? Just trash them? How about making jewelry out of them?

Here is an awesome DIY video on how to make earrings from your old expired credit cards.

New Year’s eve is this Friday! Bring in the new year with this eco-friendly upcycled soda can noisemaker. It’s a simple DIY project that can even be done with the kids.

Supplies Needed:

• Fun image printed on lightweight or medium weight photo paper.
• Empty pull-top, 12 oz., aluminum soda can.
• Wood dowel, 1/4″ diameter, about 18″ long (or something similar)
• Dried beans, pebbles, dried pasta or something similar.
• Medium cardboard, like tag board.
• Decorating supplies like yarn, sequins, paint, glitter, etc.
• Double stick tape or spray adhesive.
• Hot glue gun.
• Tin snips (metal-cutting scissors).
• Scissors or paper cutter.
• Hole punch (1/4″ hole).
• Fine-tooth wood saw for cutting the dowel.

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Cut a roughly 1″ hole in the center of the top of the can with tin snips.

Step 2:
Measure the inset top of the can (ours was 1 7/8″ in diameter) and cut a cardboard circle that fits. Punch a 1/4″ hole in the center of the cardboard circle.

Step 3:
Cut the dowel to about 18″ long with the saw.

Step 4:
Shoot a large glob of hot glue down into the center of the bottom of the can. Working fast, insert the dowel and stick it in the glue as close to the center as possible. Hold it until the glue hardens.

Step 5:
Drop in a small handful of dried beans.

Step 6:
Put the dowel through the hole in the cardboard circle. Apply hot glue around the inset top of the can and press the cardboard circle onto it until the glue hardens.

Step 7:
Paint the can and dowel a fun color.

Step 8:
Print & trim your image. Adhere it around the can with double stick tape. Be sure the top of the image is facing the right way and that the dowel is at the bottom.

Step 9:
Let’s decorate! Get creative here. You can use yarn and make some fringe or a pom-pom. Find odds and ends around the house to glue on like sequin, small buttons, glitter, etc.

Step 10:
Party Time!

A special thanks to the folks over at Vintage Image Craft for sharing their eco-crafts with us!

Did you know…Aluminum is the only material that is endlessly recyclable, without ever breaking down or compromising the quality of the metal.

That’s what makes Eco-Foil the ultimate disposable baking & roasting pan. Eco- Foil pans are made from 100% recycled aluminum, and are 100% recyclable after use, offering consumers a convenient and affordable way to reduce their carbon footprint.

Enter to win an Eco-Foil 100% Recycled Aluminum Pan Prize Pack worth $30!

How To Enter:

• Follow @GreenNetwork on Twitter
• Tweet =  “I just entered to win an Eco-Foil 100% Recycled Aluminum Pan Prize Pack. Follow @GreenNetwork & RT to enter! http://j.mp/fwTZ8t”
  

Entry Deadline:

• The giveaway ends on Sunday, December 26th, 2010 at 11:59 CST.

Giveaway Rules:

• There will be 3 winners chosen randomly and announced via Twitter on Monday, December 27th, 2010.
• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to Twitter DM notification with shipping info and claim prize – if no response, another winner will be chosen.
• Prize pack will be shipped via Eco-Foil.
• Only US residents 18+ are eligible
• No purchase necessary – void where prohibited by law.

October is the perfect time to starting composting!

I know I’ve talked about starting your own compost pile before, but if you haven’t started one yet, now’s the time to do it. Just rake a pile of leaves, toss your old carved pumpkin in and viola…you got yourself a compost pile that will supply lots of rich soil for your flowerbeds in the spring.

Don’t have a yard, try the The Worm Factory 360. It’s a composter that can be used indoors. Now, you have no excuses.

Light up your porch this holiday weekend with some super fun DIY recycled tin can Halloween lanterns.

Supplies Needed:

• Recycled tin cans
• Soy or beeswax tea light candles
• Pencil, crayon or permanent marker
• Paper and scissors (optional)
• Coat hanger or sturdy wire for hanging (optional)
• Towel and firm work surface
• Hammer
• Large nail
• Freezer
• Water
• Spray paint

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Clean and dry recycled tin cans, fill with water, and freeze overnight. The ice will provide support for the can as you drive in the nail holes.

Step 2:
Get your design ready. You can either use a paper pattern or draw a design directly on the can.

Step 3:
The next day, lay a thick towel on your work surface, to absorb the melting ice and to prevent the can from rolling as you work. Place the tin can on the towel. If using a paper pattern, wrap the can in the paper and tape the pattern in place. If drawing the pattern directly on the can, use a fine marker, in the the same color that you have chosen for the spray paint to draw the outline.

Step 4:
Use a hammer and a large nail to punch the holes in the outline of your design. (optional: If you want to make a hanging lantern, also punch two holes at the top, on either side of your design, to fasten hanger.)

Step 5:
Once complete with the design, immerse the can in hot water to melt the remaining ice & let dry.

Step 6:
Once can is completely dry, use your spray paint to paint all sides and bottom of the can.

Step 7: (optional)
To hang your lantern, cut a piece of sturdy wire, or use a potion of wire from a coat hanger, and bend it into an arched hanger shape. Bend up the ends and insert them into the two holes that you punched at the top of the can.

Step 8:
Place a soy or beeswax tea light candle inside the can & hang outside to welcome all the trick or treaters to your home.

A special thanks to the folks over at Natural Mommie for sharing their fun eco Halloween crafts with us.