Going Green, even if it's blue

Sure, I care for the environment and, yes, I did belong to the Sierra Club and supported the World Wildlife Fund when I was in high school in the 70's. (Who didn't?) I loved hiking and backpacking and wanted to know that we would always have wilderness places to enjoy and wild animals to see. But I've never been an extremist or activist. I recycle, but occasionally throw out a can or jar in the trash instead (usually because I found it in the back of the fridge with something fuzzy growing in it).

Interestingly, I find myself more and more concerned with going Green and becoming more eco-friendly. I have bought a number of fabric reusable grocery bags. I even remember to take them in with me on occasion. I reuse the plastic grocery bags as trash can liners or lunch sacks. I even reuse plastic containers (yogurt cups to take out sauce cups) for mixing paints or other craft needs.

Maybe it is the increasing emphasis on going Green that I see on TV. I find myself watching the Green network (who knew it even existed?). QuiltingArts and Cloth Paper Scissors magazines, plus the whole lot of Stampington Press have more and more on using green materials, recycling and upcycling (a new vocabulary word for me). The online ideas sent by CraftStylish also often includes recycled or green projects.

Pictured at the top of the page is one of the better ideas I've seen. Make your own reusable produce bags! Inexpensive netting and a bit of yarn or ribbon make bags you can use over and over instead of adding plastic bags to the landfill. I made and used my first one last week. Quick to make; I plan to make a bunch more. The netting is less than $2 per yard and comes in a variety of colors. I decided I liked blue, this time, but may go with yellow or purple next time. It was also easy to find coordinating thread and ribbon, though you really could use whatever you have at hand.

What cool "green" ideas have you seen lately?