how to recycle your underwear
we recycle a lot of things, but for many, underwear is a stretch.
am i ashamed of myself for writing that? a little.
but seriously though. it’s a dilemma that has plagued many a green conscience. it’s embarrassing when you try to donate perfectly good, practically new bras to the thrift shop only to be turned away. and don’t even attempt to donate underwear for your lower body. shopkeepers look at me like i’m some kind of perv - even if the undies still have tags on them!
no, there is no simple solution to the social stigma behind the problem, but here are some shame-free ideas on how you can reuse or recycle your intimates:
1. make your briefs into a sports bra
vid courtesy of www.liveleak.com
2. send back your worn out patagonia base layers to be recycled into new ones!
patagonia common threads garment recycling
3. use the trimmings from your old undergarments to pretty up the undies you have now.
cut off bows, trim and lace from your unwanted skivvies and sew them onto your new undies that could use a little sprucing up, or even onto sweaters or jeans. i’ve seen so many girls wearing cardigans with pretty pieces of lace or ruffles on them. instead of paying for these ornaments, why not just use your old bras?
strumpet & pink has an awesome collection if you’re in need of inspiration:
pics courtesy of www.trendoriginal.com
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green is the way to “go”
ecocoffins by creative coffins are crafted from unbleached pulp which is made out of at least 60% recycled paper and wood pulp sourced from sustainable forests. each coffin weighs under 10kgs which drastically reduces the transportation (oil) costs associated with death baskets. why anyone would choose a traditional sarcophagus when these radical designs are out there is baffling to me.
hey, if you’re going to go through all that trouble customizing your ipod, why not your final resting place?
imagine your friends and family gathered around this beauty.
this is the one i’m eyeing for my own final resting spot. it’s called the comedian. “rest in peas.”
get it? chuckle.
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free fridays: beginner argentine tango class and habana outpost basement of blood
instead of spending a wad of cash on happy hour tonight only to wake up tomorrow morning with a poor taste in your mouth (coppery, kind of like you ate a bunch of pennies), why not check out these 100% free events?
absolute beginner argentine tango class
Date: Friday, October 24th & Saturday, September 25th
Time: 8:30pm & 8:00pm respectively
Location: Triangulo (135 West 20th, #301 btw 6th and 7th Ave)
Cost: Free
habana outpost basement of blood
Date: Friday, October 24th - Sunday
Time: 4pm-8pm Friday, 2pm-7pm all weekend
Location: Habana Outpost (757 Fulton St. at S. Portland, Ft. Greene)
Cost: Free
What’s scarier than global warming and a market meltdown combined? How about The Basement of Blood at Habana Outpost. High school students from Brooklyn’s Green School have created ghoulish scenes from everyday garbage, and you can check out the recycled haunted house all weekend. “The Basement of Blood is the first project by Habana Works’ teen program, Break It Down. The program offers project-based internships to high school students that bring discarded resources back into use and on to the market.” All ages.
courtesy of freenyc.net
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reversible: how advertising is helping to save the planet
johnny strategy of spoon-tamago.com was kind enough to send us intel about these one-of a-kind bags from our french brothers from another mother and sisters from another mister:
the company that makes them, reversible, selects advertising tarpaulins with the best graphics that are about to be discarded. instead of being incinerated, the tarpaulins are made into useful and durable bags. a return envelope is included with each purchase so that the customer can send back the bag when they feel it has reached the end of its life-cycle, and the bag is then made into more tarpaulins or other plastic products.
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congratz lori!
lori from brooklyn is the proud new owner of this lovely abercrombie and fitch sweater.
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she got it for free here by offering to make treats for her co-workers and pledging to be nicer to people and animals in general.
thanks lori!
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the bigger better bottle bill
did you know that those 5 cent coin refund machines at your local supermarket only accept carbonated soda and beer bottles and cans? i didn’t.
now, most people don’t think of some dude picking through trash cans as a conservationist or recycling advocate, but if you really break it down, he is a professional recycler. he gets paid to pick up after those of us who are too lazy or ignorant to separate our trash. now think of all the water, iced tea and sports drinks that you drink. as you can imagine, those three categories alone now make up over 30% of the entire beverage market. that may not be important to you, but to a homeless person, or someone who just needs some extra cash, every water bottle in the trash is a wasted 5¢ towards dinner.
if we want to save our planet by recycling, and there are people out there who are willing to pick all of the recyclable bottles and cans out of our garbage for only 5¢ apiece, why in the world would we not offer coin refunds on all bottles and cans?
