Earlier today when I was talking with our intern about fashion, I asked her "if you could write an article about fashion, what would you write about?" She answered that she would talk about how it doesn't matter where you shop-- that your clothes are your statement, not about how much you can pay for clothing, but about who you are. She said that it seems that more and more people are moving away from the idea that we wear our financial status on our sleeve. We agreed that the statement that our clothing makes will never go away, but that at least the statements are getting a bit better. More...

Meredith Sorensen, our diligent blogger of Talkin' Trash, received a fellowship to study waste management in far flung locations around the world. Track of her trashy adventures around Europe and Central America through her own blogspot home, Trash or Treasure. We'll miss your trash talk, Meredith! For her departure, Meredith composed an ode to her recycling rollcart.

"Oh You Sexy Rollcart"

It's 6 a.m., and I awake with a start;
Did I do everything I need to do with my rollcart? More...

If you have the DIY bug, then you're familiar with the appeal of those dilapidated, lost looking chairs found in garages, thrift stores, and curbs everywhere. Instead of purchasing a new chair, find one with good bones that needs a little TLC, and give it a new life. With a little elbow grease and our listings of local fabric and paint stores, you'll be able to turn a $5 (or free!) find into a beloved home project. All kinds of wood furniture--tables, dressers, desks--can be painted and revitalized with these tips and resources.

We've got your local coupons, too, to help inspire a project. More...

Did you know that 18 tons of mine waste is generated in the production of one simple gold ring? More than 80 percent of all newly mined gold goes to making jewelry, yet there is enough gold already mined to satisfy all demands of the jewelry industry for the next 50 years. I'll cover the alternatives in this brief overview on how gold is produced. WARNING: It’s not very romantic! More...

Electronic gadgets fill our days. At work, I typically carry a pager, a work cell phone and my personal cell phone. And at some point all those devices need to be charged.

Obviously, that uses electricity. What many of us don’t recognize that once our favorite devices are done charging and we unplug them for use, the charger is still drawing electricity from the wall socket. Electricity is being thrown away, just like a leaky faucet wastes water. More...

EcoMetro Green Events

Play: Fiber Art & Textiles from the National Institute of Art & Disabilities
"Fiber Art and Textiles" from the National Institute of Art and Disabilities is open at the Addison Street Windows. The exhibit takes place while NIAD is celebrating 25 years of creativity, promoting independence, dignity, and community integration for people with developmental and other disabilities. The exhibition is on through August 28 and can be viewed 24 hours a day from the sidewalk on Addison Street. It is free and wheelchair accessible. This exhibit features a large selection of fiber arts and textiles created by NIAD artists, including quilts, weaving, custom embroidered t-shirts, bags, silk scarves, and sculpture. The fiber works are made from a variety of materials including yarn, donated cloth and clothing.
Through August 28
Addison Street Windows Gallery, Berkeley More...

Each Thursday we'll bring you our favorite gems picked out from scouring local craft markets, Etsy, Lov.li, and local craft sites. We'll also give highlights from our other EcoMetro cities. Materials must meet our environmental criteria, which include recycled/reclaimed materials and eco fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, and soy fabrics and yarns.

Custom Bicycle Helmet Cover by RidingPretty, $135
A head scarf and shades have long been a symbol of a weekend drive in style. These custom bonnets bring the fashion to a new form of transportation--bikes. Made to fit over a bike helmet, with a visor and chin tie, this is our pick of the week for crafty fashion statement.

More of this week's crafters after the jump... More...

For this feature, we’ll show some love and devote our time to roses. Roses have stood the test of time, having been taken note of in literature since the Bible was first written.  Roses first came to Europe in the form of the perpetual blooming varieties native to China, and most places on the map boast native varieties.  Because they’re relatively easy to clone and hybridize, gardeners have created thousands of varieties.  Our own native rose is called the Nootka, and is excellent when grown in riparian buffer zones – the areas of land and vegetation immediately adjacent to streams. More...

One of our best-loved herbs is basil.  Perhaps that’s because it’s not only reliable –  blooming abundantly, until autumn, when it dutifully reminds us of its annual status, and fades away within days – but also because it’s so versatile and varietal that we can add it to any number of dishes. More...

Every season of project runway (and I’ve watched them all twice) has challenges where they deal with uncommon fabrics. One of my favorite season three challenges was when they took the contestants to a recycling center and had them compose outfits from the "waste" materials they found there. That brought a win to the fabulous Michael Knight and a pass-over-but-should-have-won to the genius and overall winner of the season Jeffrey Sebelia. Michael created a lovely ensemble from peanut sacks with a wrap made of plastic bag. Jeffrey created an incredible dress out of paper, but, in my opinion did not win because he used so much paint to create the final product (including the cutest tromp l'oeil belt), while Michael used the products as-is.   More...