The Shipping Container House

320 square feet may seem a bit small for a home. Hell, some Hollywood starlets have closets bigger than that! But 320 square feet is sure better than a cardboard refrigerator box under a freeway underpass, and after a business trip to Juarez Mexico, Brian McCarthy knew it. That's why he co-founded PFNC Global Communities a company that is converting old shipping containers into new mini-homes. Busily at work on the prototypes, PFNC plans for the tiny domiciles to have a kitchen,  bathroom with sink, toilet and shower, two sleeping areas and hook-ups for air conditioning, ventilation, electrical and water systems all for $8000 or less to keep them affordable to impoverished Mexican workers. Recycling rusted containers into new homes, a great example of the reconomy at work!

Recycled Toddlers (OK, No Toddlers, Just Toddler Stuff)

Handmedowns.com is kind of like a Craigslist for babies. Or at least for parents of babies. With regional sites, like Craigslist, it list baby and kid-related items for sale, and even for free. So, let's say you need a stroller, but you don't want to pay those inflated new stroller prices that make the cost comparable to a small, domestic car. Head on down to cybertown (i.e. the Internet) and check out what's available locally on Handmedowns. 

There are clothes, bottles, toys, rocking chairs, books, potty chairs, and pretty much anything a young one needs. So save some money, do your green duty, and get them in the recycle habit early with handmedowns.com

Recycled Fashion

Wearing used clothing isn't just for college kids, artists, and us assorted poor folk anymore. Enter fashion model Tyra Banks in clothes she's purchased from thrift stores, rummage sales and flea markets. As her stylist, Yaniece Piper Thomas puts it, "It's one way that Tyra is going green and giving back -- by wearing recycled clothes." So, next time you spot Tyra on the TV or on the runway, look closely. She just might be wearing that blouse that you shrunk up in the dryer and passed along to Goodwill!

Have a Party!

You've got way too much stuff -- you know you do! And your friends all have way too much stuff, too. I'm not asking you to go cold turkey and get rid of it all, I'm just suggesting that you begin with one little baby step.

Here's how it works. Choose one item that you no longer need, want or use. Choose something nice, not a half-eaten box of saltines or some old, stained sweat pant. You know, choose something that you bought once, and thought you really wanted but then never used. Or something somebody else thought you'd really like but just really isn't your style.

Next, invite a bunch of friends over and ask them to each bring one item that fits the same criteria for them. Mix in a little food, a little drink, perhaps some music and a bit of gossip, and you've got one friggin' fine party. If anyone really wants anything that anyone else brought, they take it. All the stuff that's not wanted gets donated to charity, or sold in your next yard sale to help pay for the food and wine.

We're not talking swap meet here, we're talking about a Simplifying Party or a Recycling Party. A fun way to get rid of, and recycle, nice stuff that you don't want.

Roadkill Stew -- It's Hmm, Hmm Good!

Recycling "strikes" the animal kingdom in the form of eating what the Chevys and Toyotas leave behind. You might want to clean it and cook it first, but you've got to admit, it's a really cheap way to get your protein. And it's a way to use resources that would otherwise just go to waste.

Personally, I'm a vegetarian, and so roadkill is off limits. Other foraged foods, though, like wild blackberries, mushrooms, apples, etc., are fair game. They're getting harder and harder to find, especially in a city, but one man, Fergus Drennan, a.k.a. Fergus the Forager, has undertaken a unique personal challenge. On April 1, 2008, he began eating nothing but foraged foods, including roadkill, for a full year.

Even if you're not ready to go on the Roadkill Diet, you can find out more about this unique culinary experiment by heading on over to: www.wildmanfood.com

Book Bike

Gabe Levinson want people to read. To that end he's put together a giant tricycle stocked with books. Every Saturday, he hops on the Book Bike, pedals it to a Chicago park or two and hands out free books. Built by Haley Trikes of Philadelphia, the Book Bike is complete with display cases that open wide and allow Gabe to display over 100 books. Where does he get them? From publishers, of course. Publishers he's talked into providing him with free books to distribute to the reading public.

To find out more about Gabe, the Book Bike, and his other projects, point your browser to: somethingtoread.net
To order a Book Bike of your own, visit: haleytrikes.com

The Reconomy Recommends: Weener Ware

So, I was wandering around an art fair this weekend, and, of course saw plenty of the 3P's -- painting, photography, and pottery. Not that there wasn't high quality work there, it's just that I got a big dose of the old been-there-done-that feeling. Then, I happened upon Weener Ware!

No, it's not what you think -- neither hand made sweaters for dachshunds nor custom cock rings were on display. Weener Ware is miniature art inside recycled bottle caps. The artists, Jeanmarie Petro and Barbara Tinger, have paired the art work with the bottle caps and then turned them into necklaces, earrings, hair clips, and other assorted wearable and unwearable accessories. Weener Ware is funky, unique, and a definite conversation starter. It's one fine example of making art from recycled materials, and so, as you might imagine, it is near and dear to my heart.

But don't wait until serendipity leads you and the Weener Ware women to the same art fair. Check it out online at: www.weenerware.com