that is what the bigger better bottle bill wants to do. for the past six years, people have been trying to get this bill passed. the state assembly (majority democrats) has passed the bill several times, but republican-heavy senate is still an obstacle mostly due to opposition that the bill faces from beverage companies, grocers and consumer advocates who are worried that prices may increase. i don’t know how much, if at all, the bill will cause prices to increase, but i am more than willing to pay a couple of cents more for a vitaminwater if i know that other vitaminwaters out there are being picked up out of the garbage and returned to recycling centers by someone who is possibly getting a meal out of it.
if you want to know more, here is a very interesting article from the indypendant: http://www.indypendent.org/2008/09/12/bigger-better-bottle-bill/
and here is a sample letter that you can use to send your own email to your state senator:
Subject: Please Support the Bigger Better Bottle Bill
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As a constituent concerned with conservation, and a frequent consumer of non-carbonated beverages like bottled water and sports drinks, I stand with Audubon New York in strongly supporting the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill. This legislation would expand New York’s bottle deposit law to include non-carbonated beverage containers, which have become a major source of litter in Audubon Important Bird Areas (IBAs), Parks, and other important habitats across the state. The original Bottle Bill was created to reduce litter and support recycling of carbonated beverage containers, and has made a tremendous impact in reducing this waste.
Not only will this legislation promote recycling, but this proposal will also take back the unclaimed nickel deposits, or the bottles that are not redeemed, and put that money into the state’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to support recycling and other critically important environmental funding projects. Dedicating these unclaimed nickels to environmental funding projects makes good fiscal sense for New York. It has been estimated that over $190 million annually could be returned to the state if these unclaimed nickels were collected and dedicated to the EPF.
Expanding the bottle deposit law will promote increased recycling, and decrease the pollution associated with these containers, all while providing new funding for important environmental programs. I urge you to support this important environmental initiative that will help to make IBAs and state parks cleaner and more enjoyable for all.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
You
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letter to my unborn blog
This is an email that I wrote to my best friends last night, but it really applies to everyone reading this (except for the part where I mention Lil - that’s meant for just Lil):
Guess what? My blog is finally up!
Only a few of you know about it, but I was really motivated to start up this venture when I finally realized that I’ve been using clothes, electronics and food and other random tchotchkes to try to make myself happy, spending more and more money and creating more and more waste that I couldn’t see once I threw it down the chute or onto the curb. Lillian showed me a great site http://storyofstuff.com/ about where all the stuff that we buy comes from and where it ends up, which added even more fuel to the fire under me. Thanks Lil!
It’s still pretty unclear to me whether or not other most young people in our city and our planet feel the same way, but I don’t think I can wait until they do. Green living is such a trend right now, and yet I see the majority of my co-workers throwing their empty soda bottles in with their regular trash and going through a new coffee cup every time they grab a refill.
What’s goin’ on?!
Before I start beating people up, I’m training myself to feel guilty about using multiple plastic spoons everyday and grabbing 20 paper napkins with my grubby paws (when I really only need one or two). I’m re-educating myself about the needlessness and waste of buying brand new, designer, throwaway clothes every week so that I can wear them to some rooftop lounge…once. And little by little, I feel these tiny triumphs building up. And I have to say - it feels f*#@in’ good!
You guys know that I’m not a good proselytizer. I don’t think that making people see what I see is one of my strong points. I suppose actually seeing what I see takes up all the energy I have, and I admit that some of what I see is freakin’ weird. So if anyone can tell me if this makes any sense, I would appreciate it. There’s no point in my huffing and puffing if it the picture’s vague.
The site is still pretty pubescent, so don’t be cruel! Hell, it’s still in the incubator if you want to get all metaphorical. And before that it was just a little gleam in my eye. Ting*
Anyways, I would really love it if you guys could visit and tell me what you think… I feel that each one of you could bring a fresh perspective and I am 100% sure that there are a lot of wrinkles that need smoothing out.
Thanks guys!
<3 da piggie
P.S. send me pics of clothes that you want to swap!
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housing works thrift shops fall preview sale - UWS
the last one of the season!
bring a donation in your Housing Works Tote and get in free or its 10 smackers at the door.
| Upper West | Tuesday | September 16th | 5pm—8pm |
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hello world!
i am an urban piggy.
there are 17 pairs of shoes under my desk right now. some of which i’ve never even worn - i consider them to be art pieces. and you don’t want to know how many pairs i have in total. (whispering): 33.
last year, i spent over $9,000 just eating things. you know how those tapas add up.
and i am wasteful. but i don’t want to be! a couple of months ago, i bought a coffee mug so that i would stop using 3 paper cups a day, but the mug is still sitting in my drawer and the paper cups have been piling up in a landfill somewhere - not to mention the mug that i would really, really like to throw out soon.
but enough is enough! that’s why i created swyyne. it’s all about how you can be a good bourgeois piggy while still getting your consume on.
care to join me?
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why is this a site?
swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.
look for stuff
feed yourself