In the highly ideal world of tomorrow, we’ll have forgotten all about soda bottles.

Oh, we’ll remember they used to exist and what they were for. We’ll know we made and discarded an incredible amount of them. We’ll have finally weaned ourselves off the bottle, so much so that we won’t recognise the name – even though they’re still very much around.

“Soda bottles”? Oh, what they make lampshades from? The same material as greenhouse walls, watering cans and homemade windmills (pictured)?  Like my zip-up purse, then?

You mean…the arms of coat hangers?

(They used to make hanger arms from polystyrene foam? That’s just nasty).

Like all the best ideas, the Rethink Concepts Hanger from designer Xuan Yu seems obvious in retrospect. It tackles our PET infestation by upcycling two of the little blighters into lightweight, well-padded hanger arms. All you buy is the hook – and when you do so, 10% of the sale price goes to helping people slake their thirst in developing nations. (And try upcycling to the max by hanging recycled polyester garments on them).

And to think, these…plastic tube-like things get thrown away. (Whatever they’re called. I forget).

Images: noquedanblogs

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Did you know that each year Americans throw away around 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags? Less than 0.6 percent of those are recycled. And that Americans buy 28 billion disposable plastic bottles of water a year?

When we’re on the go it’s easy to forget about the real impact of our choices, especially when it comes to plastic. The ease of buying an occasional bottle of water or packing groceries in a plastic bag when you forget your reusable one might not feel like an environmentally detrimental choice, but small choices add up quickly. Fortunately, changes in the industry are slowly happening, making it easier for you to commit to kicking the single-use plastic habit.

Plastic bag bans and fees are a common topic of debate in environmental communities, and Wal-Mart is the latest business to join in the discussion. Starting January 1st, Wal-Mart will institute a pilot program at three stores in California, where no single-use plastic bags will be provided to consumers. Shoppers will instead have a choice between purchasing three different reusable bags, reasonably priced at $1, 50 cents and 15 cents. The pilot program will test how consumers will deal with stores that do not offer free bags. Not providing plastic bags could have a significant impact at large stores like Wal-Mart; the retail giant alone was responsible for handing out 27 billion plastic bags in 2007.

The anti-plastic bag movement is also spreading on regional levels. This week Delaware passed a law that will require larger stores to all offer reusable bags to their consumers. Even in Phuket, Thailand, a group of business owners recently passed an agreement to institute a small fee on plastic bags. Although it is unknown what impact policies like this will have in the long term, it’s certainly a step in the right direction, encouraging consumers to choose reusable bags whenever possible.

The other culprit in single-use plastic waste is bottled water. In a progressive move, Canada-based Naya Spring Water announced this week that it is the first bottled water company to use 100% recycled plastic in its bottles. The company also reportedly recycles 96% of waste from its plant, including paper, cardboard and plastic.

But is buying a recycled plastic bottle water that’s still a single-use item that sustainable? It’s great to recycle materials that otherwise would have gone straight to the landfill, but supporting the purchase of single-use products inevitably leads us to consume more and waste more. In a pinch, opt for the recycled plastic bottle of water, but when possible, keep your reusable drinking vessel in tow.

Photo credits: vieux bandit, zone41

The post Is Single-Use Plastic on Its Way Out? appeared first on EcoSalon.

While we generally avoid traditional paper gift wrap these days, a Berkeley MBA and mom has developed a line of more responsible coverage for those gifts: reusable, recycled bags.

Josie Gaillard’s Living Ethos made its debut in San Francisco this summer in selected boutiques. Now, the versatile and vivacious eco-chic wrap is available on the web.

What makes this attractive paper one to chase?

The sustainable gift bags come in 30 varied prints that are as attractive as upholstery fabrics. But instead of being assembled with cheap cotton, they are a high quality fabric born of recycled plastic bottles (hurray) and come with coordinated grosgrain ribbons also made of the same PET materials (hurray, again!).

They can be reused countess times – for gift-giving or storage – which is the goal when it comes to paper products. Just yesterday, I presented a bottle of wine in one, and the recipient returned the bag to me to use again. That was special.

The bags come in four sizes – mini, small, medium and large to fit small items like books and trinkets to larger gifts such as wine, clothing and toys. $28 for set of four. They are sewn locally in the Bay Area and the shipping envelopes also are reusable.

It’s all part of Gaillard’s effort to make it easier for consumers to “live their ethos.” Gaillard, a solar energy marketing professional turned entrepreneur, has a passion for product design and promises more stylish, sustainable goods to come.

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Timing is everything. And sometimes timing is just plain bad. To wit, I recently bought a pendant lamp for my dining room, installed it and was really pleased breaking bread below it…and then I came across the petal lamp shade.

Now I’m experiencing a serious case of buyer’s remorse.

The Petal Lamp Shade has approximately 200 “petals” that were individually cut from recycled PET bottles, heated and engraved with subtle patterns. They dangle 21.6 inches from a stainless steel disk. Lovely.

The designer’s Etsy profile says she is an architect in Ankara, Turkey. I haven’t seen her buildings but the objects she creates from old soda bottles are amazing. Check out the Blue Bowl, Flower Bowl No 5 and Flower Napkin Holders.

Go to gulguvenc’s Etsy shop to check availability and prices. She also has a blog.

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When H&M announced it was starting an organic cotton collection last year, devoted shoppers yearning for sustainable apparel at ultra low prices got excited. Now the retail giant has announced its plans to not only incorporate more organic cotton in their spring collection, but also recycled cotton, wool, polyester and PET bottles from fabric remnants in production.

And being a progressive company realizing that being labeled as environmentally friendly means more than recycling soda bottles in the company break room and green fabrics, H&M has gone as far as providing an environmental objective and sustainability policy at their website.

H&M should probably consider their investment one of the wisest ones they’ve made in a while. Certainly better than forcing Madonna to strike a pose in a satin track suit. Enhancing its brand by being progressive (and catering to its desired shoppers: us) will only make them stronger.

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