Green Thing Blog

I just got back from the TED Global conference in Oxford which, as usual, was magnificently inspiring (and rather humbling - hearing about other people's efforts to change the world, or the story of Sudanese child soldiers, etc).

But rather than eulogise about TED, which I realise can get pretty boring for others (so I've been told regularly ;-) I thought I'd mention something that was in this year's TED gift bag: a Green Thing DVD.

We produced one especially for the ocassion - what better place to spread the idea of Green Thing and inspiring people to lead greener lives than at a conference about Ideas Worth Spreading?

The real story, for the purposes of this post, is how the gift was packaged. Thanks to a fantastic effort by the entire Green Thing team + members of families, we hand-wrote 700 letters on seed paper which was tied in a bow to the DVD with green wool.

Loads of people remarked on this at the conference. I think our gift stood out partly because people are simply not used to seeing personalised, physical things in a world where personalised things are usually digital, and physical things are usually mass manufactured.

Anyway, huge thanks once more to James for getting the DVD produced and delivered and to the GT team for pouring love, sweat and tears into the packaging.

Now lets hope some incredibly influential media owners saw it and get in touch demanding to help spread Green Thing's messages far and wide ;-)

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Bottletop Campaign is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of young people in need worldwide through education projects designed to empower them. They focus their attentions on issues such as sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and gender equality. Sounds great but why is it a green thing I hear you ask.

Well Bottletop Trading Ltd, their trading company, designs and produces ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products and these mainly come from the countries where they give their support, helping to alleviate poverty by teaching a skill and then paying for the products produced.

At UK Aware this weekend we spotted their fabulously funky ring-pull bags. Started four years ago in Salvador, Brazil, Production Manager Luciano Dos Santos and Bottletop Director Oliver Wayman, grabbed an opportunity to train seven local women to make fashion accessories from recycled ring-pulls, an existing but underdeveloped craft in Brazil. Within three short months the women were churning out high quality belts and had moved on to learning the art of bag making. These items were shipped to the UK and were being snapped up by green fashionistas. As more and more were sold, sewing machines were bought for the ladies and more women were given the opportunity to master this craft. It’s so popular they have a waiting list of women eager to learn and earn.

The ring pulls themselves have been collected by local people, many living on the streets of Salvador. They get paid for each kilo of ring pulls they collect, which then get sorted, washed and laid out in the sun to dry. Once they are clean and ready to be created into a sparkling accessory, the ladies transform these small metal rings into bags and belts in the comfort of a cool building complete with childcare facilities. Every step of this fashionable journey has been designed to encourage and improve the lives of those involved. With 46 people in the community now involved in the production of these bags and over 5000 sold, this project is making a noticeable difference to the lives of many in Salvador. So when they get shipped to the UK we can buy these wonderful all-consuming accessories to up our style cred.

For more sustainable luxury check out Elvis and Kresse and their gorgeous wallets made from old fire hoses.

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(Image: babusinesslife)

Unfortunately plastic bags don't just magically go away so luckily FunkyJunk are doing something awesome with them.

FunkyJunk are an innovative social enterprise in Cambodia where they train and fairly pay locals to collect, clean and make these cool, long lasting items from reclaimed plastic bags that they pick up from the littered Cambodian streets or out in the fields.

(Image: funkyjunk)

From purses to bags, iPhone cases to cushions, bins to beer buddies, coasters to laundry baskets, and from hats to floor cushions FunkyJunk show that you can make almost anything with a bit of All Consuming creativity.

And you're helping clean up the world at the same time. Bonus. 

(Spotted on Earth911)

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(All images: Sophie Farrier)

A closet is the burial ground of so many discarded items that kids claim are no longer cool enough to be seen with in the playground. Schools bags and satchels are some of the most loyal residents of the closet and, although rifling through the collection of super-hero rucksacks may tell a nostalgic tale of childhood, the cupboard is running out of space.

The VITA daypack, designed by Sophie Farrier, seeks to spell the end of a culture of abundance by giving you a bag for life - a rucksack that your little boy can take to after-school football practice and a shoulder bag that he can take to his first day at work.

The idea is to give children a bag they will cherish throughout their childhood by making it versatile and customisable by purchasing add-on covers that appeal to you as you grow up.

Some might say that desperate times of economic gloom and austerity call for desperate measures but we love the VITA daypack - what an inventive way of Sticking With What You Got and staying happy with it.

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